Best Editor/IDE To Develop GNU Smalltalk Programs [closed]

Question

I'm reading Computer Programming Using GNU Smalltalk.

What is the best program to write my Smalltalk sources?

I don't know what to use: Notepad++, another editor, or an IDE?

I any suggestions for a beginner using Windows XP?

Answer 1

You'll not want to start with that. You'll want to start with a Squeak or Pharo, possibly the seaside one-click image. That way you'll have an image-based smalltalk with a working IDE. A file-based Smalltalk like GST has its uses, but development should be done in an image where you can browse, inspect and debug.

Answer 2

Any editor will do: Windows users will use Notepad or Notepad++ or UltraEdit, Unix users will more likely use Emacs or vi.

The latest version of GNU Smalltalk (going to be 3.2) will have a nice IDE based on GTK+, called VisualGST. I find it extremely useful for reading code, but I still use a text editor for writing it.

If you haven't yet compiled GNU Smalltalk, I suggest you use Cygwin. I'll make prebuilt Windows binaries soon, hopefully in 1-2 weeks since it's now at the top of my todo list. It's a bit more difficult under Windows than under Linux to build gst because of the number of external dependencies.