I've heard it claimed a number of times that Ruby/Python are SmallTalk-esque.
Can anyone speak to that? In what ways is that so?
I've also read Peter Norvig claim that Python is a LISP with C-Syntax, so I'm not sure what to think.
Can anyone speak to that? In what ways is that so?
I've also read Peter Norvig claim that Python is a LISP with C-Syntax, so I'm not sure what to think.
If you like first-class functions, then Javascript becomes "Scheme in the browser." If you miss having a REPL and then discover Python, it becomes "LISP with C-syntax." If you like objects responding to arbitrary messages, then Ruby is "Smalltalk without images" and so on.
Python doesn't quite fit as well, since it doesn't have arbitrary anonymous code blocks (lambdas are a bit limited), and classes aren't as open once they've been created (I think?).
The big difference is that Ruby is a language that runs on regular machines, calling out to C routines to interact with an external OS, whereas Smalltalk is an integrated language and OS that run together (similar to lisp on the lisp machines).