Smalltalk

Alan Kay's 1993 paper on the early history of Smalltalk is drawing renewed attention. The essay recounts how the pioneering object-oriented programming language was developed at Xerox PARC in the 1970s, and the ideas behind personal computing and dynamic media that shaped it. Readers are discussing its perspective on programming as a medium for thought and why those original visions remain relevant today.

Alan Kay's account of the early history of Smalltalk is drawing renewed attention, tracing how the pioneering object-oriented programming language took shape at Xerox PARC in the 1970s. Readers are revisiting Kay's reflections on personal computing, the Dynabook vision, and the design decisions that shaped modern software, with the piece circulating widely among developers and programming-history enthusiasts.