Is Smalltalk a weird cause to fight for?
This question occupied my mind last night as I slept.
I came to the conclusion that it’s not weird at all. Why is it any more weird than, say, the following causes:
- environmental causes, like climate change, Amazon rainforest, pollution, etc.
- endangered species, like tigers, whales, sharks, eagles, etc.
- welfare of chimpanzees (Jane Goodall)
- domestic abuse
- animal abuse
- human rights abuse
- medical diseases, like cancer, MS, ALS, Alzheimer’s, etc.
- arts & culture
- disability causes
- elderly care
- religious causes
- political causes, like corruption, unethical foreign policies, Edward Snowden, etc.
- cyberbullying
- sports causes
And many more I haven’t thought of.
Ultimately, one fights for a cause they have a personal connection with. I have no connection with any of the listed causes, except perhaps for cancer and tigers.
Some people might think that a humanitarian cause (like human rights, domestic abuse, diseases) is more “worthy” than a programming language.
Some people might think that the survival of the planet is more worthy than Smalltalk.
But this depends on one’s belief system, personality, and personal experiences. They’re different for everybody.
I think Smalltalk is a most important cause. How can I possibly justify this outrageous claim?
Well, consider this: We live in a highly technological world where information underpins nearly every aspect of our lives. Without software technology, our modern world would collapse. We would be thrown into utter chaos.
And what is at the very heart of software technology? Programming languages. People must use programming languages to create all of this wonderful (and not-so-wonderful) software.
Now, what if we were all using shit programming languages? How would that impact our world?
Well, we’d have flakey, unreliable websites. We’d have unsecure, hackable systems. We’d have a huge backlog of software that needs to be written, and not enough time nor resources to write them.
We’d have generations of shit programmers who’ve graced us with their crapware. They’ve been “trained” to program in JavaScript and Python. They have no idea how to ensure the highest quality of software.
Surely, you say, using languages like Smalltalk and Rust won’t solve all of our software woes. And you’d be right. But it would be a wonderful huge step in the right direction.
This is why I’ve devoted my life to this cause. Is that weird?
