From: steven_todd_harris@...
Date: 2004-12-16T11:22:15+09:00
Subject: [OFF] New Smalltalk Release

I know this is a bit off topic but because ruby and smalltalk are so
close I figured
I'd pass it a long for those interested. Please no flames

Ambrai Smalltalk 1.0.5 Beta2 is now available for download.

Summary of changes:

1. IDE improvements
        - Syntax highlighting
        - Syntax-based keyboard and mouse selection
        - Splitter panes
        - Text pane find and replace
        - Keyboard navigation

2. Command-line
        - Can run /usr/bin/smalltalk from the Terminal
        - Can access command-line arguments
        - Can access environment variables
        - Can input and output to and from the command-line
        - Can invoke other command-line programs
        - Can pipe data to and from other command-line programs

3. Unicode character support
        - Unicode characters can be used in the source code.
Comments, string,
symbol, and character literals may contain international characters.
Method selectors must still use traditional unaccented Latin
characters.
        - Unicode character escape sequences may be used in string
and symbol
literals.
        - All GUI components may contain international characters.
        - UTF8 and UTF16 text encodings are supported.

4. Object finalization

5. Objective-C interface

6. Database interface

7. Cryptographic framework

8. Graphics framework

9. Weak collection improvements

10. Squeak file compatibility
        - Can file-in Ambrai chunk format into Squeak.
        - Can file-in Squeak chunk format into Ambrai (assignment
_ must be
manually changed to :=).

Enjoy,

Dorin Sandu and Mark Suska
Ambrai Smalltalk Development
http://www.ambrai.com