On Mon, 5 Jan 2026 08:49:36 +0000 Helge wrote: > GNU Smalltalk differs from the main Smalltalk dialects significantly
and/but OTOH and IIRC, GNU Smalltalk is the nearest to the ANSI dialect, which is actually the stronger formalized concept of a standard - a standard has more of the character of "main-ness" than ordinary organic dialects if one takes "main" to be "the most standardized or interoperable" then GNU Smalltalk is actually the best match for a "main Smalltalk dialect"; so it would be remiss not to mention that perhaps ironic twist presumably, the quoted use of "main" is a measure of popularity (eg: number of installs) rather than of technical similarity or heritage, or the domain of some authority, or otherwise what people usually mean by "main-line" the smalltalks are best described a language zoo - none qualify or deserve such a badge of "main-ness", nor "de-facto", nor so on - a IRL zoo would not present one animal as the main animal, though some may be favorites of some or other visitors
