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September 11, 2026Short & citedBlog
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How It Works • Programming Languages

Smalltalk

Smalltalk is a purely object-oriented programming language and development environment created in the 1970s at Xerox PARC.

Updated September 11, 20261 min readCited sources

Smalltalk is a purely object-oriented programming language and development environment created in the 1970s at Xerox PARC. It was designed for educational use and later influenced many mainstream languages.

What it is

Smalltalk is a purely object-oriented, dynamically typed, reflective language in which objects communicate by sending messages. It also includes an interactive development environment that supports live coding and rapid prototyping.

Why it matters

Smalltalk helped popularize object-oriented programming and strongly influenced later languages such as Java and Ruby. Its message-sending model and integrated environment became foundational ideas in software design.

Key details

Smalltalk was created at Xerox PARC by the Learning Research Group, including Alan Kay, Dan Ingalls, and Adele Goldberg. Smalltalk-80 is the best-known version. The language is still used today in some business and niche software environments.

In short

  • Purely object-oriented language with message-sending model
  • Created at Xerox PARC in the 1970s for educational use
  • Influenced Java, Ruby, and other object-oriented languages
  • Still in use today, though not mainstream
Canadian angle

Smalltalk has influenced computer science education and object-oriented programming concepts used in Canadian universities and software development, but it has no uniquely Canadian origin or major Canada-specific identity.

Quick questions

Who created Smalltalk?
Smalltalk was created at Xerox PARC by the Learning Research Group, including Alan Kay, Dan Ingalls, Adele Goldberg, Ted Kaehler, Diana Merry, and Scott Wallace.
Is Smalltalk still used?
Yes. Smalltalk is still used today, especially in some business and legacy software environments, though it is much less common than mainstream languages.
What is the difference between Smalltalk and Java?
Smalltalk is purely object-oriented with a highly interactive development environment, while Java uses a different type system and a more conventional compiled-program model.

Sources

  1. Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smalltalk
    Supports: Overview, creators, history, and continued use
  2. University of Cambridge — https://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/teaching/2001/CompProgLangs/smalltalk.html
    Supports: Early history, Dynabook context, Smalltalk-72, and educational intent
  3. Computer History Museum — https://computerhistory.org/blog/introducing-the-smalltalk-zoo-48-years-of-smalltalk-history-at-chm/
    Supports: Historical development, Xerox PARC origins, and Smalltalk's importance
  4. Learn X in Y Minutes — https://learnxinyminutes.com/smalltalk/
    Supports: Pure object-oriented model, creators, and educational purpose
  5. GeeksforGeeks — https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/software-engineering/introduction-to-smalltalk/
    Supports: General description and influence on later languages including Java