GoKawiilAlan Kay's ACM paper details the origins of Smalltalk at Xerox PARC
Alan Kay, writing for Apple Computer, published 'The Early History of Smalltalk' as part of ACM's HOPL-II conference proceedings in 1993. The paper traces how 1960s ARPA-era research into interactive computing, graphics and simulation languages led to the development of Smalltalk and object-oriented design. Kay describes his vision of a handheld 'Dynabook' and a messaging-based, cell-like model of software architecture as foundations for personal computing.
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The account offers a firsthand record from one of the field's originators explaining how object-oriented programming and personal computing concepts emerged from earlier mainframe-era research rather than being invented from scratch. Kay frames these ideas as a deliberate break from incremental improvements to existing computing paradigms, which could help explain the conceptual leap underlying later graphical, object-oriented systems. As a historical primary source, it is likely to be referenced by researchers studying the intellectual lineage of modern computing interfaces.
- Alan Kay authored the paper for ACM's History of Programming Languages II conference in 1993.
- It traces Smalltalk's roots to 1960s ARPA research on interactive, time-shared computing.
- Kay describes early concepts like the 'Dynabook' and message-passing object cells as precursors to modern object-oriented design.
Alan Kay's 'The Early History of Smalltalk' reprint — If you're fascinated by Kay's account of object-oriented design origins, a classic Smalltalk-80 book is a great companion read to see the ideas in action. It connects the historical narrative directly to real syntax and system design discussed in the article. Great for programming history enthusiasts and language designers alike.
See Alan Kay's 'The Early History of Smalltalk' reprint on Amazon → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you. Product picked by AI based on this article; it is not a tested recommendation.Source: worrydream.com, 2026-10-06
Published there as: “The Early History of Smalltalk”
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