Master live programming and pure object-oriented development with Pharo 13, the modern Smalltalk environment where you code, debug, and modify running applications in real time.
Most programming languages force you to write code, compile, run, and repeat. Pharo offers something different: a live programming environment where you interact directly with objects, modify code while your program runs, and explore your application from the inside out. This book gives you a clear, beginner-friendly path from installation to building real applications, teaching you not just Pharo syntax but a fundamentally different way of thinking about software development.
Written for developers new to Pharo or Smalltalk, this guide starts with the philosophy behind live programming and walks you through every concept with hands-on examples. You'll learn Pharo's elegant syntax (it fits on a postcard), master the powerful development tools that make live coding possible, and build complete applications including a task manager and a component-based web application with Seaside.
What You'll Learn:
- Live programming fundamentals and the Pharo philosophy: understanding the image-based environment, virtual machine architecture, and how Pharo differs from traditional compile-run-debug cycles
- Pharo 13 installation and environment setup on Windows, macOS, and Linux, with System Browser navigation and essential keyboard shortcuts
- The postcard language: Pharo's six reserved words, message sending patterns (unary, binary, and keyword messages), variables, assignments, and literals
- Pure object-oriented programming: creating classes, defining instance variables with proper encapsulation, writing methods, and organizing code with message protocols
- Collections mastery: working with Arrays, OrderedCollections, Sets, Dictionaries, and Association objects, plus iteration patterns like do:, select:, collect:, and reject:
- Blocks and closures: understanding block syntax, conditionals with ifTrue: ifFalse:, loops using timesRepeat: and whileTrue:, and exception handling
- Inheritance and OO design: navigating class hierarchies, method lookup with the super keyword, abstract classes, Template Method pattern, and polymorphism
- Live debugging techniques: using the debugger to understand code flow, the Inspector for runtime object exploration, and modifying code while your program runs
- Building a complete Task Manager: designing the architecture, creating domain objects, building a user interface, and persisting data with Fuel serialization
- Web development with Seaside: component-based web architecture, creating interactive components with callbacks, and session management with proper state handling
- Professional practices: writing unit tests with SUnit framework, version control with Iceberg and Git integration, and exploring Pharo libraries
Every concept is taught through working code examples that you type and run in the live environment. You'll experience Pharo's unique workflow: inspecting objects at runtime, stepping through code in the debugger, and making changes that take effect immediately without restarting your application.
Start your journey into live programming today and discover a development experience that changes how you think about building software.
