Visual Smalltalk Enterprise (VSE) is a Smalltalk dialect that runs only on Microsoft Windows, and is the last in a long line of Smalltalk implementations first produced by Digitalk and now available through Cincom.
VSE is now only available as a version called VSE 2000, and only to licensed users of previous VSE versions.
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VSE has had a complicated history which starts with a product called Digitalk Smalltalk/V that ran from a DOS prompt and provided a windowing environment.
In reality, before Smalltalk/V, there was a product, the first one from Digitalk, named Methods. The windowing interface was not graphically based - instead it drew its windows using special symbols stored in a character format. Further, it predated the use of a mouse to drive the interface.
There are also been versions of Smalltalk/V for the MAC and for the OS/2 operating systems. A version for OS/2 was also available for VSE.
Visual Smalltalk Enterprise usually comes with another sub-system called the PARTS Workbench. This system allows the layout of components, which can then be connected using a visual representation of event-message links. Programmers can add scripts to particular components and build nested-components. They can also enhance the functionality of the main VSE Smalltalk system and use that within the PARTS Workbench.
Although the PARTS Workbench allows very easy development of small systems (somewhat after the style of Visual Basic) it is argued that it encourages fragmentary development. The natural style of using this system tends to lead to lots of links and scripts - it is not based around the idea of 'model' (as used in 'Model View Controller' approaches common in many Smalltalks as well as in other languages). However, as an 'HCI' for programmers, the PARTS Workbench has many features that are not in modern Smalltalks. It has an immediacy that makes it very good for introductory teaching and for rapidly implementing programs with visual interfaces.
A result of the complex history is that the copyright and licensing situation is unclear. A typical recent VSE development environment is made up of many elements many of which were developed by third parties and sold separately but are now included with the distribution.
The situation with the most recent release (VSE 2000) is:
| Element | Copyright Holder | License |
|---|---|---|
| Virtual machine | Seagull | Seagull owns VSE. Cincom has the right to sell it and provide support. [1] |
| Base Classes | Unknown | Unknown |
| ObjectShare Classes | Cincom | Includes WindowBuilder, various WidgetKits, GF/ST, etc. As such, Cincom can (almost?) do anything it wants with those products (keeping mind the OEM DLL issues affecting two of the WidgetKits). |
| Profile/V | Kent Beck | Open Source, under the CPL 1.0 license (Though donations are appreciated). A performance profiler. Not actually part of the VSE distribution. |
An impartial list of people that worked at Digitalk/ParcPlace on VSE:
| Person | Comments |
|---|---|
| George Bosworth | Co-founder of Digitalk and co-creator of Smalltalk/V. Inventor of Ephemerons. Worked later on the garbage collector in the Microsoft .Net. |
| Jim Anderson | Co-founder of Digitalk and co-creator of Smalltalk/V. |
| Mike Teng | Co-founder of Digitalk and co-creator of Smalltalk/V. |
| Barbara Noparstak | Co-founder of Digitalk. |
| Lee Breisacher | Early employee of Digitalk and significant contributor to Smalltalk/V Win and PM and VSE. |
| Allen Wirfs-Brock | Chief scientist at Digitalk-ParcPlace. Currently works for Mozilla. |
| Eric Clayberg | Creator of WindowBuilder toolkit. Vice President of Development at Digitalk-ParcPlace. [1]. Currently Vice President of Product Development at Instantiations [2]. |
| Stephan B. Wessels | Digitalk Professional Services, frameworks development. [3], [4]. |
| Suzanne Fortman | Digitalk Marketing. Came back to Cincom as Smalltalk Program Director. |
| Gary Gregory | Worked on VSE, PARTS, the VM and database interfaces. Now works at Seagull Software [5]. |
| Dan Rubel | Worked on Subpanes/V. Is CTO of Instantiations [6] |
| Roxie Rochat | Worked on Subpanes/V. Now works for Stoaks Software.[7] |
| Bart Weller | Worked on Subpanes/V. |
| Ken Cooper | Worked on Subpanes/V. Got hired by Microsoft in 1997. [8] |
| Ted Peters | Worked on Subpanes/V. Also got hired by Microsoft in 1997. [9] |
| Mike Taylor | Was Vice President of Professional Services at Digitalk. Now he is CEO and president of Instantiations.[10] |
| Tim Rowledge | Worked on a lot of Smalltalk Stuff at ParcPlace Systems Inc. Now works on Squeak. |