Codeq
The Smalltalk model (simplifying horribly as storing functions/code units instead of files) has significant and obvious advantages, and it's been around for 30 years.<p>The fact that the file model continues to dominate suggests to me that there may be significant drawbacks as well.<p>Possibilities:<p>* Losing the ability to use file-based tools costs too much.  This is less that the function model is bad and more that existing tools happen to be file-based<p>* The model will eventually win, it's just taking a really long time for thoughts/tools to catch up.<p>* The model is better, but has not caught on for reason unrelated to its utility.  The model is Betamax.<p>* The file-based model is better