&gt;<i>I like to joke (only half-joke) Smalltalk-80 makes Java-2015 look somewhat primitive in comparison.</i><p>It&#x27;s not a half-joke, it&#x27;s a fact.<p>The only places I&#x27;d say Java is better is number of libraries (obviously) and compiler&#x2F;GC (whose legacy comes from later Smalltalk-oriented works anyway).<p>If Smalltalk images could work in some hybrid mode, where you get all the regular benefits, but with a &quot;normal&quot; editor and&#x2F;or IDE too, and in plain text, it would be golden.