Differences

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--- at:introduction [2007/06/19 16:49] – tvcutsem
+++ at:introduction [2008/07/15 12:19] (current) – * tvcutsem
@@ Line 6: / Line 6: @@
   * **dynamically typed**, which is **not** the same as being untyped: AmbientTalk //values// are typed, but //variables// are not
   * object-oriented, but prototype-based: AmbientTalk provides full support for objects, **delegation** (a form of inheritance) and polymorphic message dispatch. Objects are not instantiated from classes, as in Smalltalk, but rather cloned from existing objects or created //ex-nihilo//, as in Self.
-  * flexible: like Smalltalk, Self and Ruby, AmbientTalk embraces the use of elegant and expressive **block closures** to achieve a level of reusability far exceeding that of Java or similar languages lacking true closures.
+  * flexible: like Scheme, Smalltalk, Self and many other languages, AmbientTalk embraces the use of elegant and expressive **block closures** to achieve a level of reusability far exceeding that of Java or similar languages lacking true closures.
   * event-driven: AmbientTalk has built-in support for **actor**-based concurrency, which operates based on entirely //asynchronous// and //event-driven// communication. No threads, no locks, no deadlock and no data-level race conditions!
-  * distributed: AmbientTalk has built-in natives to make objects discover and talk to one another in a **peer-to-peer** manner across a TCP/IP network.
+  * distributed: AmbientTalk has built-in language constructs to make objects discover and talk to one another in a **peer-to-peer** manner across a TCP/IP network.
   * **symbiotic**: built on top of the Java Virtual Machine, AmbientTalk exploits the Java reflection API to enable AmbientTalk objects to collaborate with Java objects. This enables reuse of existing Java libraries while not abandoning the dynamic programming style of AmbientTalk.
@@ Line 172: / Line 172: @@
 Of course, we are not claiming that AmbientTalk is a good replacement for distributed computing standards such as CORBA or Jini, which are much more flexible, at the cost of increased complexity. AmbientTalk is simply a lightweight alternative for doing experimental research.
-So, you read the introduction and are interested in all of the gory details of the language? In that case, you can go ahead and [[at:download|download]] AmbientTalk and read the [[at:tutorial:tutorial|tutorial]] which explains the language in much more detail.
+===== Moving on =====
+So, you read the introduction and are interested in all of the gory details of the language? In that case, you can go ahead and [[at:download|download]] AmbientTalk and read the [[at:tutorial:tutorial|tutorial]] which explains the language in much more detail. You can also {{http://prog.vub.ac.be/amop/presentations/SCCC-AT2.html|watch}} an introductory presentation on AmbientTalk (in flash format).