The Howdy Glossary

Self is a programming language developed by David Ungar and Randall Smith at Xerox PARC, designed as a successor to Smalltalk. It emphasizes adaptive optimization to enhance performance through dynamic object redefinition at runtime using a prototype model rather than traditional class-based structures. Self includes features like generational garbage collection and copy-on-write semantics for efficient memory management, aiming to reduce manual intervention and improve programmer productivity. Despite limited mainstream adoption, Self's innovative design has influenced other languages such as JavaScript, particularly in ES6 (EcmaScript 2015) with its adoption of prototype-based inheritance.

Developed at Xerox PARC by Ungar and Smith, Self was intended to simplify programming tasks and boost productivity through its unique prototype-based model that diverged from traditional class-based approaches. This allowed objects to be dynamically redefined at runtime without affecting instances, providing greater flexibility in object-oriented design. The language also incorporated adaptive optimization techniques that automatically enhanced code performance without requiring manual adjustments from programmers. Additionally, it featured advanced memory management techniques like generational garbage collection and copy-on-write semantics for more efficient resource utilization.

However, Self faced significant competition from established object-oriented languages like Smalltalk, C++, and Java during its development period. These competitors had strong ecosystems, libraries, tooling support, and industry backing which drew developers towards them over newer alternatives like Self. Despite these challenges in gaining widespread popularity, the concepts introduced by Self have left an enduring mark on subsequent programming languages; most notably influencing JavaScript’s adoption of prototype-based inheritance in ES6 (EcmaScript 2015). As such, while it didn't achieve mainstream success itself, Self's pioneering innovations continue to impact the evolution of modern programming languages.