The Howdy Glossary

Strongtalk is a statically typed object-oriented programming language created at Sun Microsystems by a team including Gilad Bracha, Lars Bak, and David Griswold. It introduced strong (static) typing to identify errors during compile-time, enhancing efficiency while maintaining the expressive power of dynamically typed languages like Smalltalk. Despite its limited adoption, Strongtalk influenced the development of similar concepts in other programming environments due to its innovative optimization techniques and improved runtime performance.

The language aimed to address the performance limitations inherent in dynamically typed languages such as Smalltalk-80. By implementing strong typing, Strongtalk could catch errors at compile-time rather than run-time, leading to more efficient execution without sacrificing developer productivity or the expressive capabilities associated with dynamic languages. These innovations sparked interest in exploring similar enhancements across different programming environments.

Though it did not have direct competitors as it presented a unique solution for improving performance in dynamically typed languages, some broader alternatives included statically typed languages like Java or C++. Strongtalk stood out by introducing static typing into typically dynamic environments, improving both runtime efficiency and type safety without compromising flexibility or ease of development. This positioned Strongtalk as an attractive option for developers looking to optimize performance while maintaining the benefits traditionally offered by dynamic programming paradigms.