Small Talk

If you're interested in Smalltalk, see Smalltalk Language. The rest of this page is about the spelling of "Smalltalk". --Jason Grossman

I spell Smalltalk wrong occasionally. Simply because, way back when I was a NeXTStep (later NeXTSTEP and, still later NEXTSTEP, [see Next Step]) programmer, the Objective Cee programmers I learned OO from did so. I was ignorant, so were they. I doubt any of us were showing off; it was simply a bad habit that got transmitted. -- William Grosso

I tend to write Small Talk in Camel Case because I spent so much time hacking Post Script (which is, after all, one word). -- 62.30.192.1

[PS being the abbreviation of the latin "post scriptum" (literally "after writing"), which is in two words. Why the hell, the habit of capitalization for PS did arise, is an open question -- Pieter Jansegers]

But Postscript is also not spelled in Camel Case!! -- Marcel Weiher

Postscript is often abbreviated ps though, so I could see the confusion. Camel Case has been beaten into me so bad from programming and such that I often type that way without much thought.

Hi, I'm John Doe, and I write Small Talk wrongly hangs head in shame

I write Small Talk with a capital T because it makes the Smug Smalltalk Weenies squirm, and gives them yet another opportunity to get all smug and tell me how ignorant I am, all the while I chuckle to myself how silly it is that the hOOlier than thou weenies get so enraged over something so trivial.

Smalltalk is case-sensitive. The global variable "Smalltalk" is used throughout the system. No developer who has used Smalltalk would spell it "Small Talk". However you rationalize it to yourself, when you use the term "Small Talk", you shout your inexperience with the language and environment -- especially when you combine your arrogance with phrases like "hOOlier than thou weenies". -- Tom Stambaugh, hOOlier than thou weenie.

See original on c2.com