Kirtai 🏳️‍⚧️

AuDHD Transgirl with OCD who is a fan of personal dynamic computer systems like Smalltalk.
Also likes playing piano.

Pronouns: she/her
Codeberg: https://codeberg.org/Kirtai

Public Key

npub1hu9np9tkf38h795r8hanfnh67lp2f7zqq2qwu50e9yuhpdaa0u6qgtqelz

NIP-05 Address

[email protected]

Profile Code

nprofile1qqst7zesj4mycnmlz6pnm7e5ema00s4ylpqq9q8w28ujjwtsk77h7dqprpmhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumt0d4hhxarj9ecxjmntwkjn09

Publishing to

relay.momostr.pink

Author Public Key

npub1hu9np9tkf38h795r8hanfnh67lp2f7zqq2qwu50e9yuhpdaa0u6qgtqelz

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Last Notes

2026-09-28 08:28:55 GMT

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Come to think of it, would Scheme count? It's certainly been reimplemented enough :neocat_laugh:

2026-07-26 19:05:08 GMT

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Quite the indictment of modern systems tbh.

2026-05-12 23:10:18 GMT

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Oh crap.

2026-05-05 23:08:22 GMT

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Like a railgun or coilgun?

2026-04-17 18:28:13 GMT

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Another thing is that metaprogramming covers a *huge* range of things.
Here's another example.
Adding an object system to C required a *huge* amount of work to produce C++ and Objective-C.
Adding an object system to Scheme or Forth is a students afternoon project.
The difference? C has very very weak metaprogramming.
Scheme and Forth have very strong metaprogramming.

2026-04-17 02:01:35 GMT

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One thing is does is massively reduce boilerplate.
Instead of writing lots of repetitive code you can fold it into the language itself.
Another thing is it allows you to create a language specific to your application domain.
Regarding adding more control structures, did you know that Smalltalk doesn't have *any* control structures in the language itself? They're all based on metaprogramming.

2026-03-06 19:42:09 GMT

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*Are* they though?
Threads have a lot more problems than memory issues :neocat__w:

2026-03-06 19:38:06 GMT

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I recently read that Rust uses pretty much the same thread model as C++.

2026-03-05 12:36:59 GMT

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I've started thinking that they're the first real cognitohazards we've encountered. If not the first memetic weapons.

2026-03-01 13:08:56 GMT

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Why Alan Sugar specifically?

2026-02-22 02:51:43 GMT

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Money?

2026-02-20 05:27:47 GMT

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Oh for fucks sake :neocat_scream_angry:

2026-02-20 05:23:16 GMT

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Oh no, what happened?

2026-02-20 03:45:16 GMT

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We need more done in *actually* high level languages.

2026-02-17 04:22:19 GMT

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It's understandable though, give that pretty much every machine type was *completely* different.

2026-02-17 03:49:18 GMT

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I look at some of the stuff we had in the 70s and 80s and they're crazily advanced despite tiny and slow hardware.
I wish it hadn't been (almost) forgotten.

2026-02-17 03:43:53 GMT

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Hmm, I get the strong feeling there *is* an appropriate word but I can't quite bring it to mind either.
Maybe "inputs"?

2026-02-17 03:40:15 GMT

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Oh, did you mean arguments when you wrote assumptions?

2026-02-17 03:39:09 GMT

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Every time I think about learning Python I remember what a blasted hellscape its packaging is and I go do something else.

2026-02-15 02:53:08 GMT

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Even key:value pairs would be a huge upgrade.

2026-02-15 02:45:50 GMT

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"Modern" filesystems are terrible.
They don't even have a comment field or versioning.
(I remember that the Amiga would save the URL of a downloaded file in the file's comment.)

2026-02-09 12:55:01 GMT

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We even lost versioned file systems :neocat_floof_sad_low_ears:

2026-02-07 21:36:50 GMT

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Thanks, I'll try that :)

2026-02-07 19:34:03 GMT

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What would be good values to start with?

2026-01-29 10:37:33 GMT

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What font are you using there?
No longer using the Xerox Smalltalk one? :neocat_0_0:

2026-01-25 06:02:47 GMT

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I think I first heard about prevalence in relation to KeyKOS, though it may have been Smalltalk.
But I definitely want it :neocat__w:

2026-01-24 22:56:27 GMT

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I am sad that so many amazing systems have been almost lost due to the windows/mac/unix focus.

2026-01-22 21:46:59 GMT

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I never thought of that but spatiality does indeed seem to be the thing that attracts me to it. Similar to Smalltalks.

2026-01-19 23:19:44 GMT

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I don't actually understand the "I made you do" thing.
Am I better off not knowing?

2026-01-15 23:07:33 GMT

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But *honey* is a different matter.

2026-01-05 19:15:12 GMT

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"Everyone knows that debugging is twice as hard as writing a program in the first place. So if you’re as clever as you can be when you write it, how will you ever debug it?
-- Brian Kernighan, 1974"
Imagine how hard it is to debug code you're not smart enough to write in the first place.

2025-12-28 00:41:39 GMT

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You thought the bouncing ball was from Atari?
:neocat_angry:

2024-10-29 16:45:48 GMT

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Good point. I was just thinking of how it could be used for a Picotron like system I was thinking of.

2024-10-29 16:38:52 GMT

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Clever. I suppose that works better when the display frame rate is not the same as the logic update rate.

2024-10-29 13:10:52 GMT

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Perhaps step() ?

2024-10-22 03:02:43 GMT

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The way anime girl faces look becomes much more understandable once you learn that they're based on cat faces, not human faces.

2024-10-21 12:01:32 GMT

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But then insecure guys couldn't drive around in massive vehicles with angry faces on the front.
(Yes, the angry face on the front of SUVs is deliberate)

2024-10-17 02:12:26 GMT

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I remember reading many many *many* years ago that the reason for switching to CMOS from other technologies was its lower power requirements even if it was much slower.
Is it *still* slower than competing techs and only used due to the lower power/heat dissipation requirements?

2024-10-16 19:55:21 GMT

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Yeah, I know, but when I'm falling asleep and want to go to bed *now* having the computer play silly buggers is quite unwelcome. :neocat_laugh:

2024-10-16 02:27:45 GMT

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Oh noes! Especially when you have spinning disks connected.

2024-10-14 19:03:41 GMT

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True, but many midi devices allow you to write the firmware with the right commands.

2024-10-14 18:59:16 GMT

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Yes, of course I want to expose all my usb and bluetooth devices to $RANDOM_INTERNET_SITE. Why wouldn't I? :neocat_sob:
At least they're resisting webmidi. /sigh

2024-09-21 19:18:23 GMT

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True. I did like the Smalltalk-76 font though (called Cream iirc?) since they *did* care about how things look.
I think @npub1z8r…mrq6 uses that one in their UXN tools. :neocat__w:

2024-09-21 18:51:00 GMT

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Maybe the fonts that were used on monochrome systems like Smalltalk-80 & 76, Interlisp, Lisp machines and the like could be a good inspiration?

2024-09-16 18:37:31 GMT

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Oof, that's a pity.

2024-09-16 18:35:30 GMT

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Maybe make a pair of matching front plates?

2024-09-12 11:45:33 GMT

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Why on earth would someone use the same field for that? :neocat_what: