These are the slides I've prepared for presenting at CampSmalltalkVI2014 flow, a full-stack smalltalk framework for doing Single Page Applications. tl;dr: it's Smalltalk for startups. In a nutshell: flow is Amber frontend, Pharo backend and Mapless for networking objects in JSON and uncomplicated MongoDB persistence. MIT license

1. flow
A living full-stack framework for the web

2. OOPSLA '97
Web browsers
presuposing
format = dark ages

3. Meanwhile…
• Google happens
• Web “rich” applications
• All kinds of full-server-stacks spread (RoR,
Django, Seaside and Aida and a loooong etc.)

4. Then Gmail happens…
(not just happens but people actually loving it)

5. Fast forward a bit…

6. AngularJS teaches the
browser “new tricks”
1. Composition
AKA dependency injection
!
2. not-presuposed formats
AKA element directives

7. AngularJS is just the beginning
of an experiment that works
wait.. so you say people telling the browser what
the format is, had become the new normal?
Oops! if you can’t even do the normal tricks, is not that you can’t
deliver cool, is that you’re not even a market option for the
incoming generation. Oh snap! Market lost without even noticing!

8. Great options out there…
• Real-time is default
• Designer friendly
• Engineer friendly

9. Hold on.. designers-friendly
like in…?
The tools you’re going to use in the next 2 to 5 years are
in this very moment in the designer's “drawing boards.”
How many designers love working with you (and your
tools)?
What tools you made to help them? (so how many cool
products are you expecting as output then)
That’s the kind of designers friendly we're talking about

10. Focus is on SPA
Single Page Applications

11. Why Smalltalk?
If things are so good out there, why not just move on and embrace those?
!
Why even bother with Smalltalk?
Beside clients asking for
projects with its features, is
because it makes you feel the
force. Why would you ignore
mastering it?
!
It’s the language design
principles. Smalltalk rewards
more than any other:
!
• Intuition
• Discovery
• Personal mastery

12. What do we have now?
Great foundation!
Still not as productive as Meteor
for a first demo done in 60 minutes (hard limit)
!
The web is messy, we need some additional help

13. flow
A living full-stack framework for the web

14. flow
1. A living full-stack framework for the web
!
2. Smalltalk for startups
!
3. A framework with a mission

15. flow’s mission
Flow's mission is to provide consultants, startups and
software houses with a competitive Smalltalk full-stack
framework that allows them to quickly deliver a demo with all
the modern html5 features the market expects today (2014).
!
The idea is that they can tactically use this framework to
keep momentum up among their prospects and clients and
scale things to full successful projects delivered by kickass
productive teams or individuals.

16. Some features
1. Two-way data binding
!
2. (micro) Templates
!
3. Realtime

17. Possibilities?
1. Hackathons, maker spaces, StartupWeekend & many
Startup programs
!
2. Design Thinking, prototyping stage for corporate innovation
!
3. Consultants, software houses and vendors can win fast on
demos of Single Page Application projects
!
4. Startups using it, eventually getting funded

18. Demo

19. Smalltalk gave me a lot.
!
I feel very grateful to the Smalltalk
community. Is my privilege to be
able to give something in return
and hopefully flow helps others
like is helping me.
!
This is my way to say:
!
Thank you fellow Smalltalker

20. flow is a
mission with a
curated project
MIT license
all for the good!
github.com/flow-stack/flow

21. Contributions?
Really easy: you can add your feedback or
idea in a Trello card here, choose any card
you want to help with and push your feature!

22. QA? Thanks! FAQ
Sebastian Sastre
sebastian@flowignconcept.com
@sebastianconcpt
linkedin.com/in/sebastiansastre