[phoe-krk]

I know about Smalltalk, but I didn't know about Java and .NET! Could you point me to utilities for those languages that allowed for features like autocompletions, introspection, live debugging, recompilation, REPLs - standard stuff in Slime/Swank?

[pjmlp]

autocompletions have been a feature in IDEs since Visual C++ was introduced, and copied by Java IDEs, and naturally Visual Studio for .NET languages as well.

Introspection, graphical code navigation has been a thing in Apple MPW, Borland C++ for Windows, Visual Age for C++ (latter CSet++), C++ Builder, Eclipse, Visual Cafe, Visual Studio Enterprise.

Live debugging and recompilation, edit-and-continue in Visual Studio, JVM class reload capabilities and JRebel JVM agents.

REPLs, available as standard feature in Java since Java 9, prior to that there were IDE features like Eclipse Scrappages. Visual Basic interactive mode (classical VB), and nowadays F#, C# and VB.NET interactive shells on VS, including send-to-repl capability.

Lucid Energize C++ tooling from 1993 already enjoyed some of these features:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQQTScuApWk

[oblio]

You made me look how old Visual C++/Visual Studio is.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Visual_C%2B%2B says: 27 years old. Not too shabby :-)

You should add refactoring capabilities for the C++/C#/Java tools to the list of features, I wonder how the Lisp stuff compares.

[pjmlp]

Yeah, due to dynamic types is might do well than C++/C#/Java refactoring tools.

However the first refactoring tools appeared on Smalltalk, which is also a dynamic language, but it doesn't have macros and the image provides metadata that Lisps don't always have available.