I'm not super well-versed in either ecosystem. How does typescript relate to smalltalk? Did smalltalk (or some smalltalks) have a kind of gradual- or occurrence-typing system? Or what was the comparison you had in mind?
That sounds great, but I'm so locked into my suite of Chrome extensions. It's not just the browser, it's the whole app ecosystem that's built into it. If that transfers too, then I'm on board. But I suspect that my boatload of Chrome extensions is part of the problem.
Absolutely. An unlockable bootloader is one of my must-have features on any handset I purchase. I wouldn't buy any device without custom ROM support. I love being able to run a de-bloated version of the software I want on the hardware I want. The Nexus/Google devices would be great for me, except that they don't have a replaceable battery like the LG phones do.
Per Bothner writes: Kawa is a general-purpose Scheme-based programming language that runs on the Java platform. It combines the strengths of dynamic scripting languages (less boiler-plate, fast and easy start-up, a REPL, no required compilation step) with the strengths of traditional compiled languages (fast execution, static error detection, modularity, zero-overhead Java platform integration).
Version 2.0 was just released with many new features. Most notably is (almost) complete support for the latest Scheme specification, R7RS, which was ratified in late 2013.
This LWN article contains a brief introduction to Kawa and why it is worth a look.