Pharo 14 Released with Modernized Tools, Refactoring, and Virtual Machine

Pharo 14 Focus Areas

Pharo, an object-oriented programming language, has released version 14. This iteration concentrated on three main areas: modernizing development tools, rebuilding the refactoring and command infrastructure, and updating the virtual machine. This release is the first under a new fall release schedule, moving from the previous spring schedule.

Development Tool Modernization

The development tools in Pharo 14 received significant updates. New tools introduced include Mission Control and Pulse, which replaces Spotter. The Method Browser was reworked, and the Settings Browser was rewritten. Additionally, Epicea and ProfStef were consolidated into NewTools, continuing the migration of development tools to the Spec-based tooling stack.

Refactoring and Command Infrastructure

Pharo 14 rebuilt its refactoring and command infrastructure. Refactoring commands were migrated to a driver-based architecture, operating behind a unified command registry. The release also expanded Pharo's command-line capabilities, adding command-line testing, a command-line debugger, and Sindarin script tooling.

Virtual Machine Modernization

The virtual machine in Pharo 14 underwent modernization efforts. This included unifying frames and stack management, adding RISC-V JIT support, and extending memory management with direct old-space allocation and garbage collection improvements. Advancements were also made in Slang/C compilation and the cross-platform build infrastructure.