The Sics Java Port Project: Automatic Translation of a Large Object Oriented System from Smalltalk to Java

Although Java and Smalltalk share some vital characteristics there are certainly also important differences. The objective of the SICS Java Port Project is to create tools and methodology to translate a large software application from IBM VisualAge for Smalltalk to Java. My main motivation for this book is to present some of the major technical issues we have encountered as part of translation, present alternatives and the solution we chose. Each problem will be briefly demonstrated, followed by a short discussion. Then we give our chosen solution and a brief demonstration of the results. In our concrete project, the approach has been highly successful. We have found ways to overcome the most important language differences. Although it is impossible to directly apply the experiences of this project to other Smalltalk systems, the results should be promising for others with a similar challenge at hand. Hopefully the reader will find the discussions relevant, and if not immediately reusable, at least serve as inspiration for developing custom solutions of their own.