Comment by pjmlp

3 years ago

We could already be doing that during the 1980's had it not been for UNIX getting out of Bell Labs with source tapes, and bad management decisions.

https://interlisp.org/

http://toastytech.com/guis/cedar.html

"Eric Bier Demonstrates Cedar"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_dt7NG38V4&t=2s

"Making Smalltalk"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaOMiNku1_M

http://www.edm2.com/index.php/VisualAge_Smalltalk

Also there is to note that most BASIC implementations had support for automatic memory management, at least for strings and arrays, the structured compiled dialects even better.

Also database programming with languages like Clipper and FoxPro.

And even if we stay in the UNIX world, that is exactly using stuff like Perl also allowed for, C like programming without the headaches of manual memory management.