The SageTea Runtime is a cross platform software development toolkit. It contains the SageTea Software source code including SageTea Smalltalk and related tools for building Low Code AI applications. SageTea Runtime will be compatible with mobile applications, cloud, desktop and server platforms.
The SageTea technology, originally developed and sold as a proprietary tool for automating custom software development using natural language requirements, is poised for a renaissance in the age of AI. While its closed-source development model and reliance on Smalltalk have historically presented challenges, the emergence of advanced AI technologies and the growing open-source ecosystem create new opportunities for SageTea to remain relevant and impactful. The SageTea VM is currently based on Squeak Smalltalk, allowing it to run on mobile phones which use the ARM processor.
Moving to Open Source with the Eclipse Foundation
Transitioning SageTea to an open-source model under the Eclipse Foundation addresses historical
limitations. Open sourcing the project will:
• Reduce the barrier to adoption due to closed source and a dependency on a single company
• Enable contributors with diverse goals to adapt and enhance the technology.
• Distribute development costs across a broader community, reducing costs for SageTea to advance.
• Foster innovation and collaboration, ensuring SageTea technology evolves with industry trends.
By leveraging the Eclipse Foundation's commercial open-source framework, businesses can access
SageTea with confidence in its licensing and sustainability. This opens doors to a broader user base
and potential enterprise adoption. Potential improvements can include migration from Squeak Smalltalk/
Seaside to WASM/Dart. Support for Smalltalk (dialects) can be maintained through a new set of
Smalltalk based business objects with a much higher degree of cross platform capabilities. Database
support will initially include SQLite and Postgres. Interoperability with Python, C, Java and a wide range
of AI libraries. These can be continuously integrated through the Eclipse SDLC and released along with
new plugins for leveraging Low Code AI from within the Eclipse IDE.
Eclipse SageTea Runtime offers a cross platform software development toolkik and a set of tools for building Low Code AI applications. Eclipse SageTea Runtime is compatible with mobile applications, cloud, desktop and server platforms.
Eclipse SageTea Runtime contains:
• Smalltalk based source code for the development of Object-Oriented software written primarily in Squeak Smalltalk
• Smalltalk based source code for the development of Low Code AI Software to be included in other Eclipse Software Projects
• Smalltalk based source code for the SAGETEA Postgresql database (for new RAG implementations)
In the scope of the project:
Adoption of WASM and associated APIs and tools
WASM is the new industry standard portable virtual machine which supports multiple languages with interoperability. It provides a robust security and language neutral component model addressing a major concern with todays browser-based applications . Google, Microsoft, Cloudflare have made significant investments in WASM and WAS.
Leveraging AI to Solve Historical Challenges
AI's advancements unlock solutions to challenges previously unsolvable for SageTea. Notably:
1. AI-Based Agents for Actions: The long-standing challenge of implementing Actions within
SageTea can now be addressed through AI-powered Agents. These agents, a burgeoning trend in AI, provide intelligent decision-making and process execution capabilities that complement
SageTea's framework.
2. LLM Integration for Code Generation: Recent experiments demonstrate that Large Language
Models (LLMs) can generate Smalltalk code directly from English statements. This capability
transforms SageTea into a low-code AI platform, making it more accessible and versatile for
developers and end-users alike.
3. SageTea as a RAG Database: The SageTea database's high performance and adaptability make it well-suited for Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) systems. RAG combines traditional database querying with AI-driven reasoning, offering applications in industries such as knowledge management, customer service, and advanced analytics.
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Collaboration with Language and AI Experts
The SageTea Runtime dev team will be collaborating with experts in languages, tools and virtual machines as well as AI including Eclipse Foundation, Bedarra Corporation and Carleton University. Eclipse is the major open source foundation for development tools and runtimes; Bedarra is the past founder of OTI, who developed IBM Smalltalk, Java and Eclipse; as well as the Kx Analyst and more recently WASM based local first software; Carleton University AI faculty and graduate students are working on leading edge technology; and TIM program where students are exploring business applications.
Potential Partners and Benefits
Smalltalk and Eclipse Developers – Gain access to the SageTea Software code base and integrate Low Code AI capabilities in their own organizations.
Telecom Companies – May benefit from the SageTea Low Code AI tools and may contribute their own source code for further integration. Potentially offering value to a growing telephony ecosystem with Low Code AI features.
Governments - May benefit from being able to do secure coding using the SageTea Runtime to customize mobile operating system.
AI Companies – May benefit from joining and contributing to this new Low Code AI ecosystem. They can be part of ongoing software releases and actively integrate their technologies.
1. AI-Based Agents for Actions: The long-standing challenge of implementing Actions within
Eclipse SageTea can now be addressed through AI-powered Agents. These agents, a burgeoning trend in AI, provide intelligent decision-making and process execution capabilities that complement
Eclipse SageTea's framework.
2. LLM Integration for Code Generation: Recent experiments demonstrate that Large Language Models (LLMs) can generate Smalltalk code directly from English statements. This capability transforms Eclipse SageTea into a low-code AI platform, making it more accessible and versatile for developers and end-users alike.
3. Eclipse SageTea as a RAG Database: The Eclipse SageTea database's high performance and adaptability make it well-suited for Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) systems. RAG combines traditional database querying with AI-driven reasoning, offering applications in industries such as knowledge management, customer service, and advanced analytics.
We expect to add the ability to run AI privately on mobile devices, desktops and local servers.
The SageTea Runtime dev team will be collaborating with experts in languages, tools and virtual machines as
well as AI including Eclipse Foundation, Bedarra Corporation and Carleton University. Eclipse is
the major open source foundation for development tools and runtimes; Bedarra is the past founder
of OTI, who developed IBM Smalltalk, Java and Eclipse; as well as the Kx Analyst and more
recently WASM based local first software; Carleton University AI faculty and graduate students are
working on leading edge technology; and TIM program where students are exploring business
applications.
The initial contribution will be the SageTea Squeak Smalltalk code base in Git format. This should be in the October 2025 time frame.
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