Why did no one invent Python before?

[PiedmontBiz]

>
>The big difference between Smalltalk (back then) and Python
>(now) is the price of admission -- both financially and
>mentally.  
>
>Smalltalk was an amazingly cool system, but I don't remember
>any usable free Smalltalk systems until recently.  I think I
>paid several hundred USD for the "entry" level version of
>Smalltalk for a '286 about 15 years back. Add-on libraries
>weren't free, and had to be purchased separately.  It was cool,
>but it didn't integrate with _anything_.  It was a world unto
>itself. You launched it from DOS, and it completely took over
>the machine. Smalltalk was the OS.  You couldn't ease into
>Smalltalk the way you can with Python.  You jumped into the
>deep end and either swam or drowned.  With python, you can get
>your feet wet by wading around in the shallows and gradually
>learn to swim as you have the time and inclination.
>


I played around with Little Small talk some years back (Tim Budd)
I got it to compile on Minix then lost interest.
I recall that Guido VR did the Macintosh version of it -- windowing system I
believe.

I googled but found no mention of it (actually only checked 2 screens)

I am curious why he left that project behind.

allen