Re: The strengths of FORTH

Robert Miller wrote:

[%X]

> This provided a fairly immediate means of trying new code.  The lengthy
> and too often repeated sequence of edit - compile/assemble - link -
> download - and test is eliminated. (If you have ever worked with a
> paper tape based machine that can be a very lengthy sequence.) This
> encourages bottom up implementation with testing of the code
> almost concurrent with its creation.  The result is the next layer is
> built on (hopefully well) tested code.  In the final analysis this
> process results in reliable, working code being created quite quickly. 
> An incremental compiler such as FORTH provides the same advantage
> without the interpreter's overhead.

For the even older hands, paper tape might have seemed like a luxury. One
system I have brought up involved 4k of machine code entered on switches
and latched into the memory locations (ran for 25 years with no errors). 
 
[%X]

> Although extensibility is not a big issue for my application, it is a
> powerful tool for anyone who needs it.  I have done quite a bit of
> (admittedly boringly linear) work using C/C++ and I haven't encountered
> anything like DOES>.  If you want OOP, it would seem that you could add
> it. (How about an OOP word set in the next standard?) If you haven't
> time to add badly needed OOP to your FORTH , use C++ or some other
> language.

I have always thought that only the CORE of Forth requires to be the
rigidly specified part of standard with all the other extension wordsets
being documented as a flavour of extension. That way you could declare
in your documentation of a standard program that it used "Pountain
OOP", "Charlton String Matching" and your own app specific tweaks.

-- 
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Paul E. Bennett...............<email://Paul_E.Bennett@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
Forth based HIDECS Consultancy
Mob: +44 (0)7811-639972
Tel: +44 (0)1235-811095
Going Forth Safely ..... EBA. www.electric-boat-association.org.uk..
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