[rescue] Re: rescue Digest, Vol 17, Issue 179

[Ross Bernheim]

On Tuesday, April 27, 2004, at 10:54 AM, rescue-request at sunhelp.org 
wrote:

>    Yes, it is truly incredible.  I just cannot figure it out.  I know
> the syntax, I know the basic philosophy of the language, I've known it
> for years, I can explain how to program in Forth, but I haven't yet
> been able to modify my thought processes enough to be able to write
> complex programs in it!  Very strange.  It's become a kind of personal
> challenge for me, and now that I'm working on a project involving
> Forth, I *will* wrap my brain around it this time.

There is a book out, Thinking Forth. I have a copy, but haven't had
time to more than just start it before getting sidetracked with other
things. I definitely want to learn to program in Forth, but everyone
seems to want to push me to other languages such as Perl, Python
or c++.

>    In many ways, it defies classification for a dyed-in-the-wool
> procedural programmer like me.  But it is an amazing language.

They usually comment that Forth is a programming environment rather
than just a language. The whole idea being to increase the programmer's
efficiency at producing debugged code. It is a low level language at the
smaller sizes just up from the kernel and can be extended in any 
direction
and to any extent into a high level language if desired.

>    Oh yes, to pick a nit...It is "Forth", not "FORTH", according to the
> inventor of the language.

Consider the nit picked. You are correct.