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From: trolfs@vax1.tcd.ie (Tommy)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.forth
Subject: Re: Success of FORTH in the marketplace
Message-ID: <1340@vax1.tcd.ie>
Date: 8 Aug 89 13:33:53 GMT
References: <8907300608.AA04417@jade.berkeley.edu> <711@idacom.UUCP>
Organization: Computer Laboratory, Trinity College Dublin
Lines: 43

In article <711@idacom.UUCP>, andrew@idacom.UUCP (Andrew Scott) writes:
> In article <8907300608.AA04417@jade.berkeley.edu>, ZMLEB@SCFVM.BITNET (Lee Brotzman) writes:
>>    I don't think that Forth is easy to learn.  But, I think that time spent
>> learning Forth is time well spent.  The hard-won Forth mentalilty serves any
>> programmer well in any language.
> 
> Agreed.  I think Brodie's "Thinking Forth" is the best book about programming
> that I've ever read.  The techniques learned apply to so much more than just
> the Forth language.
> 

    IMHO, learning Forth is the same as learning to think. The benefits
    are felt not just in programming! The title, "Thinking Forth", says 
    it all. A really brilliant book.    



>>    This may be a harsh statement, but I still think that the only way that
>> Forth can be truly appreciated is to write a Forth interpreter on you own.
> 
> I agree on this count also.  I recently wrote an optimized subroutine threaded
> Forth.  Figuring out how to implement things like DOES> and [COMPILE] makes you
> appreciate how useful they can be. There's a bit of discovery involved -

    It's amazing how Forth encourages you look deep into its workings,
    while most languages do their best to keep you at arms length. I
    remember the day that I made a WORD to decompile other Forth WORDS. 
    Up to this point I had no books on Forth nor people whom to ask 
    questions, all I did have was a disassembler and the word DUMP. This
    new word let me strip bare all the words which before were a mystery.
    I remember decompiling the INTERPRETER and think "AH! That's how
    Forth works!". I think it was the closest I'll ever get to a religous
    experience. I suppose that makes me born again :-)

-- 
 Tommy                                       E-mail: trolfs@vax1.tcd.ie 
                   //  Amiga 500.
                \\//     What's your's called?         $P-)
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"Indecision is the basis of flexibility"
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