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From: Donald.Heller@jpl.nasa.gov (Don Heller)
Subject: Re: Forth (was Re: Real-time systems:  Windows-NT or QNX)
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Date: Mon, 24 Oct 1994 16:59:10 GMT
Xref: glinda.oz.cs.cmu.edu comp.realtime:7333 comp.robotics:14697

In article <bagpiperCxzssz.x8@netcom.com> bagpiper@netcom.com (Michael Hunter) writes:

>Jeff Fox (jfox@netcom.com) wrote:
>: In article <bagpiperCxyDBs.F3K@netcom.com> bagpiper@netcom.com
>:            (Michael Hunter) writes:

     <MUCH SNIPPED>

>: Shameless? Sure why not?  Forth gets a lot of bad press for lots
>: of things, and one of them seem to be that people dismiss Forth
>: for many reasons.  I just hate to see people trying to solve
>: problems in the real world make things so difficult for themselves.

>I agree with the last sentence.  What Forth *doesn't* need is to be
>proposed for everything so it just gets mentioned.  It also doesn't
>need impossible-to-stand-up-to-in-most-cases sales tactics.  Those are
>both "bad press".

>And no, don't hang your head in shame.  You have a point.  Stand behind
>it with truth, no exageration.

>: I just want people to know that there are a wide range of choices.  If
>: it offends people to notice that the emporer has no clothers it isn't
>: my fault, I just pointed it out.

>It turns out that I agree that there are lots of options.  But you have
>to realize that people don't like change.  They would rather use what
>they are familiar with.  By banging them over the head with how far out
>and wonderful Forth is with numbers that seem out of this world you
>are more then likely to turn most people off.

>Sorry I've rattled so much...

>* Michael Hunter        bagpiper@netcom.com or QUICS: mphunter

Most Forthians I've talked to are born-again Forthians.  I myself do not
use Forth for programming (I do very little, anyway), but I dearly love
Forth for religious reasons.  One can make a case that if God were to
create a programming language, it would be Forth.  Not that I would ever
recommend it...the programs would be much like people with all of the
craziness and difficulty of communication and the connotation problems
where everyone has a different internal meaning for many words.

I'm only a little serious here.  But Forth is vastly amusing.

Don

Don Heller (Donald.W.Heller@jpl.nasa.gov)
           (heller@vraptor.jpl.nasa.gov)
           (73632.454@compuserve.com)

LASCIATE OGNE SPERANZA, VOI CH'INTRATE

