Newsgroups: comp.robotics
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From: pbrennan@world.std.com (Patrick M Brennan)
Subject: My 2 pence on Forth
Message-ID: <D3qt05.F7L@world.std.com>
Organization: The World Public Access UNIX, Brookline, MA
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Date: Thu, 9 Feb 1995 17:09:41 GMT
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Hi guys :

I used to program professionally in Forth, and I was able
to appreciate its advantages and disadvantages.  I also
like C a great deal, but I can think of circumstances
where I would prefer either one over the other.

Unfortunately, the quality of the environment and
tools available are often among primary deciding
factors between two alternative languages.  In
1983, when C compilers and environments were pretty
primitive for the PC and non-existent for the other
target machines we were writing for (Apple ][, C64,
Atari 800); when Forth was easy to port; when 
memory was scarce and expensive, and the (small)
speed performance hit from Forth was acceptable, Forth
was the choice over C, and over assembler since we 
wanted to support several different architectures.
Plus the Laboratory Microsystems Forth was a fabulous
environment at the time.  In 1995, I don't know
how the Forth environments look, memory is really
cheap and plentiful, and compiler
technology is pretty darned good.  The NEEDS that
drove the creation and proliferation of Forth don't
seem as strong anymore.  On the other hand, more
limited environments, eg robots, exhibit more 
of those needs as the envelope gets pressed toward
getting performance out of smaller, cheaper, less
power-hungry hardware.

I wouldn't have any qualms at all using Forth in
an application if I felt it would give me a 
better price:performance than C, or assembler,
or JOVIAL, or PL/I, or sacrificing chickens.
It seems to me that there IS a religious debate
going on here, between people who dismiss Forth
out of hand, and those who would always make it
their first choice.  I think both attitudes are
equally mistaken.

Patrick
