Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!uflorida!beach.cis.ufl.edu!rs0 From: rs0@beach.cis.ufl.edu (Bob Slaughter) Newsgroups: comp.lang.forth Subject: Re: Forth in C (was Re: Forth from scratch) Message-ID: <21215@uflorida.cis.ufl.EDU> Date: 14 Nov 89 05:13:56 GMT References: <4839@sdcc6.ucsd.edu> <2570@fai.UUCP> <4969@sdcc6.ucsd.edu> <8630@medusa.cs.purdue.edu> Sender: news@uflorida.cis.ufl.EDU Reply-To: rs0@beach.cis.ufl.edu (Bob Slaughter) Organization: I am not organized! :) Lines: 29 In article <8630@medusa.cs.purdue.edu> bouma@cs.purdue.EDU (William J. Bouma) writes: > > Also, I have to disagree with the rest of what was said because the > main thing that distinguishes forth from other languages is the > parameter stack. Other languages (yes, even C) provide means to > build new data types using structures. One can build new operations > by writing functions. A language which does not allow the user to add > to it would not be very useful! It isn't really the parameter stack, but the extensibility of Forth that makes it special. Fortran has function capability and such, but let me see you add a CASE structure to Fortran, or a WHILE-NEXT to a standard version of the language the way you can with Forth. Heck, C is even in the same boat, but it comes with all the flow-control structures I need already, but if it didn't, I'd be stuck. It isn't the ability to create new data types, primitives, or the stack; it is the ability to use the language to make a better language that makes Forth unique. >-- >Bill || ...!purdue!bouma -- * Bob Slaughter * This space for rent * * InterNet#1: rs0@beach.cis.ufl.edu * Call 1-800-FOR-RENT * * InterNet#2: Haldane@Pine.Circa.Ufl.Edu * Model Railroading * * Bitnet: Haldane@UFPine * is Fun!! *