Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!pt.cs.cmu.edu!a.gp.cs.cmu.edu!koopman
From: koopman@a.gp.cs.cmu.edu (Philip Koopman)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.forth
Subject: Marketing Forth (was Re: Thoughts on Forth)
Message-ID: <7636@pt.cs.cmu.edu>
Date: 19 Jan 90 11:18:02 GMT
References: <6224@sdcc6.ucsd.edu>
Organization: Carnegie-Mellon University, CS/RI
Lines: 30

In article <6224@sdcc6.ucsd.edu>, ir230@sdcc6.ucsd.edu (john wavrik) writes:
> Phil Koopman says we have to market Forth.  Could we really get away with 
> an ad campaign that says:
>     "Remember how much fun programming used to be?  It still is
>      with Forth"

I just saw a two-page spread advertising a Smalltalk compiler
that took just this approach.  It also made the same
interactivity/productivity claims that Forth folks make.

But, taking out an ad saying "Forth is great" is not at all
what I am advocating -- that would probably be a waste
of money.  What I am advocating is increasing the visibility
of work already going on in Forth.  The most damaging
(and incorrect) impressions of Forth from outsiders are:
  1) No big successful projects have ever been done in Forth,
     therefore it is no good (the Jerry Pournelle viewpoint).
  2) No-one uses Forth, and I don't want to risk not being
     able to get another programmer to maintain my code
     (a typical software manager's viewpoint).

I propose that we can correct those impressions by publishing
hard technical articles about Forth projects that have
been a success.

  Phil Koopman                koopman@greyhound.ece.cmu.edu   Arpanet
  2525A Wexford Run Rd.
  Wexford, PA  15090
Senior Scientist at Harris Semiconductor.
I don't speak for them, and they don't speak for me.