Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!willett!ForthNet
From: ForthNet@willett.UUCP (ForthNet articles from GEnie)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.forth
Subject: What's WRONG with Forth?
Message-ID: <656.UUL1.3#5129@willett.UUCP>
Date: 15 Mar 90 02:49:44 GMT
Organization: Latest link in the ForthNet chain.  (Pgh, PA)
Lines: 44


 Date: 03-13-90 (16:50)              Number: 3024 (Echo)
   To: IAN GREEN                     Refer#: 3020
 From: MICHAEL HOBSON                  Read: NO
 Subj: Forth Bashing                 Status: PUBLIC MESSAGE

 Within the limits of all that I have studied about Forth, I don't 
 believe it was every intended to be Standardized.  Forth was created by 
 Chuck Moore to be a tool for solving problems.  The method of problem 
 solving used is quite novel - you define the language best suited for 
 solving a particular type of problem yourself.  There is no "standard" 
 problem, so there is no standard language suitable for solving all 
 "standard" problems in.   Even "standard" control structures are not 
 always suitable for every type of problem.  What if I really need a 
 FOR/NEXT-type construct that automatically increments one index while 
 decrementing another.  No doubt that I can make due with some kludge 
 that will produce the same result, but this will impact the readability 
 of the intention of the kludge.  In Forth, I define a construct that 
 does exactly what I need.  There are in fact two standards for Forth and
 a third on the way.  There is Forth-79, Forth-83 and soon to come is 
 ANSI Forth.  These standards define minimium word sets and control 
 structures, as well as all the words you need to create any other
 sort of structure you might want that is not included in the minimium
 standard word set.  Forth allows you create any syntax or control 
 construct that you could possibly wish for.  That is what a Forther 
 means by "exstensible langu language" and it is not the same as 
 "exstensible libraries", which is what you get with 

 Do your homework, Ian!  Go out and buy (or borrow from a library Leo
 Brodie's's books "Starting Forth" and "Thinking Forth" and read them
 carefully, while testing things out yourself.  You seem to think that
 there is only one right way to program, only one correct and workable
 philosophy and that this is handed down by some great Authority who
 told you all about it with tablets of stone.  Well, frankly, you are
 mistaken!  You are complaining about something that you don't even 
 understand well enough to criticize.  Forth is designed to let you 
 construct any language you need to solve any problem.  If you can't get 
 used to that idea, don't bother working with it.
 "The Elf" [^]-[^]
          \---/
 Elf - A wise (?) and helpful variety of magical being.
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