Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!willett!ForthNet
From: ForthNet@willett.UUCP (ForthNet articles from GEnie)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.forth
Subject: Vocabularies
Message-ID: <658.UUL1.3#5129@willett.UUCP>
Date: 15 Mar 90 02:49:52 GMT
Organization: Latest link in the ForthNet chain.  (Pgh, PA)
Lines: 43


 Date: 03-12-90 (02:24)              Number: 3026 (Echo)
   To: R.BERKEY [ROBERT]             Refer#: NONE
 From: CHRIS WATERS                    Read: NO
 Subj: VOCABULARIES                  Status: PUBLIC MESSAGE

 > > A warning is in order here. polyFORTH defined 0 and 1 as constants
 > > for years.  Recently, however, we implemented a way to revector the
 > > number conversion and interpetation process.  Under this system, it
 > > is occasionally neccessary for 0 and 1 to pass through the number
 > > conversion process. Then, defining numbers as constants can get you
 > > into a lot of trouble. ...
 >
 >I've had problems with interpretable numeral constants, too, using F-P

     One possible solution to this type of problem might be to create
 a new data type for numeric constants.  This data type could be
 revectored along with the numeric input routines.  This would allow you
 to gain the speed and compactness of constants while keeping the
 flexability of the vectored numeric input.

     Of course, this would add another data type to the nucleus, and the
 data type would have to be used correctly.  This could be a problem if
 numbers were redefined in an application (though it sounds like that
 might be a problem anyway).  This brings up issues of training and ghod
 knows what all else.

     I suppose it would depend on exactly what you were doing with the
 numeric input.  I don't know if this is any help.  I haven't tried
 it yet; I can't think of an application where you wouldn't be better
 off just re-vectoring ALL the constants, but I can certainly believe
 that there is one.

    If you could, I'd like some more details about why you have problems
 with these constants.  It can't be something as simple as multiple
 stacks or floating point, can it?  I'm just curious why there isn't a
 easier solution to this.


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