Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!willett!ForthNet
From: ForthNet@willett.UUCP (ForthNet articles from GEnie)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.forth
Subject: for us beginners?  Help
Message-ID: <1297.UUL1.3#5129@willett.UUCP>
Date: 11 Jul 90 03:01:21 GMT
Organization: String, Scotch tape, and Paperclips.  (in Pgh, PA)
Lines: 30

Category 2,  Topic 5
Message 191       Sat Jul 07, 1990
GARY-S                       at 08:19 EDT
 
             
   To: CINDY BARTORILLO and MICHAEL COLLINS
 Subj: HELP FOR BEGINNER 

 In a message on relaynet Michael Collins responds to an enquiry from
                     Cindy Bartorillo regarding a good Forth to learn from:

 >Hrmm, there's a good shareware package Fifth (version 2.1).

  I absolutely can not agree with this advice. Fifth is deliberately designed
 to hide the Forth internals. It was done so to give Forth tools to those
 who had no desire to learn Forth.
  Cindy states she wants a kernel that will enable her to 'learn Forth'. I
 would strongly recommend Frank Sergeant's Pygmy. Pygmy is a shareware Forth
 that even has help for those who are using 'Starting Forth' as their text.
 It is also a clean, open, minimal implementation which is exactly what is
 needed for a novice wanting to understand Forth. I have long maintained you
 can not hope to understand Forth without an understanding of the mechanics.
 Pygmy will grant Cindy (and others in a start-up mode) that 'hands-on'
 without seeming overpowering.
  AND Frank is a nice guy who never hesitates to provide support to struggling
 Pygmy users.
   Gary
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