Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!cs.utexas.edu!texbell!ficc!peter From: peter@ficc.ferranti.com (Peter da Silva) Newsgroups: comp.lang.forth Subject: Re: Applicability of Forth for Embedded Control Keywords: Forth, 'C' Message-ID: <3-W4EPE@xds13.ferranti.com> Date: 25 Jul 90 19:30:10 GMT References: <1990Jul23.210810.28701@jts.com> Reply-To: peter@ficc.ferranti.com (Peter da Silva) Distribution: na Organization: Xenix Support, FICC Lines: 15 > I am involved in a project to build an embedded controller (based on > an i80188). What are the advantages/disadvantages of using Forth > environment in the controller over a compiled 'C' program? For one thing, the testing and debugging environment... even if you still have to blow proms... will save you weeks of accumulated time spent waiting for minor bug fixes to be blasted into silicon, guessing where you need to put debugging code (and getting it wrong), parsing tables by hand from a hex dump, looking for places to cram patches, etc. Unless you're working with a large team (which pretty much implies you're not doing a small embedded controller) Forth will save your bacon. If you are, make sure all your guys have the discipline not to step on each others toes and are willing to dump all the high-ego private wordsets in the trashcan. -- Peter da Silva. `-_-' +1 713 274 5180. 'U`