Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!lavaca.uh.edu!uhnix1!sugar!ficc!peter From: peter@ficc.ferranti.com (Peter da Silva) Newsgroups: comp.lang.forth Subject: Re: ... and zen there were objects. Message-ID: Date: 29 Aug 90 16:49:04 GMT References: <11455@medusa.cs.purdue.edu> <1626.UUL1.3#5129@willett.pgh.pa.us> Reply-To: peter@ficc.ferranti.com (Peter da Silva) Organization: Xenix Support, FICC Lines: 26 Whether you use an explicit SEND or not, the point comes up as to whether an object or a message should be passive (on the stack) or active (or at the top of the stack). I would like to suggest that the thing on the top of the stack be something that is not going to undergo further manipulation. That is, it should be a verb rather than a noun. 1 17 4 5 4 array SEND total SEND Push 4 numbers on the stack. Send the message ARRAY to the object 4. Send the message TOTAL to the resulting object. total 1 17 4 5 array 4 SEND SEND Push the message TOTAL on the stack. Push 4 numbers and the message ARRAY. Send this to the object 4. Do another send to send the (previously pushed) TOTAL to the resulting object. But why should you have to have this message sitting down there on the stack somewhere? 1 17 4 5 array 4 SEND total swap SEND So why not have the message final anyway? And when are you going to want to manipulate a message? -- Peter da Silva. `-_-' +1 713 274 5180. 'U` peter@ferranti.com