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From: ForthNet@willett.pgh.pa.us (ForthNet articles from GEnie)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.forth
Subject: What are the existing standards?
Message-ID: <1799.UUL1.3#5129@willett.pgh.pa.us>
Date: 2 Oct 90 11:10:10 GMT
Organization: String, Scotch tape, and Paperclips.  (in Pgh, PA)
Lines: 35

Category 10,  Topic 1
Message 12        Sun Sep 30, 1990
D.RUFFER [Dennis]            at 23:50 EDT
 
Brad, there are two ways (or more) to "break" code.  One way is to change the
meaning of a word that is in general use.  In the case of NOT, it was broken
in 83 and to enforce either of the accepted practices would fall under this
method.  The ANS TC is very much against this type of thing.  The other way to
"break" code is to change the name of a valuable function where there is
disagreement over the usages of the "old" names.  Generally, these "breakages"
can be fixed by a simple search and replace.  This method is acceptable to the
TC and thus we have:

        NOT (83 method) -> INVERT
        NOT (79 method) -> 0=
        COMPILE         -> POSTPONE
        [COMPILE]       -> POSTPONE
        VOCABULARY      -> WORDLIST (maybe, still on burning issues)

POSTPONE is merely a re-naming of two very confusing operators. ENVIRONMENT?
is the only way to enforce the documentation of system specific settings. 
CATCH/THROW have been in practice in at least two major systems for quite a
while.  I don't know the history of (LOCALS) so I can't comment.

This has become a very diverse language, and it shouldn't come as a shock to
anyone that the ANS standard will bring in things that may be new to us. 
However, new in our eyes does not mean that it has not been implemented other
people's systems.  I've said it before, and I guess I will say it many times
again.  How many systems have you seen, and what percentage of the
implementations do you think that represents?

DaR
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