Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!ucsd!ucbvax!MITCH.ENG.SUN.COM!wmb
From: wmb@MITCH.ENG.SUN.COM (Mitch Bradley)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.forth
Subject: Re: What makes Forth Forth
Message-ID: <9012051459.AA18739@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>
Date: 4 Dec 90 19:11:18 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Reply-To: Mitch Bradley <wmb%MITCH.ENG.SUN.COM@SCFVM.GSFC.NASA.GOV>
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 22

> use it over and over again. extensibility without testability is insanity.
> Spell it `C' (sorry, Mitch: I realize that C is not untestable. It's just
> harder for me, and takes longer in general.)

No argument from me.  I too find Forth easier to test than C, and
prefer to program in Forth than in C.

In promoting Forth, I find that a balanced viewpoint (C has these strengths
and these weaknesses, Forth has these strengths and these weaknesses) is
more effective overall than the extreme positions (C sucks; it is horrible.
Forth is God's gift to programmers) sometimes espoused by Forth fans.

I don't consider the statement quoted above to be extreme.  In particular,
the portion in parentheses is balanced and accurate.

If I sometimes appear to be promoting C, consider this:  A moderate looks
like a liberal to an extreme conservative, and like a conservative to an
extreme liberal.

C is a useful, useable, and extremely popular language.  I prefer Forth.

Mitch


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