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From: ForthNet@willett.pgh.pa.us (ForthNet articles from GEnie)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.forth
Subject: BASIS Feedback
Message-ID: <2114.UUL1.3#5129@willett.pgh.pa.us>
Date: 13 Dec 90 12:35:05 GMT
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 Date: 12-10-90 (07:37)              Number: 484 of 498
   To: GARY SMITH                    Refer#: 411
 From: CHRIS WATERS                    Read: NO
 Subj: Basis Feedback                Status: PUBLIC MESSAGE
 Conf: FORTH (58)                 Read Type: GENERAL (+)

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 ReplyTo: john@aplcomm.jhuapl.edu (John Hayes)
  Subject: Re:  BASIS 14... comments
  Message-ID: <1990Dec4.100730.10629@aplcen.apl.jhu.edu>

 >I assert that POSTPONE is the fundamental operator. POSTPONE is used
 >for more often than COMPILE, (compile-comma) and [COMPILE]

 Huh?  More fundamental?  Used far more often?  How come I've never
 seen or heard of it in 12 years of Forth experience?  Moreover, from
 your description, it sounds as if it searches the dictionary at
 run-time.  While this could be a useful function under certain
 circumstances, it is entirely different from the functions of COMPILE
 and [COMPILE], which must, by definition, search the dictionary at
 compile-time.

 In fact, there may be no dictionary at run-time, there may be no
 header.  Systems with separated headers that can be discarded are
 quite common.  Under such a system, POSTPONE would not only be NOT
 more fundamental, but actually useless!

 Unless I misunderstood you completely.  Which is quite possible, since
 you never mentioned exactly what POSTPONE is, what it does, or how it
 does it.  I had to infer from your examples what it was, and I confess
 I found your post more than a little confusing.

 anyway......
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