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From: wmb@MITCH.ENG.SUN.COM
Newsgroups: comp.lang.forth
Subject: Forth and C
Message-ID: <9102211535.AA22605@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>
Date: 21 Feb 91 03:40:13 GMT
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Reply-To: wmb%MITCH.ENG.SUN.COM@SCFVM.GSFC.NASA.GOV
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> Unfortunatly, coding is 20% of
> the effort that goes into building a software product.  The rest
> is specifications, design, testing and acceptance.

Eric speaks a mouthful.  And then, after the software product is built,
the next 80% of the project involves support and maintenance.

One of the serious problems with using Forth for a "real" project is
figuring out who is going to support it after the original implementors
are gone.  After finishing most of the coding for Sun's Forth-based
Open Boot PROM firmware, I basically spent an entire year building a
team to carry on with support and enhancements.  This problem can be
solved (I did it), but it requires dedication, perseverence, and a
willingness to accept a fair amount of risk.

Mitch Bradley, wmb@Eng.Sun.COM