Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!harvard!uwvax!astroatc!philm
From: philm@astroatc.UUCP (Phil Mason)
Newsgroups: net.lang.forth
Subject: Re: What's so good about FORTH?
Message-ID: <439@astroatc.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 17-Jun-86 10:48:54 EDT
Article-I.D.: astroatc.439
Posted: Tue Jun 17 10:48:54 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 22-Jun-86 06:47:06 EDT
References: <201@pyuxv.UUCP> <3700003@uiucdcsp> <132@vaxb.calgary.UUCP>
Reply-To: philm@astroatc.UUCP (Phil Mason)
Organization: Astronautics ATC, Madison, WI
Lines: 41
Keywords: FORTH, LISP

In article <139@obelix.UUCP> ulf-d@obelix.UUCP (Ulf Dahle'n) writes:
>In article <432@astroatc.UUCP> philm@astroatc.UUCP (Phil Mason) writes:
>>
>>FORTH represents a different kind of computing environment. . . .

>Does FORTH really have a future now when most micros have 512K or more
>(in a few years memory for micros will probably be measured in Megabytes
>instead), and could easily run more flexible languages such as LISP.
>I would say FORTH is for those who want LISP but run out of memory...
>Well, what do you say about that?

There will always be those nitty-gritty situations where size and versatility
are the main issues. 

I can't see having a real-time situation wait for a LISP garbage collection, 
do you? 

No matter how big the "micros" become, there will always be the small 
machines, whether it be from a cost standpoint or due to necessary development 
time. There is always a need for distributed control, embedded control, 
self-contained diagnostic tools and small computer development systems. 
FORTH reduces the design cycle to the point where complex, compact
applications are quite easy to build - for a single software engineer.
FORTH is one of the last, true, seat-of-the-pants languages where a single
software engineer can build something quite large, quickly and unaided.

LISP is one of the other languages that this is true of as well; however, LISP
is not as simple as FORTH internally and performance is definitely an issue.
I would think it would be difficult to embed assembly language code amongst
LISP object code. Garbage collection and memory management are major 
complexities and are absolutely "too much" for a real-time environment.


-- 
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Kirk  : Bones ?                |  Phil Mason, Astronautics Technical Center
Bones : He's dead Jim.         |  Madison, Wisconsin - "Eat Cheese or Die!"
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -|  
...seismo-uwvax-astroatc!philm |  I would really like to believe that my
...ihnp4-nicmad/               |  employer shares all my opinions, but . . . 
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=