Path: utzoo!utgpu!attcan!uunet!mcvax!ukc!strath-cs!glasgow!orr
From: orr@cs.glasgow.ac.uk (Fraser Orr)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.forth
Subject: Re: Forth "Pre-Compiler"
Message-ID: <1533@crete.cs.glasgow.ac.uk>
Date: 27 Jul 88 10:50:09 GMT
References: <8807221513.AA05347@jade.berkeley.edu> <3d7612e1.13370@dow4.engin.umich.edu>
Reply-To: orr@cs.glasgow.ac.uk (Fraser Orr)
Organization: Comp Sci, Glasgow Univ, Scotland
Lines: 33

In article <3d7612e1.13370@dow4.engin.umich.edu> stejk@caen.engin.umich.edu (Steven J Kassarjian) writes:
>   The key though, is the rapid prototyping, I believe.  Through rapid
>prototyping, information hiding (data and algorithm), several algorithms may
>be tested, and the best one determined _empirically_.  Traditional
                                        ^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Theoretical computing science bites the dust!
Are you serious? If I decide to write some sorting algorithims and
determine empirically which is the best, and my test data just happens
to be an ordered list a reverse ordered list and a fairly random list
(which doesn't seem to me to be a totaly ridiculous set of test data,
certainly one I might in ignorance choose), I would discover that quicksort
was generally fairly rotten, that bubblesort was excelent a third of the time
and that selection sort was also pretty good.
It is my humble opinion that regardless of how good your language is
for _fast_prototyping_ (falls about in fits of laughter), it is usually
adviasiable to THINK before you code!

>be tested, and the best one determined _empirically_.  Traditional
>languages (then) could not possibly support the interactivity that makes such
>quick changes (and testing) possible.
>   Much of this is changed now, with the very quick compilers and optimizing
>compilers (though they seem to be exclusive).  

If I may paraphrase, all of my preceding arguments are totally invalid
in todays world.

>(one class project), I started to think (and dream) in Forth.  (I was under
                                   ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
My deepest commiserations, you poor backward boy!

==Fraser Orr ( Dept C.S., Univ. Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK)
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