Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!helios.ee.lbl.gov!pasteur!ucbvax!decwrl!hplabs!hp-sdd!ncr-sd!ncrlnk!ncrcce!c10sd3!anderson
From: anderson@c10sd3.StPaul.NCR.COM (Joel Anderson)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.forth
Subject: Re: Forth "Pre-Compiler"
Summary: Space Dogs eat Vacuum
Keywords: AT&T, Utilities, Baden, Editor, Yiddish_Proverbs
Message-ID: <248@c10sd3.StPaul.NCR.COM>
Date: 24 Aug 88 02:48:10 GMT
Reply-To: anderson@c10sd3.StPaul.NCR.COM (Joel Anderson)
Organization: NCR Comten, St. Paul, MN
Lines: 36

Wet paint signs usually encourage people to touch, not avoid their object.

After all the talk of straw dogs, peat bogs and mega buck utilities dies
down, a certain note of appreciation must be sent to Fraser Orr et al for
the refreshing burst of activity that has been given to this newsgroup.

Fraser's words have rekindled my interest in Forth - fact is the terminal 
program I am using now (on my C64) is written in Forth, and allows me not only 
to telecommunicate, but drop out and run graphic words, music, and edit program 
source.  Too long have I used the system  without using its full potential.
(This system includes a more than complete implementation
of Forth83, plus music, turtle graphics,full screen editor, you get the idea - 
gosh, there might be more than 39 utilities in here).

Fact is - ( can you say 'appropriate technology', 'small is beautiful'? - I knew
you could ) I can do scads of very, very useful things with this system.  
You don't need a massive expensive system to do meaningful work.
This implementation of Forth (Blazin' Forth, by Scott Ballantyne) was snatched 
from Quantum Link for pennies (well a few dollars).

Needs be, I could replace my whole system for $300 bucks, less if I go with 
used equipment.  Forth is not the only solution for every problem, but it
does give professional power in a nice, small and reasonably priced
system.  Not only that - I use it routinely as a smart terminal
to access C, Lisp, BAL and other language systems.

And I don't even have grep!

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  anderson@c10sd3.StPaul.NCR.COM   JPA on Q-Link
     Joel Peter Anderson
  NCR Comten / Software engineer
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"..If you own a machine, you are in turn owned by it, and spend your time
serving it...."    The Forbidden Tower, Marion Zimmer Bradley
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