Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!uwm.edu!bionet!ames!uhccux!dunn
From: dunn@uhccux.uhcc.hawaii.edu (John Dunn)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.forth
Subject: Re: Forth Popularity
Summary: Forth is for artists, C for workers.
Message-ID: <5851@uhccux.uhcc.hawaii.edu>
Date: 29 Dec 89 02:34:47 GMT
References: <8912282253.AA10230@jade.berkeley.edu>
Reply-To: dunn@uhccux.UUCP (John Dunn)
Organization: University of Hawaii
Lines: 24

>My observations of people have led me to believe that many (most?)
>people simply do not want to learn, regardless of whether or not it's easy.
>
>Hackers (who love to learn) are a special breed.
>
>By and large, people don't want a better computer language; instead,
>they want to collect their paycheck then go home and drink beer.  Only
>a few of us chronically dissatisfied individuals keep thinking "there has
>to be a better way".
>
I couldn't agree more.  I have said it before, and I say it again,
Forth is the language of choice if you are doing creative programming.
Most programmers are workers, not creators; and many who are highly
creative are stuck in non-creative programming jobs.  

C is a good language to implement someone else's ideas; and if you
happen to be a manager responsible for tracking the progress of
several programmers, you *really* don't want them munging around
with a "loose" language like Forth.  

But if you are working out your own ideas, if you are one of the few
programmers who are in fact highly creative artists, and more to the
point if you are in a position to have creative control of your work
- then you are probably already a Forth programmer.