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Groups > comp.lang.forth > #3564 > unrolled thread

The Lisp Curse

Started byAndrew Haley <andrew29@littlepinkcloud.invalid>
First post2011-06-26 15:13 -0500
Last post2011-07-02 17:52 +0000
Articles 20 on this page of 328 — 44 participants

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Contents

  The Lisp Curse Andrew Haley <andrew29@littlepinkcloud.invalid> - 2011-06-26 15:13 -0500
    Re: The Lisp Curse Chris Hinsley <chris.hinsley@gmail.com> - 2011-06-27 16:13 +0100
      Re: The Lisp Curse vandys@vsta.org - 2011-06-27 15:50 +0000
        Re: The Lisp Curse Chris Hinsley <chris.hinsley@gmail.com> - 2011-06-27 16:55 +0100
          Re: The Lisp Curse vandys@vsta.org - 2011-06-27 17:23 +0000
            Re: The Lisp Curse Chris Hinsley <chris.hinsley@gmail.com> - 2011-06-27 20:09 +0100
            Re: The Lisp Curse Hugh Aguilar <hughaguilar96@yahoo.com> - 2011-06-29 18:59 -0700
              Re: The Lisp Curse Mark Wills <markrobertwills@yahoo.co.uk> - 2011-06-30 12:49 +0100
                Re: The Lisp Curse Hugh Aguilar <hughaguilar96@yahoo.com> - 2011-07-02 16:38 -0700
                  Re: The Lisp Curse Albert van der Horst <albert@spenarnc.xs4all.nl> - 2011-07-03 11:27 +0000
                    Re: The Lisp Curse John Passaniti <john.passaniti@gmail.com> - 2011-07-03 17:40 -0700
                    Re: The Lisp Curse Hugh Aguilar <hughaguilar96@yahoo.com> - 2011-07-04 18:38 -0700
            Re: The Lisp Curse John Passaniti <john.passaniti@gmail.com> - 2011-06-30 12:25 -0700
              Forth OO ( was: Re: The Lisp Curse ) Doug Hoffman <glidedog@gmail.com> - 2011-07-12 09:43 -0400
                Re: Forth OO ( was: Re: The Lisp Curse ) Doug Hoffman <glidedog@gmail.com> - 2011-07-12 12:35 -0400
                Re: Forth OO ( was: Re: The Lisp Curse ) John Passaniti <john.passaniti@gmail.com> - 2011-07-13 10:02 -0700
                  Re: Forth OO ( was: Re: The Lisp Curse ) Doug Hoffman <glidedog@gmail.com> - 2011-07-14 08:32 -0400
                    Re: Forth OO ( was: Re: The Lisp Curse ) Alex McDonald <blog@rivadpm.com> - 2011-07-14 07:10 -0700
                      Re: Forth OO ( was: Re: The Lisp Curse ) Andrew Haley <andrew29@littlepinkcloud.invalid> - 2011-07-14 09:31 -0500
              Re: The Lisp Curse arc@vorsicht-bissig.de - 2011-07-12 22:20 -0700
                Re: The Lisp Curse John Passaniti <john.passaniti@gmail.com> - 2011-07-13 10:01 -0700
          Re: The Lisp Curse "Rod Pemberton" <do_not_have@noavailemail.cmm> - 2011-06-28 03:02 -0400
            Re: The Lisp Curse Elizabeth D Rather <erather@forth.com> - 2011-06-27 21:29 -1000
              Re: The Lisp Curse "Rod Pemberton" <do_not_have@noavailemail.cmm> - 2011-06-28 06:55 -0400
                Re: The Lisp Curse Andrew Haley <andrew29@littlepinkcloud.invalid> - 2011-06-28 06:17 -0500
              Re: The Lisp Curse Chris Hinsley <chris.hinsley@gmail.com> - 2011-06-28 14:14 +0100
              Re: The Lisp Curse Hugh Aguilar <hughaguilar96@yahoo.com> - 2011-06-30 16:08 -0700
                Re: The Lisp Curse "Rod Pemberton" <do_not_have@noavailemail.cmm> - 2011-07-01 16:01 -0400
                  Re: The Lisp Curse Elizabeth D Rather <erather@forth.com> - 2011-07-01 13:41 -1000
                    Re: The Lisp Curse Hugh Aguilar <hughaguilar96@yahoo.com> - 2011-07-04 21:18 -0700
                      Re: The Lisp Curse Alex McDonald <blog@rivadpm.com> - 2011-07-05 02:26 -0700
                  Re: The Lisp Curse Hugh Aguilar <hughaguilar96@yahoo.com> - 2011-07-02 16:56 -0700
                Re: The Lisp Curse Gerry Jackson <gerry@jackson9000.fsnet.co.uk> - 2011-07-02 08:28 +0100
                  Re: The Lisp Curse Hugh Aguilar <hughaguilar96@yahoo.com> - 2011-07-02 17:00 -0700
                    Re: The Lisp Curse Gerry Jackson <gerry@jackson9000.fsnet.co.uk> - 2011-07-03 10:20 +0100
                      Re: The Lisp Curse Hugh Aguilar <hughaguilar96@yahoo.com> - 2011-07-04 20:57 -0700
                        Re: The Lisp Curse Gerry Jackson <gerry@jackson9000.fsnet.co.uk> - 2011-07-06 15:45 +0100
                          Re: The Lisp Curse Hugh Aguilar <hughaguilar96@yahoo.com> - 2011-07-06 16:19 -0700
                            Re: The Lisp Curse Josh Grams <josh@qualdan.com> - 2011-07-07 01:23 +0000
                              Re: The Lisp Curse "David N. Williams" <williams@umich.edu> - 2011-07-06 21:44 -0400
                              Re: The Lisp Curse Hugh Aguilar <hughaguilar96@yahoo.com> - 2011-07-06 19:01 -0700
                                Re: The Lisp Curse Josh Grams <josh@qualdan.com> - 2011-07-07 10:39 +0000
                                Re: The Lisp Curse John Passaniti <john.passaniti@gmail.com> - 2011-07-07 13:07 -0700
                            Re: The Lisp Curse "David N. Williams" <williams@umich.edu> - 2011-07-06 21:42 -0400
                            Re: The Lisp Curse Gerry Jackson <gerry@jackson9000.fsnet.co.uk> - 2011-07-07 10:32 +0100
                              Re: The Lisp Curse marko <marko@marko.marko.marko> - 2011-07-07 22:09 +1000
                              Re: The Lisp Curse Andrew Haley <andrew29@littlepinkcloud.invalid> - 2011-07-07 09:19 -0500
                              Re: The Lisp Curse Hugh Aguilar <hughaguilar96@yahoo.com> - 2011-07-07 14:08 -0700
                                Re: The Lisp Curse Gerry Jackson <gerry@jackson9000.fsnet.co.uk> - 2011-07-08 10:33 +0100
                                  Re: The Lisp Curse Andrew Haley <andrew29@littlepinkcloud.invalid> - 2011-07-08 05:31 -0500
                                    Re: The Lisp Curse Gerry Jackson <gerry@jackson9000.fsnet.co.uk> - 2011-07-08 17:47 +0100
                                      Re: The Lisp Curse vandys@vsta.org - 2011-07-08 17:23 +0000
                                        Re: The Lisp Curse Spam@ControlQ.com - 2011-07-08 15:34 -0400
                                        Re: The Lisp Curse Gerry Jackson <gerry@jackson9000.fsnet.co.uk> - 2011-07-08 21:04 +0100
                                      Re: The Lisp Curse John Passaniti <john.passaniti@gmail.com> - 2011-07-08 10:34 -0700
                                        Re: The Lisp Curse Gerry Jackson <gerry@jackson9000.fsnet.co.uk> - 2011-07-08 21:28 +0100
                                          Re: The Lisp Curse John Passaniti <john.passaniti@gmail.com> - 2011-07-09 15:25 -0700
                                            Re: The Lisp Curse Gerry Jackson <gerry@jackson9000.fsnet.co.uk> - 2011-07-10 10:14 +0100
                                              Re: The Lisp Curse John Passaniti <john.passaniti@gmail.com> - 2011-07-10 22:02 -0700
                                                Re: The Lisp Curse Alex McDonald <blog@rivadpm.com> - 2011-07-11 03:18 -0700
                                                  Re: The Lisp Curse John Passaniti <john.passaniti@gmail.com> - 2011-07-11 12:42 -0700
                                                    Re: The Lisp Curse Albert van der Horst <albert@spenarnc.xs4all.nl> - 2011-07-12 19:42 +0000
                                                      Re: The Lisp Curse Alex McDonald <blog@rivadpm.com> - 2011-07-12 14:42 -0700
                                                Re: The Lisp Curse Mark Wills <markrobertwills@yahoo.co.uk> - 2011-07-11 07:01 -0700
                                                  Re: The Lisp Curse Alex McDonald <blog@rivadpm.com> - 2011-07-11 07:24 -0700
                                                  Re: The Lisp Curse Hugh Aguilar <hughaguilar96@yahoo.com> - 2011-07-11 20:40 -0700
                                                    Re: The Lisp Curse Ron Aaron <rambamist@gmail.com> - 2011-07-11 21:24 -0700
                                                      Re: The Lisp Curse Hugh Aguilar <hughaguilar96@yahoo.com> - 2011-07-12 18:54 -0700
                                                        Re: The Lisp Curse Ron Aaron <rambamist@gmail.com> - 2011-07-12 20:45 -0700
                                                          Re: The Lisp Curse Hugh Aguilar <hughaguilar96@yahoo.com> - 2011-07-13 00:28 -0700
                                                        Re: The Lisp Curse John Passaniti <john.passaniti@gmail.com> - 2011-07-13 10:25 -0700
                                                Re: The Lisp Curse Gerry Jackson <gerry@jackson9000.fsnet.co.uk> - 2011-07-11 19:55 +0100
                                                  Re: The Lisp Curse Alex McDonald <blog@rivadpm.com> - 2011-07-11 13:41 -0700
                                                    Re: The Lisp Curse Mark Wills <forthfreak@forthfiles.net> - 2011-07-11 13:45 -0700
                                                    Re: The Lisp Curse Jan Coombs <jan_2011-02@murray-microft.co.uk> - 2011-07-12 21:51 +0100
                                      Re: The Lisp Curse Hugh Aguilar <hughaguilar96@yahoo.com> - 2011-07-09 16:49 -0700
                                        Re: The Lisp Curse Alex McDonald <blog@rivadpm.com> - 2011-07-11 04:27 -0700
                              Re: The Lisp Curse Hugh Aguilar <hughaguilar96@yahoo.com> - 2011-07-07 14:53 -0700
                            Re: The Lisp Curse Gerry Jackson <gerry@jackson9000.fsnet.co.uk> - 2011-07-28 11:57 +0100
                              Re: The Lisp Curse Hugh Aguilar <hughaguilar96@yahoo.com> - 2011-07-29 21:54 -0700
                                Re: The Lisp Curse Julian Fondren <ayrnieu@gmail.com> - 2011-07-30 18:22 -0500
                                  Re: The Lisp Curse anton@mips.complang.tuwien.ac.at (Anton Ertl) - 2011-08-01 12:59 +0000
                                  Re: The Lisp Curse Julian Fondren <ayrnieu@gmail.com> - 2011-08-02 00:07 -0500
                                  Re: The Lisp Curse Hugh Aguilar <hughaguilar96@yahoo.com> - 2011-08-01 22:58 -0700
                                  Re: The Lisp Curse Hugh Aguilar <hughaguilar96@yahoo.com> - 2011-08-08 20:44 -0700
                                Re: The Lisp Curse Gerry Jackson <gerry@jackson9000.fsnet.co.uk> - 2011-07-31 10:25 +0100
              Re: The Lisp Curse Keith H Duggar <duggar@alum.mit.edu> - 2011-08-08 16:00 -0700
                Re: The Lisp Curse "Elizabeth D. Rather" <erather@forth.com> - 2011-08-10 07:08 -1000
                  Re: The Lisp Curse Keith H Duggar <duggar@alum.mit.edu> - 2011-08-10 18:01 -0700
                    Re: The Lisp Curse Alex McDonald <blog@rivadpm.com> - 2011-08-11 03:05 -0700
                      Re: The Lisp Curse Keith H Duggar <duggar@alum.mit.edu> - 2011-08-11 07:37 -0700
                        Re: The Lisp Curse Andrew Haley <andrew29@littlepinkcloud.invalid> - 2011-08-11 10:07 -0500
                          Re: The Lisp Curse Keith H Duggar <duggar@alum.mit.edu> - 2011-08-11 08:32 -0700
                            Re: The Lisp Curse Alex McDonald <blog@rivadpm.com> - 2011-08-11 08:37 -0700
                              Re: The Lisp Curse Keith H Duggar <duggar@alum.mit.edu> - 2011-08-11 18:25 -0700
                                Re: The Lisp Curse Alex McDonald <blog@rivadpm.com> - 2011-08-12 01:37 -0700
                                  Re: The Lisp Curse Keith H Duggar <duggar@alum.mit.edu> - 2011-08-12 07:15 -0700
                                    Re: The Lisp Curse Alex McDonald <blog@rivadpm.com> - 2011-08-12 08:02 -0700
                        Re: The Lisp Curse Alex McDonald <blog@rivadpm.com> - 2011-08-11 08:13 -0700
                          Re: The Lisp Curse Keith H Duggar <duggar@alum.mit.edu> - 2011-08-11 18:50 -0700
                            Re: The Lisp Curse Alex McDonald <blog@rivadpm.com> - 2011-08-12 01:39 -0700
                Re: The Lisp Curse arc <arc@vorsicht-bissig.de> - 2011-08-11 10:06 +0000
                  Re: The Lisp Curse Keith H Duggar <duggar@alum.mit.edu> - 2011-08-11 08:02 -0700
                    Re: The Lisp Curse arc <arc@vorsicht-bissig.de> - 2011-08-12 11:49 +0000
                      Re: The Lisp Curse arc <arc@vorsicht-bissig.de> - 2011-08-12 13:18 +0000
                        Re: The Lisp Curse Nomen Nescio <nobody@dizum.com> - 2011-08-12 18:49 +0200
                          Re: The Lisp Curse John Passaniti <john.passaniti@gmail.com> - 2011-08-12 12:52 -0700
                            Re: The Lisp Curse "Rod Pemberton" <do_not_have@noavailemail.cmm> - 2011-08-14 09:54 -0400
                              Re: The Lisp Curse John Passaniti <john.passaniti@gmail.com> - 2011-08-14 12:53 -0700
                                Re: The Lisp Curse Mark Wills <markrobertwills@yahoo.co.uk> - 2011-08-14 13:21 -0700
                                  Re: The Lisp Curse John Passaniti <john.passaniti@gmail.com> - 2011-08-14 15:09 -0700
                                    Re: The Lisp Curse "Rod Pemberton" <do_not_have@noavailemail.cmm> - 2011-08-15 04:52 -0400
                                Re: The Lisp Curse "Rod Pemberton" <do_not_have@noavailemail.cmm> - 2011-08-15 03:46 -0400
                                  Re: The Lisp Curse Josh Grams <josh@qualdan.com> - 2011-08-15 12:15 +0000
                                    Re: The Lisp Curse Nomen Nescio <nobody@dizum.com> - 2011-08-15 20:51 +0200
                                      Re: The Lisp Curse Josh Grams <josh@qualdan.com> - 2011-08-15 21:56 +0000
                                      Re: The Lisp Curse "Jeff M." <massung@gmail.com> - 2011-08-15 19:50 -0700
                                        Re: The Lisp Curse Mark Wills <markrobertwills@yahoo.co.uk> - 2011-08-16 03:07 -0700
                                          Re: The Lisp Curse John Passaniti <john.passaniti@gmail.com> - 2011-08-18 23:45 -0700
                                        Re: The Lisp Curse arc <arc@vorsicht-bissig.de> - 2011-08-18 11:38 +0000
                                        Re: The Lisp Curse "Elizabeth D. Rather" <erather@forth.com> - 2011-08-18 07:57 -1000
                                  Re: The Lisp Curse John Passaniti <john.passaniti@gmail.com> - 2011-08-15 06:01 -0700
                                    Re: The Lisp Curse "Rod Pemberton" <do_not_have@noavailemail.cmm> - 2011-08-16 05:10 -0400
                                      Re: The Lisp Curse Mark Wills <markrobertwills@yahoo.co.uk> - 2011-08-16 03:13 -0700
                                      Re: The Lisp Curse John Passaniti <john.passaniti@gmail.com> - 2011-08-18 23:31 -0700
                                        Re: The Lisp Curse "Rod Pemberton" <do_not_have@noavailemail.cmm> - 2011-08-19 06:09 -0400
                                          Re: The Lisp Curse Paul Rubin <no.email@nospam.invalid> - 2011-08-20 17:14 -0700
                                            Re: The Lisp Curse "Jeff M." <massung@gmail.com> - 2011-08-20 20:38 -0700
                                              Re: The Lisp Curse "Jeff M." <massung@gmail.com> - 2011-08-20 20:49 -0700
                                              Re: The Lisp Curse Paul Rubin <no.email@nospam.invalid> - 2011-08-20 23:39 -0700
                                                Re: The Lisp Curse "Jeff M." <massung@gmail.com> - 2011-08-21 00:29 -0700
                                                  Re: The Lisp Curse Paul Rubin <no.email@nospam.invalid> - 2011-08-21 00:57 -0700
                                                    Re: The Lisp Curse Paul Rubin <no.email@nospam.invalid> - 2011-08-21 01:04 -0700
                                                Hamming numbers (was: The Lisp Curse) anton@mips.complang.tuwien.ac.at (Anton Ertl) - 2011-08-22 16:12 +0000
                                            Re: The Lisp Curse Fritz Wuehler <fritz@spamexpire-201108.rodent.frell.theremailer.net> - 2011-08-21 13:21 +0200
                                              Re: The Lisp Curse Paul Rubin <no.email@nospam.invalid> - 2011-08-21 10:40 -0700
                                                Re: The Lisp Curse "Rod Pemberton" <do_not_have@noavailemail.cmm> - 2011-08-21 13:56 -0400
                                                  Re: The Lisp Curse Paul Rubin <no.email@nospam.invalid> - 2011-08-21 12:33 -0700
                                                    Re: The Lisp Curse Paul Rubin <no.email@nospam.invalid> - 2011-08-21 12:42 -0700
                                                    Re: The Lisp Curse Paul Rubin <no.email@nospam.invalid> - 2011-08-21 13:30 -0700
                                                    Re: The Lisp Curse "Rod Pemberton" <do_not_have@noavailemail.cmm> - 2011-08-22 12:49 -0400
                                                      Re: The Lisp Curse Paul Rubin <no.email@nospam.invalid> - 2011-08-23 10:20 -0700
                                                        Re: The Lisp Curse "Rod Pemberton" <do_not_have@noavailemail.cmm> - 2011-08-23 20:15 -0400
                                                          Re: The Lisp Curse Paul Rubin <no.email@nospam.invalid> - 2011-08-24 00:13 -0700
                                                  Re: The Lisp Curse Alex McDonald <blog@rivadpm.com> - 2011-08-21 13:41 -0700
                                                    Re: The Lisp Curse "Rod Pemberton" <do_not_have@noavailemail.cmm> - 2011-08-22 11:48 -0400
                                                      Re: The Lisp Curse Alex McDonald <blog@rivadpm.com> - 2011-08-22 10:36 -0700
                                                        Re: The Lisp Curse "Rod Pemberton" <do_not_have@noavailemail.cmm> - 2011-08-22 22:57 -0400
                                                          Re: The Lisp Curse Paul Rubin <no.email@nospam.invalid> - 2011-08-22 23:28 -0700
                                                          Re: The Lisp Curse Alex McDonald <blog@rivadpm.com> - 2011-08-23 04:16 -0700
                                                            Re: The Lisp Curse Andrew Haley <andrew29@littlepinkcloud.invalid> - 2011-08-23 08:29 -0500
                                                              Re: The Lisp Curse Alex McDonald <blog@rivadpm.com> - 2011-08-23 14:59 -0700
                                                                Re: The Lisp Curse "Rod Pemberton" <do_not_have@noavailemail.cmm> - 2011-08-23 20:12 -0400
                                                            Re: The Lisp Curse "Rod Pemberton" <do_not_have@noavailemail.cmm> - 2011-08-23 20:09 -0400
                                                Re: The Lisp Curse vandys@vsta.org - 2011-08-22 16:54 +0000
                                                  Re: The Lisp Curse Doug Hoffman <glidedog@gmail.com> - 2011-08-23 10:48 -0400
                                                  Re: The Lisp Curse Andrew Haley <andrew29@littlepinkcloud.invalid> - 2011-08-23 11:41 -0500
                                                    Re: The Lisp Curse vandys@vsta.org - 2011-08-23 17:11 +0000
                                                      Re: The Lisp Curse Andrew Haley <andrew29@littlepinkcloud.invalid> - 2011-08-23 12:27 -0500
                                                  Re: The Lisp Curse Brad <hwfwguy@gmail.com> - 2011-08-23 10:07 -0700
                                                    Re: The Lisp Curse Pablo Hugo Reda <pabloreda@gmail.com> - 2011-08-23 13:02 -0700
                                                    Re: The Lisp Curse vandys@vsta.org - 2011-08-23 20:30 +0000
                                            Re: The Lisp Curse "Rod Pemberton" <do_not_have@noavailemail.cmm> - 2011-08-21 13:49 -0400
                                              Re: The Lisp Curse George Hubert <georgeahubert@yahoo.co.uk> - 2011-08-22 01:49 -0700
                                              Re: The Lisp Curse vandys@vsta.org - 2011-08-22 17:02 +0000
                                                Re: The Lisp Curse "Elizabeth D. Rather" <erather@forth.com> - 2011-08-22 07:50 -1000
                                                  Re: The Lisp Curse Paul Rubin <no.email@nospam.invalid> - 2011-08-23 01:03 -0700
                                                    Re: The Lisp Curse "Elizabeth D. Rather" <erather@forth.com> - 2011-08-22 22:38 -1000
                                            Hamming numbers (was: The Lisp Curse) anton@mips.complang.tuwien.ac.at (Anton Ertl) - 2011-08-22 15:10 +0000
                                              Re: Hamming numbers Paul Rubin <no.email@nospam.invalid> - 2011-08-23 00:09 -0700
                                                Re: Hamming numbers anton@mips.complang.tuwien.ac.at (Anton Ertl) - 2011-08-23 13:09 +0000
                                                  Re: Hamming numbers Paul Rubin <no.email@nospam.invalid> - 2011-08-23 10:41 -0700
                                                  Re: Hamming numbers anton@mips.complang.tuwien.ac.at (Anton Ertl) - 2011-08-23 17:58 +0000
                                                    Re: Hamming numbers Paul Rubin <no.email@nospam.invalid> - 2011-08-24 00:25 -0700
                                                  Re: Hamming numbers Fritz Wuehler <fritz@spamexpire-201108.rodent.frell.theremailer.net> - 2011-08-24 07:17 +0200
                                        Re: The Lisp Curse vandys@vsta.org - 2011-08-19 17:41 +0000
                                          Re: The Lisp Curse anton@mips.complang.tuwien.ac.at (Anton Ertl) - 2011-08-19 18:05 +0000
                                          Re: The Lisp Curse Andrew Haley <andrew29@littlepinkcloud.invalid> - 2011-08-19 13:53 -0500
                                            Re: The Lisp Curse Pablo Hugo Reda <pabloreda@gmail.com> - 2011-08-19 13:15 -0700
                                          Re: The Lisp Curse Hugh Aguilar <hughaguilar96@yahoo.com> - 2011-08-19 15:39 -0700
                                            Re: The Lisp Curse "Rod Pemberton" <do_not_have@noavailemail.cmm> - 2011-08-19 19:49 -0400
                                              Re: The Lisp Curse Hugh Aguilar <hughaguilar96@yahoo.com> - 2011-08-19 17:41 -0700
                                                Re: The Lisp Curse "Rod Pemberton" <do_not_have@noavailemail.cmm> - 2011-08-20 03:54 -0400
                                                  Re: The Lisp Curse Josh Grams <josh@qualdan.com> - 2011-08-20 15:20 +0000
                                                  Re: The Lisp Curse Hugh Aguilar <hughaguilar96@yahoo.com> - 2011-08-21 14:41 -0700
                                                    Re: The Lisp Curse "Rod Pemberton" <do_not_have@noavailemail.cmm> - 2011-08-22 11:47 -0400
                                                      Re: The Lisp Curse coos haak <chforth@hccnet.nl> - 2011-08-22 20:30 +0200
                                                      Re: The Lisp Curse Hugh Aguilar <hughaguilar96@yahoo.com> - 2011-08-22 15:22 -0700
                                                        Re: The Lisp Curse "Rod Pemberton" <do_not_have@noavailemail.cmm> - 2011-08-22 23:34 -0400
                                                          Re: The Lisp Curse Hugh Aguilar <hughaguilar96@yahoo.com> - 2011-08-22 22:48 -0700
                                                            Re: The Lisp Curse "Rod Pemberton" <do_not_have@noavailemail.cmm> - 2011-08-23 20:07 -0400
                                                              Re: The Lisp Curse "Elizabeth D. Rather" <erather@forth.com> - 2011-08-23 15:44 -1000
                                                              Re: The Lisp Curse Hugh Aguilar <hughaguilar96@yahoo.com> - 2011-08-23 21:43 -0700
                                                Re: The Lisp Curse Albert van der Horst <albert@spenarnc.xs4all.nl> - 2011-08-20 08:55 +0000
                        Re: The Lisp Curse Keith H Duggar <duggar@alum.mit.edu> - 2011-08-12 10:49 -0700
                          Re: The Lisp Curse anton@mips.complang.tuwien.ac.at (Anton Ertl) - 2011-08-13 14:03 +0000
                            Re: The Lisp Curse Keith H Duggar <duggar@alum.mit.edu> - 2011-08-14 07:57 -0700
                        Re: The Lisp Curse "Elizabeth D. Rather" <erather@forth.com> - 2011-08-12 09:51 -1000
                          Re: The Lisp Curse anton@mips.complang.tuwien.ac.at (Anton Ertl) - 2011-08-13 13:45 +0000
                            Re: The Lisp Curse "Elizabeth D. Rather" <erather@forth.com> - 2011-08-13 08:08 -1000
                            Re: The Lisp Curse Nomen Nescio <nobody@dizum.com> - 2011-08-14 02:56 +0200
                        Re: The Lisp Curse Andrew Haley <andrew29@littlepinkcloud.invalid> - 2011-08-13 04:35 -0500
                      Re: The Lisp Curse Keith H Duggar <duggar@alum.mit.edu> - 2011-08-12 07:53 -0700
                      Re: The Lisp Curse anton@mips.complang.tuwien.ac.at (Anton Ertl) - 2011-08-13 14:13 +0000
                        Re: The Lisp Curse Paul Rubin <no.email@nospam.invalid> - 2011-08-13 13:59 -0700
                          Re: The Lisp Curse anton@mips.complang.tuwien.ac.at (Anton Ertl) - 2011-08-14 14:46 +0000
                            Re: The Lisp Curse Paul Rubin <no.email@nospam.invalid> - 2011-08-17 01:31 -0700
            Re: The Lisp Curse Andrew Haley <andrew29@littlepinkcloud.invalid> - 2011-06-28 03:24 -0500
            Re: The Lisp Curse Fritz Wuehler <fritz@spamexpire-201106.rodent.frell.theremailer.net> - 2011-06-28 19:55 +0200
              Re: The Lisp Curse "Rod Pemberton" <do_not_have@noavailemail.cmm> - 2011-06-29 06:30 -0400
                Re: The Lisp Curse Chris Hinsley <chris.hinsley@gmail.com> - 2011-06-29 13:49 +0100
                  Re: The Lisp Curse Chris Hinsley <chris.hinsley@gmail.com> - 2011-06-29 14:02 +0100
                  Re: The Lisp Curse "Rod Pemberton" <do_not_have@noavailemail.cmm> - 2011-06-29 18:16 -0400
                Re: The Lisp Curse Nomen Nescio <nobody@dizum.com> - 2011-06-29 15:45 +0200
                  Re: The Lisp Curse "Rod Pemberton" <do_not_have@noavailemail.cmm> - 2011-06-29 19:45 -0400
                    Re: The Lisp Curse Elko T <nono.black.elko@gmail.com> - 2011-06-29 22:08 -0400
                      Re: The Lisp Curse "Rod Pemberton" <do_not_have@noavailemail.cmm> - 2011-06-30 10:07 -0400
                        Re: The Lisp Curse coos haak <chforth@hccnet.nl> - 2011-06-30 20:44 +0200
                          Re: The Lisp Curse "Rod Pemberton" <do_not_have@noavailemail.cmm> - 2011-06-30 18:08 -0400
                        Counted vs. terminated strings (Re: The Lisp Curse) Elko T <nono.black.elko@gmail.com> - 2011-06-30 20:07 -0400
                          Re: Counted vs. terminated strings (Re: The Lisp Curse) Elko T <nono.black.elko@gmail.com> - 2011-06-30 22:12 -0400
                            Re: Counted vs. terminated strings (Re: The Lisp Curse) "Rod Pemberton" <do_not_have@noavailemail.cmm> - 2011-07-01 16:01 -0400
                              Re: Counted vs. terminated strings (Re: The Lisp Curse) Elko T <nono.black.elko@gmail.com> - 2011-07-01 17:59 -0400
                                Re: Counted vs. terminated strings (Re: The Lisp Curse) The Beez <the.beez.speaks@gmail.com> - 2011-07-01 16:33 -0700
                                Re: Counted vs. terminated strings (Re: The Lisp Curse) "Rod Pemberton" <do_not_have@noavailemail.cmm> - 2011-07-02 18:37 -0400
                          Re: Counted vs. terminated strings (Re: The Lisp Curse) kenney@cix.compulink.co.uk - 2011-07-01 06:07 -0500
                            Re: Counted vs. terminated strings (Re: The Lisp Curse) "Rod Pemberton" <do_not_have@noavailemail.cmm> - 2011-07-01 16:00 -0400
                          Re: Counted vs. terminated strings (Re: The Lisp Curse) anton@mips.complang.tuwien.ac.at (Anton Ertl) - 2011-07-01 14:06 +0000
                            Re: Counted vs. terminated strings (Re: The Lisp Curse) Elko T <nono.black.elko@gmail.com> - 2011-07-01 14:57 -0400
                              Re: Counted vs. terminated strings (Re: The Lisp Curse) anton@mips.complang.tuwien.ac.at (Anton Ertl) - 2011-07-02 16:55 +0000
                          Re: Counted vs. terminated strings (Re: The Lisp Curse) "Rod Pemberton" <do_not_have@noavailemail.cmm> - 2011-07-01 16:04 -0400
                            Re: Counted vs. terminated strings (Re: The Lisp Curse) Alex McDonald <blog@rivadpm.com> - 2011-07-02 11:26 -0700
                              Re: Counted vs. terminated strings (Re: The Lisp Curse) coos haak <chforth@hccnet.nl> - 2011-07-02 22:10 +0200
                                Re: Counted vs. terminated strings (Re: The Lisp Curse) Alex McDonald <blog@rivadpm.com> - 2011-07-02 14:36 -0700
                                  Re: Counted vs. terminated strings (Re: The Lisp Curse) Elko T <nono.black.elko@gmail.com> - 2011-07-02 21:36 -0400
                              Re: Counted vs. terminated strings (Re: The Lisp Curse) "Rod Pemberton" <do_not_have@noavailemail.cmm> - 2011-07-02 18:25 -0400
                                Re: Counted vs. terminated strings (Re: The Lisp Curse) Alex McDonald <blog@rivadpm.com> - 2011-07-03 10:53 -0700
                              Re: Counted vs. terminated strings (Re: The Lisp Curse) Elko T <nono.black.elko@gmail.com> - 2011-07-04 23:41 -0400
                                Re: Counted vs. terminated strings (Re: The Lisp Curse) Alex McDonald <blog@rivadpm.com> - 2011-07-05 01:02 -0700
                        Re: The Lisp Curse Nomen Nescio <nobody@dizum.com> - 2011-07-02 22:46 +0200
                        Re: The Lisp Curse David Thompson <dave.thompson2@verizon.net> - 2011-07-18 01:25 -0400
                    Re: The Lisp Curse Chris Hinsley <chris.hinsley@gmail.com> - 2011-06-30 14:44 +0100
                      Re: The Lisp Curse Mark Wills <markrobertwills@yahoo.co.uk> - 2011-06-30 23:24 +0100
                    Re: The Lisp Curse Fritz Wuehler <fritz@spamexpire-201107.rodent.frell.theremailer.net> - 2011-07-03 12:04 +0200
                      Re: The Lisp Curse "Rod Pemberton" <do_not_have@noavailemail.cmm> - 2011-07-03 20:24 -0400
                        Re: The Lisp Curse Alex McDonald <blog@rivadpm.com> - 2011-07-04 02:21 -0700
                        Re: The Lisp Curse Fritz Wuehler <fritz@spamexpire-201107.rodent.frell.theremailer.net> - 2011-07-04 16:02 +0200
                          Re: The Lisp Curse Tarkin <tarkin000@gmail.com> - 2011-07-04 10:21 -0700
                            Re: The Lisp Curse Alex McDonald <blog@rivadpm.com> - 2011-07-04 11:13 -0700
                              Re: The Lisp Curse Tarkin <tarkin000@gmail.com> - 2011-07-04 12:31 -0700
                                Re: The Lisp Curse Alex McDonald <blog@rivadpm.com> - 2011-07-04 15:01 -0700
                                  Re: The Lisp Curse Elizabeth D Rather <erather@forth.com> - 2011-07-04 13:23 -1000
                                    Re: The Lisp Curse Alex McDonald <blog@rivadpm.com> - 2011-07-05 01:45 -0700
                                  Re: The Lisp Curse anton@mips.complang.tuwien.ac.at (Anton Ertl) - 2011-07-05 11:34 +0000
                                    Re: The Lisp Curse Alex McDonald <blog@rivadpm.com> - 2011-07-05 05:34 -0700
                                      Re: The Lisp Curse anton@mips.complang.tuwien.ac.at (Anton Ertl) - 2011-07-05 14:28 +0000
                                        Re: The Lisp Curse Alex McDonald <blog@rivadpm.com> - 2011-07-05 09:39 -0700
                                          OT: full virtualization (was: The Lisp Curse) anton@mips.complang.tuwien.ac.at (Anton Ertl) - 2011-07-07 15:36 +0000
                                            Re: OT: full virtualization Andrew Haley <andrew29@littlepinkcloud.invalid> - 2011-07-07 13:17 -0500
                                              Re: OT: full virtualization Alex McDonald <blog@rivadpm.com> - 2011-07-08 04:53 -0700
                                              Re: OT: full virtualization anton@mips.complang.tuwien.ac.at (Anton Ertl) - 2011-07-08 17:11 +0000
                                                Re: OT: full virtualization Alex McDonald <blog@rivadpm.com> - 2011-07-08 12:41 -0700
                                            Re: OT: full virtualization (was: The Lisp Curse) Alex McDonald <blog@rivadpm.com> - 2011-07-08 04:34 -0700
                                              Re: OT: full virtualization (was: The Lisp Curse) anton@mips.complang.tuwien.ac.at (Anton Ertl) - 2011-07-10 16:03 +0000
                                                Re: OT: full virtualization (was: The Lisp Curse) Alex McDonald <blog@rivadpm.com> - 2011-07-10 13:06 -0700
                                        Re: The Lisp Curse Nomen Nescio <nobody@dizum.com> - 2011-07-07 00:11 +0200
                                          Re: The Lisp Curse Elizabeth D Rather <erather@forth.com> - 2011-07-06 12:47 -1000
                                          Re: The Lisp Curse anton@mips.complang.tuwien.ac.at (Anton Ertl) - 2011-07-07 10:07 +0000
                                  Re: The Lisp Curse Tarkin <tarkin000@gmail.com> - 2011-07-07 13:00 -0700
                          Re: The Lisp Curse Andrew Haley <andrew29@littlepinkcloud.invalid> - 2011-07-04 12:40 -0500
                            Re: The Lisp Curse Alex McDonald <blog@rivadpm.com> - 2011-07-04 11:15 -0700
                              Re: The Lisp Curse Andrew Haley <andrew29@littlepinkcloud.invalid> - 2011-07-04 15:53 -0500
                            Re: The Lisp Curse Nomen Nescio <nobody@dizum.com> - 2011-07-05 10:16 +0200
                              Re: The Lisp Curse Alex McDonald <blog@rivadpm.com> - 2011-07-05 02:23 -0700
                              Re: The Lisp Curse Andrew Haley <andrew29@littlepinkcloud.invalid> - 2011-07-05 09:54 -0500
                                Re: The Lisp Curse Nomen Nescio <nobody@dizum.com> - 2011-07-05 22:33 +0200
                                  Re: The Lisp Curse Andrew Haley <andrew29@littlepinkcloud.invalid> - 2011-07-05 16:28 -0500
                                    Re: The Lisp Curse Alex McDonald <blog@rivadpm.com> - 2011-07-05 16:18 -0700
                          Re: The Lisp Curse "Rod Pemberton" <do_not_have@noavailemail.cmm> - 2011-07-04 15:03 -0400
                            Re: The Lisp Curse Nomen Nescio <nobody@dizum.com> - 2011-07-05 00:20 +0200
                              Re: The Lisp Curse "Rod Pemberton" <do_not_have@noavailemail.cmm> - 2011-07-05 11:35 -0400
                                Re: The Lisp Curse Alex McDonald <blog@rivadpm.com> - 2011-07-05 09:46 -0700
                                Re: The Lisp Curse Fritz Wuehler <fritz@spamexpire-201107.rodent.frell.theremailer.net> - 2011-07-05 23:13 +0200
                                  Re: The Lisp Curse John Passaniti <john.passaniti@gmail.com> - 2011-07-05 15:31 -0700
                                  Re: The Lisp Curse kenney@cix.compulink.co.uk - 2011-07-07 04:38 -0500
                                Re: The Lisp Curse Andrew Haley <andrew29@littlepinkcloud.invalid> - 2011-07-05 19:21 -0500
                                  Re: The Lisp Curse Elizabeth D Rather <erather@forth.com> - 2011-07-05 14:57 -1000
                                    Re: The Lisp Curse John Passaniti <john.passaniti@gmail.com> - 2011-07-05 20:48 -0700
                                      Re: The Lisp Curse BruceMcF <agila61@netscape.net> - 2011-07-06 07:38 -0700
                                        Re: The Lisp Curse Andrew Haley <andrew29@littlepinkcloud.invalid> - 2011-07-06 09:46 -0500
                                        Re: The Lisp Curse kenney@cix.compulink.co.uk - 2011-07-07 04:38 -0500
                                          Re: The Lisp Curse Andrew Haley <andrew29@littlepinkcloud.invalid> - 2011-07-07 10:41 -0500
                                          Re: The Lisp Curse BruceMcF <agila61@netscape.net> - 2011-07-07 09:12 -0700
                                  Re: The Lisp Curse Andrew Haley <andrew29@littlepinkcloud.invalid> - 2011-07-06 09:53 -0500
                                Re: The Lisp Curse Nomen Nescio <nobody@dizum.com> - 2011-07-06 21:45 +0200
                                  Re: The Lisp Curse "Rod Pemberton" <do_not_have@noavailemail.cmm> - 2011-07-07 14:48 -0400
                                    Re: The Lisp Curse Chris Hinsley <chris.hinsley@gmail.com> - 2011-07-07 20:20 +0100
                                      Re: The Lisp Curse coos haak <chforth@hccnet.nl> - 2011-07-08 04:39 +0200
                                        Re: The Lisp Curse Chris Hinsley <chris.hinsley@gmail.com> - 2011-07-12 23:22 +0100
                                          Re: The Lisp Curse "Rod Pemberton" <do_not_have@noavailemail.cmm> - 2011-07-12 19:35 -0400
                                            Re: The Lisp Curse Chris Hinsley <chris.hinsley@gmail.com> - 2011-07-13 23:37 +0100
                                    Re: The Lisp Curse Fritz Wuehler <fritz@spamexpire-201107.rodent.frell.theremailer.net> - 2011-07-12 05:10 +0200
                                      Re: The Lisp Curse Andrew Haley <andrew29@littlepinkcloud.invalid> - 2011-07-12 03:44 -0500
                                        Re: The Lisp Curse Fritz Wuehler <fritz@spamexpire-201107.rodent.frell.theremailer.net> - 2011-07-13 22:06 +0200
                                          Re: The Lisp Curse Andrew Haley <andrew29@littlepinkcloud.invalid> - 2011-07-14 04:01 -0500
                                Re: The Lisp Curse kenney@cix.compulink.co.uk - 2011-07-07 04:38 -0500
                  Re: The Lisp Curse Andrew Haley <andrew29@littlepinkcloud.invalid> - 2011-07-03 07:34 -0500
                Re: The Lisp Curse Spam@ControlQ.com - 2011-06-29 13:25 -0400
                  Forth as implementation language vandys@vsta.org - 2011-06-29 18:27 +0000
                    Re: Forth as implementation language Spam@ControlQ.com - 2011-06-29 17:50 -0400
                      Re: Forth as implementation language vandys@vsta.org - 2011-06-29 22:45 +0000
                      Re: Forth as implementation language Mark Wills <markrobertwills@yahoo.co.uk> - 2011-06-30 13:04 +0100
                        Re: Forth as implementation language Spam@ControlQ.com - 2011-06-30 11:42 -0400
                          Re: Forth as implementation language "Rod Pemberton" <do_not_have@noavailemail.cmm> - 2011-06-30 13:12 -0400
                  Re: The Lisp Curse Elizabeth D Rather <erather@forth.com> - 2011-06-29 08:38 -1000
                    Re: The Lisp Curse Spam@ControlQ.com - 2011-06-29 18:01 -0400
                      Re: The Lisp Curse Elizabeth D Rather <erather@forth.com> - 2011-06-29 12:50 -1000
                      Re: The Lisp Curse stephenXXX@mpeforth.com (Stephen Pelc) - 2011-06-30 08:15 +0000
                        Re: The Lisp Curse Spam@ControlQ.com - 2011-07-03 15:22 -0400
                    Re: The Lisp Curse Mark Wills <markrobertwills@yahoo.co.uk> - 2011-06-30 13:09 +0100
                  Re: The Lisp Curse "Rod Pemberton" <do_not_have@noavailemail.cmm> - 2011-06-29 18:31 -0400
                  Re: The Lisp Curse Paul Rubin <no.email@nospam.invalid> - 2011-06-29 23:01 -0700
              Re: The Lisp Curse Andrew Haley <andrew29@littlepinkcloud.invalid> - 2011-07-01 09:42 -0500
                Re: The Lisp Curse Albert van der Horst <albert@spenarnc.xs4all.nl> - 2011-07-01 18:49 +0000
    Re: The Lisp Curse Mentifex <mentifex@myuw.net> - 2011-06-29 15:41 -0700
      Re: The Lisp Curse "Fuschia, President-Elect of the Bright Purplish-Green Council" <fp-eotbp-gc@ibm.com> - 2011-06-29 19:16 -0400
    Re: The Lisp Curse Mark Wills <forthfreak@forthfiles.net> - 2011-06-30 00:34 -0700
      Re: The Lisp Curse anton@mips.complang.tuwien.ac.at (Anton Ertl) - 2011-07-02 17:52 +0000

Page 2 of 17 — ← Prev page 1 [2] 3 4 … 17  Next page →


#4109

FromJohn Passaniti <john.passaniti@gmail.com>
Date2011-07-13 10:01 -0700
Message-ID<76c5c1a4-657e-4b82-b887-beb05bda1be4@eb1g2000vbb.googlegroups.com>
In reply to#4077
On Jul 13, 1:20 am, a...@vorsicht-bissig.de wrote:
> This sounds really interesting, John - both the fact that
> the Lua community have agreed on object abstractions which
> don't imply any particular object paradigm, and that you've
> used two different paradigms in the same project.
>
> This project wouldn't be an open source one, by any
> chance, would it?

Yes and no.  The project itself was under contract, and I don't own
the code.  But most of the underlying libraries we used are open
source.  I'll try to cull together some examples, and probably put it
on my little-used blog (since it isn't immediately relevant here).

I am starting on a new project at work where parts are going to be
released to the public.  I don't know if anyone will care as it is a
programmatic description of the UDP-based communications protocol our
products use.  It's in Lua and uses both classes and prototypes (which
isn't any big trick, as the syntactic sugar Lua provides works fine
with both styles).

Here incidentally is a Wiki page that offers some examples of
different styles of objects in Lua (classes, prototypes, no/single/
multiple inheritance, early bound/late bound, etc.):

http://lua-users.org/wiki/ObjectOrientedProgramming

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#3593

From"Rod Pemberton" <do_not_have@noavailemail.cmm>
Date2011-06-28 03:02 -0400
Message-ID<iububn$am$1@speranza.aioe.org>
In reply to#3582
"Chris Hinsley" <chris.hinsley@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:201106271655172796-chrishinsley@gmailcom...
>
> However, reading the linked to article I feel Andrew might have posted
> this here in the Forth newsgroup because theres a lot of similar
> arguements for Forth !
>

In the AI Winter" article it links to, the similarities are even more
pronounced:
http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?AiWinter

Read the Lisp quote.  With slight changes, here is the start of that Lisp
quote as modified for Forth:

"Forth was always very general-purpose, but was especially good at real-time
control, and was for a long time very closely associated with astronomer's
telescopes.  The Forth companies rode the great embedded microcontroller
wave in the early 90's, when large corporations poured millions of dollars
into the Forth that hype promised manageable, readable, and fast Forth
software in 10 years.  When the promises turned out to be harder than
originally thought, ... "


From the "Lisp Curse" article:

"Real Hackers have also known, for a while, that C and C++ are not
appropriate for most programs that don't need to do arbitrary bit-fiddling."

Wow, some people just truly hate C don't they?  I guess belittling a
successful HLL language is one way to make your unwise decision to use an
another unpopular, unsuccessful one seem less grating.  What's really
telling though is that none of the people who hate C seem to hate other
Algol derived languages such as BASIC and Pascal, nor Pascal derivatives:
Algol W, Modula, Modula-2, Oberon, Prolog, nor C derivatives: C++, Java,
Objective-C.  What is that: irrationality, or hate?  ISTM that Forth and
Lisp programmers seem to use the word "feel" alot, instead of "think"...
Would you say this is true?


Rod Pemberton


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#3594

FromElizabeth D Rather <erather@forth.com>
Date2011-06-27 21:29 -1000
Message-ID<Puidnb2hFt5ZH5TTnZ2dnUVZ_qGdnZ2d@supernews.com>
In reply to#3593
On 6/27/11 9:02 PM, Rod Pemberton wrote:
> "Chris Hinsley"<chris.hinsley@gmail.com>  wrote in message
> news:201106271655172796-chrishinsley@gmailcom...
>>
>> However, reading the linked to article I feel Andrew might have posted
>> this here in the Forth newsgroup because theres a lot of similar
>> arguements for Forth !
>>
>
> In the AI Winter" article it links to, the similarities are even more
> pronounced:
> http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?AiWinter
>
> Read the Lisp quote.  With slight changes, here is the start of that Lisp
> quote as modified for Forth:
>
> "Forth was always very general-purpose, but was especially good at real-time
> control, and was for a long time very closely associated with astronomer's
> telescopes.  The Forth companies rode the great embedded microcontroller
> wave in the early 90's, when large corporations poured millions of dollars
> into the Forth that hype promised manageable, readable, and fast Forth
> software in 10 years.  When the promises turned out to be harder than
> originally thought, ... "

The promises of Forth were more like smaller programs and much, much 
shorter development times -- now, not in 10 years.  In my experience, we 
delivered every time, right then, not as some future promise.  But we 
failed spectacularly in the public relations/marketing sphere: our 
successes went largely unnoticed.

The great myth in technology is that "if you build a better mousetrap 
the world will beat a path to your door."  In other words, technical 
superiority will win on its merits.  That is not true.  Technical 
superiority will win if and only if there is a substantial, dedicated, 
and well-funded marketing campaign behind it.

Cheers,
Elizabeth

-- 
==================================================
Elizabeth D. Rather   (US & Canada)   800-55-FORTH
FORTH Inc.                         +1 310.999.6784
5959 West Century Blvd. Suite 700
Los Angeles, CA 90045
http://www.forth.com

"Forth-based products and Services for real-time
applications since 1973."
==================================================

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#3600

From"Rod Pemberton" <do_not_have@noavailemail.cmm>
Date2011-06-28 06:55 -0400
Message-ID<iucc02$369$1@speranza.aioe.org>
In reply to#3594
"Elizabeth D Rather" <erather@forth.com> wrote in message
news:Puidnb2hFt5ZH5TTnZ2dnUVZ_qGdnZ2d@supernews.com...
>
> The great myth in technology is that "if you build a better mousetrap
> the world will beat a path to your door."  In other words, technical
> superiority will win on its merits.  That is not true.
>

ISTM, the "better mousetrap" was invented *before* the mousetrap by over
half a century (1894 vs. 1832 or so).  The mechanism used in spring-loaded
bar mouse traps is basically identical to the firing mechanism in
single-action revolvers.  They both have a hammer, trigger, latch (sear),
and a spring.  Variations of this mechanism are what guns still use to this
day.  So, yeah, a path was beaten to someone's door, I'd say ...

Oh, BTW, we now know the egg came first, since birds _evolved_ from
dinosaurs which laid eggs...  So, that quote is out also.  :-)

> Technical
> superiority will win if and only if there is a substantial, dedicated,
> and well-funded marketing campaign behind it.
>

For most cases, I agree.  I.e., that's true for a free, open, capitalistic
marketplace.  There are exceptions though.  E.g., SCSI, x86 PCs, Intel/MS,
military weapons, etc.  SCSI just won't die.  The x86 computing platform won
by default.  "Last man standing."  Intel and MS are monopolies.  The
military
tests everything.  The government buys from whomever won the contract bid.
And, there are many markets around the world that are "closed" or "private"
or not capitalistic.


Rod Pemberton

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#3601

FromAndrew Haley <andrew29@littlepinkcloud.invalid>
Date2011-06-28 06:17 -0500
Message-ID<aOOdnaAF3f2zJZTTnZ2dnUVZ8vednZ2d@supernews.com>
In reply to#3600
Rod Pemberton <do_not_have@noavailemail.cmm> wrote:

> E.g., SCSI, x86 PCs, Intel/MS, military weapons, etc.  SCSI just
> won't die.  The x86 computing platform won by default.  "Last man
> standing."

Well, let's see.  SCSI was certainly good enough.  The x86 won because
it was compatible with a lot of what went before and because it was
decently fast.  (People always cite the 68000, but it came a fair bit
later and it was dog slow.)  As Hermann Hauser put it, "I remember
when Bill Gates visited us and I showed him an operating system that
was much more developed than MS-DOS at the time. We thought this was a
clear advantage; not realising that the game had changed and the real
advantage was standards."

> Intel and MS are monopolies.

Intel perhaps, but both of them have problems getting into mobile
technology, which is where a lot of the attention (and money) is
going.  Look instead at ARM and Google.

Andrew.

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#3602

FromChris Hinsley <chris.hinsley@gmail.com>
Date2011-06-28 14:14 +0100
Message-ID<2011062814140394997-chrishinsley@gmailcom>
In reply to#3594
> The great myth in technology is that "if you build a better mousetrap 
> the world will beat a path to your door."  In other words, technical 
> superiority will win on its merits.  That is not true.  Technical 
> superiority will win if and only if there is a substantial, dedicated, 
> and well-funded marketing campaign behind it.
> 
> Cheers,
> Elizabeth

Amen sister. !

The best tech definate dosn't mean you'll win. :(

Chris

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#3679

FromHugh Aguilar <hughaguilar96@yahoo.com>
Date2011-06-30 16:08 -0700
Message-ID<9c50a06d-fd91-46bb-89cc-8ca83d167259@j15g2000yqf.googlegroups.com>
In reply to#3594
On Jun 28, 1:29 am, Elizabeth D Rather <erat...@forth.com> wrote:
> The promises of Forth were more like smaller programs and much, much
> shorter development times -- now, not in 10 years.  In my experience, we
> delivered every time, right then, not as some future promise.  But we
> failed spectacularly in the public relations/marketing sphere: our
> successes went largely unnoticed.
>
> The great myth in technology is that "if you build a better mousetrap
> the world will beat a path to your door."  In other words, technical
> superiority will win on its merits.  That is not true.  Technical
> superiority will win if and only if there is a substantial, dedicated,
> and well-funded marketing campaign behind it.
>
> Cheers,
> Elizabeth

This is pretty typical of salespeople --- to believe that anything can
be sold with a well-funded marketing campaign behind it. This actually
works pretty well when selling soda pop or energy drinks. It is not a
good plan with a computer programming language however.

I think that Forth failed largely because it continued to use threaded
schemes well into the 1990s, whereas C generated machine code. The
result was that Forth code got a reputation for being at least an
order of magnitude slower than C code.

Memory was also a problem. In the days of MS-DOS, PolyForth required
the programmer to fit his code, data, and dictionary headers, all into
a *single* 64K segment. Apparently nobody at Forth Inc. knew that the
8086 allows programs to be put into multiple segments (CS for code, DS
for data, and ES for the dictionary headers). Most likely, the 8086
version of PolyForth was just a direct port of an old 8080 Forth
system.

PolyForth just didn't compare well with Turbo C, which was the main
competition. The slow indirect-threaded-code and the 64K limit
combined to make PolyForth unsuitable for anything except tiny toy
programs. All of this talk about the need for a "well-funded marketing
campaign" is just Elizabeth Rather wishing that people would give her
money. The problem was technical.

I read that article about the "Lisp Curse." There is actually a huge
abundance of Lisp code available. If you need a library of code, you
generally have dozens of choices available. That is the so-called
"Lisp Curse." By comparison, the "Forth Curse" is that you don't
generally have anything available, but you are required to write
everything yourself from scratch. When I wrote my LLRB tree
implementation in Forth, I was called "incompetent" (Passaniti) and a
"donkey" (Ron), etc.. That doesn't happen in the Lisp community ---
people there are encouraged to write software tools and make them
publicly available --- that is why there are so many Lisp libraries
available.

I really wish that somebody would write a library of code in
competition with my novice package. You don't have to go up against
the entire thing --- you could just pick out one aspect, such as
arrays, lists or associative arrays, and write your own version. Would
that be so difficult?

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#3699

From"Rod Pemberton" <do_not_have@noavailemail.cmm>
Date2011-07-01 16:01 -0400
Message-ID<iul94d$mim$1@speranza.aioe.org>
In reply to#3679
"Hugh Aguilar" <hughaguilar96@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:9c50a06d-fd91-46bb-89cc-8ca83d167259@j15g2000yqf.googlegroups.com...
>
> Memory was also a problem. In the days of MS-DOS, PolyForth required
> the programmer to fit his code, data, and dictionary headers, all into
> a *single* 64K segment. Apparently nobody at Forth Inc. knew that the
> 8086 allows programs to be put into multiple segments (CS for code, DS
> for data, and ES for the dictionary headers).
>

The x86 segmented memory model caused problems for C too.  Yes, many, many
x86 compilers produced C code for the segmented model without problems.
But, there are examples of C compilers that won't: GCC, LCC.  To be fair,
that's not the entire story for either of them.  LCC did produce x86
segmented code at first.  They abandoned that after having problems with C
specification compliance with segmentation.  GCC was designed for
non-segmented memory platforms from the start.


Rod Pemberton


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#3704

FromElizabeth D Rather <erather@forth.com>
Date2011-07-01 13:41 -1000
Message-ID<2NydnatdH8uExpPTnZ2dnUVZ_jadnZ2d@supernews.com>
In reply to#3699
On 7/1/11 10:01 AM, Rod Pemberton wrote:
> "Hugh Aguilar"<hughaguilar96@yahoo.com>  wrote in message
> news:9c50a06d-fd91-46bb-89cc-8ca83d167259@j15g2000yqf.googlegroups.com...
>>
>> Memory was also a problem. In the days of MS-DOS, PolyForth required
>> the programmer to fit his code, data, and dictionary headers, all into
>> a *single* 64K segment. Apparently nobody at Forth Inc. knew that the
>> 8086 allows programs to be put into multiple segments (CS for code, DS
>> for data, and ES for the dictionary headers).
>>
>
> The x86 segmented memory model caused problems for C too.  Yes, many, many
> x86 compilers produced C code for the segmented model without problems.
> But, there are examples of C compilers that won't: GCC, LCC.  To be fair,
> that's not the entire story for either of them.  LCC did produce x86
> segmented code at first.  They abandoned that after having problems with C
> specification compliance with segmentation.  GCC was designed for
> non-segmented memory platforms from the start.

32-bit polyFORTH used a full 32-bit address space.  The DOS 
implementation (pF32-386/pMSD) used the Phar Lap DOS extender and 
operated in virtual mode, with address space to 1 Mb.

Cheers,
Elizabeth

-- 
==================================================
Elizabeth D. Rather   (US & Canada)   800-55-FORTH
FORTH Inc.                         +1 310.999.6784
5959 West Century Blvd. Suite 700
Los Angeles, CA 90045
http://www.forth.com

"Forth-based products and Services for real-time
applications since 1973."
==================================================

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#3794

FromHugh Aguilar <hughaguilar96@yahoo.com>
Date2011-07-04 21:18 -0700
Message-ID<dadb67d7-2426-4667-af17-7fd8785593d3@r27g2000prr.googlegroups.com>
In reply to#3704
On Jul 1, 5:41 pm, Elizabeth D Rather <erat...@forth.com> wrote:
> On 7/1/11 10:01 AM, Rod Pemberton wrote:
> > "Hugh Aguilar"<hughaguila...@yahoo.com>  wrote in message
> >news:9c50a06d-fd91-46bb-89cc-8ca83d167259@j15g2000yqf.googlegroups.com...
>
> >> Memory was also a problem. In the days of MS-DOS, PolyForth required
> >> the programmer to fit his code, data, and dictionary headers, all into
> >> a *single* 64K segment. Apparently nobody at Forth Inc. knew that the
> >> 8086 allows programs to be put into multiple segments (CS for code, DS
> >> for data, and ES for the dictionary headers).
>
> 32-bit polyFORTH used a full 32-bit address space.  The DOS
> implementation (pF32-386/pMSD) used the Phar Lap DOS extender and
> operated in virtual mode, with address space to 1 Mb.

By the time that the 80386 came out, Forth was already dead.

There was a short period after the 80386 came out during which people
continued to use MS-DOS and would use DOS-extenders to access memory
beyond the 640K limit (mostly because Windows 3.1 was so horrible).
This trailing edge of MS-DOS became obsolete when Windows-95 came out.
When I wrote MFX at Testra, this was done on the 32-bit version of UR/
Forth running on a DOS-extender. Forth was already dead though ---
other than a few rinky-dink outfits such as Testra that used Forth,
everybody was using C and C++ (Turbo Pascal and Delphi too).

During the decade that the 8088 and 80286 were used to run MS-DOS,
PolyForth supported only the Tiny memory-model. This is largely what
killed Forth. Most casual observers assume that Forth Inc. defines
Forth (they assume this because Forth Inc. owns the name "Forth").
When these people see that Forth Inc. is run by incompetents who don't
even know that the 8088 provides access to more than 64K of memory,
they believe that the entire Forth community must be incompetent
without any further evidence --- PolyForth permanently ruined Forth's
reputation --- this all happened many years prior to the introduction
of the 80386.

If Forth Inc. hadn't dragged the name "Forth" through the mud in the
late 1980s, Forth might have succeeded. I blame Forth Inc. entirely
for Forth's failure. To be more specific, I blame *you* for ruining
Forth's reputation.

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#3800

FromAlex McDonald <blog@rivadpm.com>
Date2011-07-05 02:26 -0700
Message-ID<296152e2-54c3-42ec-a8f6-69512a9f9931@t7g2000vbv.googlegroups.com>
In reply to#3794
On Jul 5, 5:18 am, Hugh Aguilar <hughaguila...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> On Jul 1, 5:41 pm, Elizabeth D Rather <erat...@forth.com> wrote:
>
> > On 7/1/11 10:01 AM, Rod Pemberton wrote:
> > > "Hugh Aguilar"<hughaguila...@yahoo.com>  wrote in message
> > >news:9c50a06d-fd91-46bb-89cc-8ca83d167259@j15g2000yqf.googlegroups.com...
>
> > >> Memory was also a problem. In the days of MS-DOS, PolyForth required
> > >> the programmer to fit his code, data, and dictionary headers, all into
> > >> a *single* 64K segment. Apparently nobody at Forth Inc. knew that the
> > >> 8086 allows programs to be put into multiple segments (CS for code, DS
> > >> for data, and ES for the dictionary headers).
>
> > 32-bit polyFORTH used a full 32-bit address space.  The DOS
> > implementation (pF32-386/pMSD) used the Phar Lap DOS extender and
> > operated in virtual mode, with address space to 1 Mb.
>
> By the time that the 80386 came out, Forth was already dead.
>
> There was a short period after the 80386 came out during which people
> continued to use MS-DOS and would use DOS-extenders to access memory
> beyond the 640K limit (mostly because Windows 3.1 was so horrible).
> This trailing edge of MS-DOS became obsolete when Windows-95 came out.
> When I wrote MFX at Testra, this was done on the 32-bit version of UR/
> Forth running on a DOS-extender. Forth was already dead though ---
> other than a few rinky-dink outfits such as Testra that used Forth,
> everybody was using C and C++ (Turbo Pascal and Delphi too).
>
> During the decade that the 8088 and 80286 were used to run MS-DOS,
> PolyForth supported only the Tiny memory-model. This is largely what
> killed Forth. Most casual observers assume that Forth Inc. defines
> Forth (they assume this because Forth Inc. owns the name "Forth").
> When these people see that Forth Inc. is run by incompetents who don't
> even know that the 8088 provides access to more than 64K of memory,
> they believe that the entire Forth community must be incompetent
> without any further evidence --- PolyForth permanently ruined Forth's
> reputation --- this all happened many years prior to the introduction
> of the 80386.
>
> If Forth Inc. hadn't dragged the name "Forth" through the mud in the
> late 1980s, Forth might have succeeded. I blame Forth Inc. entirely
> for Forth's failure. To be more specific, I blame *you* for ruining
> Forth's reputation.

You only have yourself to blame for ruining your own.

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#3728

FromHugh Aguilar <hughaguilar96@yahoo.com>
Date2011-07-02 16:56 -0700
Message-ID<cdd45ec8-43a4-486f-96ca-f20b48fa5629@p6g2000vbj.googlegroups.com>
In reply to#3699
On Jul 1, 2:01 pm, "Rod Pemberton" <do_not_h...@noavailemail.cmm>
wrote:
> "Hugh Aguilar" <hughaguila...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>
> news:9c50a06d-fd91-46bb-89cc-8ca83d167259@j15g2000yqf.googlegroups.com...
>
>
>
> > Memory was also a problem. In the days of MS-DOS, PolyForth required
> > the programmer to fit his code, data, and dictionary headers, all into
> > a *single* 64K segment. Apparently nobody at Forth Inc. knew that the
> > 8086 allows programs to be put into multiple segments (CS for code, DS
> > for data, and ES for the dictionary headers).
>
> The x86 segmented memory model caused problems for C too.  Yes, many, many
> x86 compilers produced C code for the segmented model without problems.
> But, there are examples of C compilers that won't: GCC, LCC.  To be fair,
> that's not the entire story for either of them.  LCC did produce x86
> segmented code at first.  They abandoned that after having problems with C
> specification compliance with segmentation.  GCC was designed for
> non-segmented memory platforms from the start.
>
> Rod Pemberton

The 8086 architecture was thin *only* thing being used for MS-DOS, and
MS-DOS commanded maybe 99% of the market (the Apple Macintosh, Atari
ST and Amiga had *very* thin usage). Anybody who was going to program
under MS-DOS was expected to master the concept of segments (it is not
difficult). Anybody who fails to master this most rudimentary concept
would not be taken seriously --- this includes QBasic and PolyForth
and some other toy languages (actually, I think that QBasic did use
the Small memory model internally, so even it was ahead of PolyForth).

GCC has primarily been used on Linux (and BSD) systems, and on micro-
controllers, neither of which use the 8086 architecture. As for LCC,
I've never heard of it being used by anybody --- afaik, it is just an
educational system intended to teach compiler design.

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#3709

FromGerry Jackson <gerry@jackson9000.fsnet.co.uk>
Date2011-07-02 08:28 +0100
Message-ID<iumh9u$24i$1@dont-email.me>
In reply to#3679
On 01/07/2011 00:08, Hugh Aguilar wrote:
[...]

>
> I really wish that somebody would write a library of code in
> competition with my novice package. You don't have to go up against
> the entire thing --- you could just pick out one aspect, such as
> arrays, lists or associative arrays, and write your own version. Would
> that be so difficult?

Do you have a memory problem are are you just disingenuous? You've been 
told before about the Forth Foundation Library, and indeed have 
adversely commented on it.

https://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.forth/browse_frm/thread/e9d153aa4a2ae48/6a324f46003cd91e?hl=en&lnk=gst&q=%22forth+foundation+library%22+novice#6a324f46003cd91e

The FFL has been in existence longer than your novice package and has 
far more functionality. If you think your novice package is better, and 
I don't know whether it is or not, the onus is on you to provide facts 
and figures proving so instead of just stating opinions and just 
ignoring its existence.

-- 
Gerry

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#3729

FromHugh Aguilar <hughaguilar96@yahoo.com>
Date2011-07-02 17:00 -0700
Message-ID<a6324f49-4f81-46f7-9621-b850742e87fa@t9g2000vbv.googlegroups.com>
In reply to#3709
On Jul 2, 1:28 am, Gerry Jackson <ge...@jackson9000.fsnet.co.uk>
wrote:
> On 01/07/2011 00:08, Hugh Aguilar wrote:
> [...]
>
>
>
> > I really wish that somebody would write a library of code in
> > competition with my novice package. You don't have to go up against
> > the entire thing --- you could just pick out one aspect, such as
> > arrays, lists or associative arrays, and write your own version. Would
> > that be so difficult?
>
> Do you have a memory problem are are you just disingenuous? You've been
> told before about the Forth Foundation Library, and indeed have
> adversely commented on it.
>
> https://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.forth/browse_frm/thread/e9d...
>
> The FFL has been in existence longer than your novice package and has
> far more functionality. If you think your novice package is better, and
> I don't know whether it is or not, the onus is on you to provide facts
> and figures proving so instead of just stating opinions and just
> ignoring its existence.
>
> --
> Gerry

Show me *any* application program that has been written using FFL. Or
better yet, write one yourself!

FFL isn't any good. It is extremely primitive in many ways --- I don't
think that it is suitable for use in application programming.

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#3735

FromGerry Jackson <gerry@jackson9000.fsnet.co.uk>
Date2011-07-03 10:20 +0100
Message-ID<iupc83$itn$1@dont-email.me>
In reply to#3729
On 03/07/2011 01:00, Hugh Aguilar wrote:
> On Jul 2, 1:28 am, Gerry Jackson<ge...@jackson9000.fsnet.co.uk>
> wrote:
>> On 01/07/2011 00:08, Hugh Aguilar wrote:
>> [...]
>>
>>
>>
>>> I really wish that somebody would write a library of code in
>>> competition with my novice package. You don't have to go up against
>>> the entire thing --- you could just pick out one aspect, such as
>>> arrays, lists or associative arrays, and write your own version. Would
>>> that be so difficult?
>>
>> Do you have a memory problem are are you just disingenuous? You've been
>> told before about the Forth Foundation Library, and indeed have
>> adversely commented on it.
>>
>> https://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.forth/browse_frm/thread/e9d...
>>
>> The FFL has been in existence longer than your novice package and has
>> far more functionality. If you think your novice package is better, and
>> I don't know whether it is or not, the onus is on you to provide facts
>> and figures proving so instead of just stating opinions and just
>> ignoring its existence.
>>
>> --
>> Gerry
>
> Show me *any* application program that has been written using FFL.

Why on earth should I? I have little interest in the relative merits of 
FFL and the novice package and was just pointing out that your claim of 
no competing libraries was false and that you were well aware of the fact.

> Or better yet, write one yourself!
>
> FFL isn't any good. It is extremely primitive in many ways --- I don't
> think that it is suitable for use in application programming.

It's a well known sales technique to promote a product by omitting any 
mention of competing products or rubbishing any such products without 
evidence. You've used both tactics. A better sales technique is to 
recognise there are competitors and to present some evidence, for 
example an analysis showing why your product is superior whether by:
- absence of bugs
- superior functionality
- better performance
- ease of use
...

I don't think that just shouting "it's rubbish" convinces anybody, 
particularly knowledgeable members of this group, indeed it is more 
likely to antagonise them.

You've complained several times about nobody using your library. Trying 
to be helpful I would suggest:

1. Give it a better name than the novice package. It may be suitable for 
novices but calling it that makes it plain that it is *only* suitable 
for novices. Why should a seasoned Forther who already possesses his own 
library even look at yours?

2. Deposit it or a link in FLAG http://soton.mpeforth.com/flag/ so that 
its existence has a better chance of becoming known.

3. Provide evidence of why it is superior without rubbishing the opposition.

4. Provide comprehensive test programs using the Hayes tester, that 
prove your library is well tested. Others do e.g. David Williams (see 
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~williams/archive/forth/strings/index.html 
- incidentally there are quite a few library packages in ANS Forth on 
this site that you probably haven't considered) and Krishna Myneni. 
Again why should experienced Forthers use a library when there's little 
or no evidence that it's been well tested.

5. Write a small, easily understandable application where your library 
is beneficial. Your slide rule program is too large.

Of course items 3, 4 (see **) and 5 take quite a bit of work which you 
may be unwilling to do, in which case you'll probably have to live with 
the indifference shown.

I hope this helps.

** If such test programs are developed simulataneously with the library 
code I would argue that it both speeds development and you get the final 
test programs automatically for free. At least that is my experience. 
Also when you modify the library running a test suite provides 
confidence that nothing has been broken.

-- 
Gerry

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#3793

FromHugh Aguilar <hughaguilar96@yahoo.com>
Date2011-07-04 20:57 -0700
Message-ID<96fb04bf-96ef-4d49-84a1-fa2e43de56d9@s33g2000prg.googlegroups.com>
In reply to#3735
On Jul 3, 3:20 am, Gerry Jackson <ge...@jackson9000.fsnet.co.uk>
wrote:
> On 03/07/2011 01:00, Hugh Aguilar wrote:
> > Show me *any* application program that has been written using FFL.
>
> Why on earth should I? I have little interest in the relative merits of
> FFL and the novice package and was just pointing out that your claim of
> no competing libraries was false and that you were well aware of the fact.
>
> > Or better yet, write one yourself!
>
> > FFL isn't any good. It is extremely primitive in many ways --- I don't
> > think that it is suitable for use in application programming.

I really doubt that anybody has ever used FFL for any application.
Just the ugly naming convention alone precludes this. Also, FFL
doesn't have any features. For example, the AVL-tree code doesn't
provide a way for the programmer to in-order traverse the tree within
a selected range. That is the whole point of using a tree rather than
a hash table! The linked-list code doesn't provide a way to find the
node prior to the node that you are looking for, which is necessary
for sorting lists. There is no conversion between lists and arrays.
With both the AVL-trees and the lists, there is no way to have nodes
of different sizes, and be able to clone the entire data structure.
FFL doesn't provide any way to have a mixture of nodes that are in the
heap and in the dictionary, which is necessary for shifting some of
the work over to compile-time (see how in my slide-rule program I
generate some lists at compile-time to reduce the program's run time).

FFL is so primitive that I wouldn't even consider using it in an
application. My impression of FFL is that those were homework
assignments (implement a linked list, implement an AVL tree, etc.),
but that the authors never had any intention of their code actually
being used in any application. They just implemented the data
structure simplistically, and they were done --- they didn't provide
any features that would allow the code to be useful. Who did write
that stuff anyway? Were those Anton Ertl's students striving to get an
A from Anton by proving that they could implement some data structure?
Whoever the authors were, they definitely weren't application
programmers.

> It's a well known sales technique to promote a product by omitting any
> mention of competing products or rubbishing any such products without
> evidence. You've used both tactics. A better sales technique is to
> recognise there are competitors and to present some evidence, for
> example an analysis showing why your product is superior whether by:
> - absence of bugs
> - superior functionality
> - better performance
> - ease of use
> ...
>
> I don't think that just shouting "it's rubbish" convinces anybody,
> particularly knowledgeable members of this group, indeed it is more
> likely to antagonise them.

What "knowledgeable members of this group" are you referring to? If
anybody is at all knowledgeable of my novice package and FFL (spent an
hour perusing both), they are going to see for themselves which is
superior. This obviously doesn't describe yourself, as you seem to
know nothing of either package. This doesn't describe anybody that I
know of.

> You've complained several times about nobody using your library. Trying
> to be helpful I would suggest:
>
> 1. Give it a better name than the novice package. It may be suitable for
> novices but calling it that makes it plain that it is *only* suitable
> for novices. Why should a seasoned Forther who already possesses his own
> library even look at yours?

I don't think that calling it the "expert package" is going to make it
more suitable to "seasoned Forthers." If they can't learn how a novice
package works, then they aren't going to learn how an expert package
works.

> 2. Deposit it or a link in FLAGhttp://soton.mpeforth.com/flag/so that
> its existence has a better chance of becoming known.

It seems very unlikely that Stephen Pelc would allow that --- that is
about as likely as www.forth.com providing a link. lol

In my novice package I have a lot of work-arounds for problems in ANS-
Forth. For example, I rewrote ALLOCATE and friends so that I could
have ALLOCATION. Obviously, members of the Forth-200x committee
(including Stephen Pelc) aren't going to support my novice package,
because doing so would be a tacit admission that ANS-Forth has
problems. Leon Wagner has stated that ALLOCATION is worthless, and
that damns the entire novice package along with it.

I put my novice package on www.forth.org because that is one place
that the Forth-200x members don't have enough authority to order that
it be deleted.

> 3. Provide evidence of why it is superior without rubbishing the opposition.

I didn't "rubbish" the opposition (is that even a verb?) --- the
authors of FFL inflicted rubbish on the world under the grandiose name
"Forth Foundation Library." I spent an hour or so browsing through the
FFL and I found nothing of value in there. This was after I had
written my novice package, but if I had known about FFL prior to
writing my novice package I would have still written it just the way
that I did --- I don't really concern myself with other people's code,
as I feel confident that I can always do a better job myself.

> 4. Provide comprehensive test programs using the Hayes tester, that
> prove your library is well tested. Others do e.g. David Williams (seehttp://www-personal.umich.edu/~williams/archive/forth/strings/index.html
> - incidentally there are quite a few library packages in ANS Forth on
> this site that you probably haven't considered) and Krishna Myneni.
> Again why should experienced Forthers use a library when there's little
> or no evidence that it's been well tested.

I don't know what a "Hayes tester" is.

The only evidence I have that my novice package has been well tested
is that I wrote a lot of application code, including the slide-rule
program, using the novice package and that software worked. As I have
said, I have never heard of anybody writing any application program
using FFL, and I doubt that it could be done anyway --- so FFL has
never been tested in the crucible of application-writing.

> 5. Write a small, easily understandable application where your library
> is beneficial. Your slide rule program is too large.
>
> Of course items 3, 4 (see **) and 5 take quite a bit of work which you
> may be unwilling to do, in which case you'll probably have to live with
> the indifference shown.

I find it amazing that you say my slide-rule program is too large, and
then immediately you say that I am unwilling to do the "quite a bit of
work" involved in writing a small program. Are small programs more
difficult than big programs? You are essentially accusing me of being
lazy, because I don't take the time to spoon-feed you.

Actually, most of my novice package is oriented toward writing large
programs. For example, I have ALLOCATION provided, as well as CLONE-
LIST and COPY-ASSOCIATION that use it. These are for situations in
which the data structure contains nodes of different types (parent and
child types typically). This obviously only becomes an issue in large
programs that have inheritance of data types. For the most part,
applications that need data-structure support are fairly large, in
that they are working with a lot of data of more than one type. Small
programs tend to also be simple programs.

There is a lot in the novice package that can even be used by small
programs though. For example, I have <SPLIT> that breaks a string
apart on delimiters, building a list. One guy used <SPLIT> to break
apart file names on the / character. His program was presumably quite
small, although I never looked at it. <SPLIT> could be used for
working with comma-delimited sequential files, which are a pretty
common database-dump format. Such programs tend to be small --- I used
to write programs like that every day when I was working as an IBM370
assembly-language programmer. I had a personal library of functions
and macros, including something similar to <SPLIT>, that allowed me to
write small programs in an hour or two. I could write assembly-
language programs significantly faster than other people could write
HHL programs, primarily because I had macros (and macros are the one
thing that no HHL language other than Forth and Lisp allow).

> I hope this helps.

It didn't. You are pretty much in the same category as John Passaniti
in the sense that you are talking at length about a subject that you
know nothing about. On the plus side though, you didn't say that my
novice package "sucks," so that does put you a step above Passaniti.
If you would actually spend an hour looking at my package before
commenting on it, that would put you leagues above anybody that I
know. I spent that much time looking at FFL before I commented on it.
Try looking at LIST.4TH as that one is pretty simple --- linked lists
are possibly the simplest data-structure in existence, but also the
most useful (the Lispers think so, anyway).

> ** If such test programs are developed simulataneously with the library
> code I would argue that it both speeds development and you get the final
> test programs automatically for free. At least that is my experience.
> Also when you modify the library running a test suite provides
> confidence that nothing has been broken.

I'm aware of the concept of Agile development. I don't think that test
suites are all that useful for code such as a library that gets
written once and isn't changed again --- that is more for applications
that are in continual flux, especially when multiple programmers are
all working on the application.

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#3837

FromGerry Jackson <gerry@jackson9000.fsnet.co.uk>
Date2011-07-06 15:45 +0100
Message-ID<iv1sef$d6$1@dont-email.me>
In reply to#3793
On 05/07/2011 04:57, Hugh Aguilar wrote:
> On Jul 3, 3:20 am, Gerry Jackson<ge...@jackson9000.fsnet.co.uk>
> wrote:
>> On 03/07/2011 01:00, Hugh Aguilar wrote:
>>> Show me *any* application program that has been written using FFL.
>>
>> Why on earth should I? I have little interest in the relative merits of
>> FFL and the novice package and was just pointing out that your claim of
>> no competing libraries was false and that you were well aware of the fact.
>>
>>> Or better yet, write one yourself!
>>
>>> FFL isn't any good. It is extremely primitive in many ways --- I don't
>>> think that it is suitable for use in application programming.
>
> I really doubt that anybody has ever used FFL for any application.
> Just the ugly naming convention alone precludes this. Also, FFL
> doesn't have any features. For example, the AVL-tree code doesn't
> provide a way for the programmer to in-order traverse the tree within
> a selected range. That is the whole point of using a tree rather than
> a hash table! The linked-list code doesn't provide a way to find the
> node prior to the node that you are looking for, which is necessary
> for sorting lists. There is no conversion between lists and arrays.
> With both the AVL-trees and the lists, there is no way to have nodes
> of different sizes, and be able to clone the entire data structure.
> FFL doesn't provide any way to have a mixture of nodes that are in the
> heap and in the dictionary, which is necessary for shifting some of
> the work over to compile-time (see how in my slide-rule program I
> generate some lists at compile-time to reduce the program's run time).

The novice package lacks a lot more functionality than that, the list is 
too long to give here, see http://code.google.com/p/ffl/ to identify 
what's missing.

>
> FFL is so primitive that I wouldn't even consider using it in an
> application. My impression of FFL is that those were homework
> assignments (implement a linked list, implement an AVL tree, etc.),
> but that the authors never had any intention of their code actually
> being used in any application. They just implemented the data
> structure simplistically, and they were done --- they didn't provide
> any features that would allow the code to be useful. Who did write
> that stuff anyway? Were those Anton Ertl's students striving to get an
> A from Anton by proving that they could implement some data structure?
> Whoever the authors were, they definitely weren't application
> programmers.

The link above states who the author is. If he's reading these posts 
that's probably yet another enemy you've made.

>
>> It's a well known sales technique to promote a product by omitting any
>> mention of competing products or rubbishing any such products without
>> evidence. You've used both tactics. A better sales technique is to
>> recognise there are competitors and to present some evidence, for
>> example an analysis showing why your product is superior whether by:
>> - absence of bugs
>> - superior functionality
>> - better performance
>> - ease of use
>> ...
>>
>> I don't think that just shouting "it's rubbish" convinces anybody,
>> particularly knowledgeable members of this group, indeed it is more
>> likely to antagonise them.
>
> What "knowledgeable members of this group" are you referring to? If
> anybody is at all knowledgeable of my novice package and FFL (spent an
> hour perusing both), they are going to see for themselves which is
> superior. This obviously doesn't describe yourself, as you seem to
> know nothing of either package. This doesn't describe anybody that I
> know of.

I was using knowledgeable in the general Forth/computing/programming 
sense, not a detailed knowledge of the two libraries.

>
>> You've complained several times about nobody using your library. Trying
>> to be helpful I would suggest:
>>
>> 1. Give it a better name than the novice package. It may be suitable for
>> novices but calling it that makes it plain that it is *only* suitable
>> for novices. Why should a seasoned Forther who already possesses his own
>> library even look at yours?
>
> I don't think that calling it the "expert package" is going to make it
> more suitable to "seasoned Forthers." If they can't learn how a novice
> package works, then they aren't going to learn how an expert package
> works.

If they are not novices why should they even look at a package called 
'the novice package'? Calling it an 'expert package' would be just as 
silly - why classify a library according to the expertise of users?

>
>> 2. Deposit it or a link in FLAGhttp://soton.mpeforth.com/flag/so that
>> its existence has a better chance of becoming known.
>
> It seems very unlikely that Stephen Pelc would allow that --- that is
> about as likely as www.forth.com providing a link. lol

You don't know unless you try, if it was rejected you could legitimately 
complain about a 'Forth establishment' which I don't think actually 
exists, other than in your imagination. Could it be that you're afraid 
to try?

>
> In my novice package I have a lot of work-arounds for problems in ANS-
> Forth. For example, I rewrote ALLOCATE and friends so that I could
> have ALLOCATION. Obviously, members of the Forth-200x committee
> (including Stephen Pelc) aren't going to support my novice package,
> because doing so would be a tacit admission that ANS-Forth has
> problems.

I think everybody is aware that ANS Forth has some problems e.g. see the 
discussion about FIND elsewhere. I don't think there is a formal Forth 
200X committee, anyone can comment and vote on proposals for change, 
AFAIK anyone can attend Forth200X meetings and vote.

> Leon Wagner has stated that ALLOCATION is worthless, and
> that damns the entire novice package along with it.
>
> I put my novice package on www.forth.org because that is one place
> that the Forth-200x members don't have enough authority to order that
> it be deleted.
>
>> 3. Provide evidence of why it is superior without rubbishing the opposition.
>
> I didn't "rubbish" the opposition

Yes you did, both your previous post and earlier in this post.

 > (is that even a verb?)

I've heard it used as such many times, it is commonplace in English for 
nouns to be used as verbs e.g. google

 > the
> authors of FFL inflicted rubbish on the world under the grandiose name
> "Forth Foundation Library." I spent an hour or so browsing through the
> FFL and I found nothing of value in there. This was after I had
> written my novice package, but if I had known about FFL prior to
> writing my novice package I would have still written it just the way
> that I did --- I don't really concern myself with other people's code,
> as I feel confident that I can always do a better job myself.

IMO that's an arrogant attitude to have.
>
>> 4. Provide comprehensive test programs using the Hayes tester, that
>> prove your library is well tested. Others do e.g. David Williams (seehttp://www-personal.umich.edu/~williams/archive/forth/strings/index.html
>> - incidentally there are quite a few library packages in ANS Forth on
>> this site that you probably haven't considered) and Krishna Myneni.
>> Again why should experienced Forthers use a library when there's little
>> or no evidence that it's been well tested.
>
> I don't know what a "Hayes tester" is.

There have been many references to it in comp.lang.forth, see 
http://www.forth200x.org/tests/ttester.fs
It enables you to run code and compare expected results against actual 
results.

>
> The only evidence I have that my novice package has been well tested
> is that I wrote a lot of application code, including the slide-rule
> program, using the novice package and that software worked.

Unfortunately, in general, running one application doesn't adequately 
test a library. Neither does a test program but it comes a lot closer. 
Does your slide rule program use *every* bit of code in the novice package?

> As I have
> said, I have never heard of anybody writing any application program
> using FFL, and I doubt that it could be done anyway --- so FFL has
> never been tested in the crucible of application-writing.

I see - if you haven't heard of something it has never happened.

>
>> 5. Write a small, easily understandable application where your library
>> is beneficial. Your slide rule program is too large.
>>
>> Of course items 3, 4 (see **) and 5 take quite a bit of work which you
>> may be unwilling to do, in which case you'll probably have to live with
>> the indifference shown.
>
> I find it amazing that you say my slide-rule program is too large, and
> then immediately you say that I am unwilling to do the "quite a bit of
> work" involved in writing a small program. Are small programs more
> difficult than big programs? You are essentially accusing me of being
> lazy, because I don't take the time to spoon-feed you.

Incredible - I write "may be unwilling to do" and you translate that 
into an accusation of laziness. That doesn't make sense.

>
[...]
>
>> I hope this helps.
>
> It didn't. You are pretty much in the same category as John Passaniti
> in the sense that you are talking at length about a subject that you
> know nothing about.

I don't think he said that about your novice package, IIRC he said that 
about the algorithm in your symtab module and proved it with a detailed 
analysis and experimental results which you've never disputed. The code 
itself may be of excellent quality but that doesn't make a poor choice 
of algorithm anything but a poor choice of algorithm.

> On the plus side though, you didn't say that my
> novice package "sucks," so that does put you a step above Passaniti.

Wow, praise indeed!

> If you would actually spend an hour looking at my package before
> commenting on it, that would put you leagues above anybody that I
> know.

OK I've done that and will comment below.

 > I spent that much time looking at FFL before I commented on it.
> Try looking at LIST.4TH as that one is pretty simple --- linked lists
> are possibly the simplest data-structure in existence,

A list is simpler than an array or structure? I don't think so.

> but also the
> most useful (the Lispers think so, anyway).
>
>> ** If such test programs are developed simulataneously with the library
>> code I would argue that it both speeds development and you get the final
>> test programs automatically for free. At least that is my experience.
>> Also when you modify the library running a test suite provides
>> confidence that nothing has been broken.
>
> I'm aware of the concept of Agile development. I don't think that test
> suites are all that useful for code such as a library that gets
> written once and isn't changed again

So you never change any code in the novice package - I don't believe 
that is true. You miss some important points of having a decent test 
program e.g.
- it would enable you to test the package on different ANS Forth 
systems, which would increase confidence that the package was actually 
ANS Forth compliant rather than it just being your opinion based on 
running it on 1 system
- it would enable you or others to run it on different hardware/software 
platforms e.g. Mac, Linux etc
- it would enable people like me who have their own ANS Forth system to 
check that the package works on my system without having to examine it 
in detail first.
- if running the test fails in any of the above, a good test program 
will indicate where the failure is.

> --- that is more for applications
> that are in continual flux, especially when multiple programmers are
> all working on the application.

It has that use too.

As I said I spent an hour looking at the novice package, which isn't 
long enough to do justice to it. To comment on a couple of points, you 
seem to dislike CREATE ... DOES> intensely and go to great lengths to 
avoid it on the grounds that it is slower than in-line code (true) and 
that only one action can be applied to a data structure using does>, 
(again true) hence your :NAME family.

Taking the first point about in-line code, your definition of <FIELD> is:

: <field> ( offset -- ) \ run-time: struct-adr -- field-adr
     ?dup if  >r
         :  state@,  if,     r@ lit,  postpone lit+,
                     else,   r@ lit+,                then,  ;,
         immediate
         rdrop
     else
         :  ;,  immediate   \ the first field does nothing whatsoever
     then ;

But, ignoring the state-smartedness issue and unless I'm missing 
something, isn't this definition equivalent, compiles code in-line, is 
shorter, simpler etc:

: <field>  ( offset -- )
    create immediate ,
    does> @ ?dup
       if state @
          if   postpone literal postpone +
          else +
          then
       then
;

Incidentally why didn't you use the Forth 200X structure proposal that 
has already been accepted?

On the second point to take one example, you have a word <1array> that 
defines an array and 5 words to operate on it using :name and friends to 
prefix/suffix substrings to the array name. (I've a lot of sympathy for 
wanting a word like :name in the ANS Forth standard as I've wanted it 
myself several times so that's OK). However your technique is not the 
only way to bind several actions to a data structure. Look at
http://excamera.com/sphinx/article-forth-boundmethods.html#forthboundmethods
for another way, using CREATE...DOES> funnily enough. The actions 
following DOES> can insert code in-line just as easily as your <1array> 
definition so there should be no speed penalty.

-- 
Gerry

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#3843

FromHugh Aguilar <hughaguilar96@yahoo.com>
Date2011-07-06 16:19 -0700
Message-ID<38fcdb0a-58b0-427d-989d-936c233589b4@em7g2000vbb.googlegroups.com>
In reply to#3837
On Jul 6, 8:45 am, Gerry Jackson <ge...@jackson9000.fsnet.co.uk>
wrote:
> On 05/07/2011 04:57, Hugh Aguilar wrote:
> > I really doubt that anybody has ever used FFL for any application.
> > Just the ugly naming convention alone precludes this. Also, FFL
> > doesn't have any features. For example, the AVL-tree code doesn't
> > provide a way for the programmer to in-order traverse the tree within
> > a selected range. That is the whole point of using a tree rather than
> > a hash table! The linked-list code doesn't provide a way to find the
> > node prior to the node that you are looking for, which is necessary
> > for sorting lists. There is no conversion between lists and arrays.
> > With both the AVL-trees and the lists, there is no way to have nodes
> > of different sizes, and be able to clone the entire data structure.
> > FFL doesn't provide any way to have a mixture of nodes that are in the
> > heap and in the dictionary, which is necessary for shifting some of
> > the work over to compile-time (see how in my slide-rule program I
> > generate some lists at compile-time to reduce the program's run time).
>
> The novice package lacks a lot more functionality than that, the list is
> too long to give here, seehttp://code.google.com/p/ffl/to identify
> what's missing.

I have seen that list and I am aware that FFL has functionality such
as XML and regex that my novice package lacks. I may add regex (or,
more likely, a parsing-expression-grammar) in the next novice package
upgrade. What I meant is that, for the functionality that does
correspond between the two packages, mine is superior. If FFL can't
even get a simple data-structure such as linked-lists to work
properly, then I wouldn't expect them to get something more
complicated such as XML or regex to work properly.

> If they are not novices why should they even look at a package called
> 'the novice package'? Calling it an 'expert package' would be just as
> silly - why classify a library according to the expertise of users?

I don't know what the big deal is about the name. I just gave it that
name to indicate that I'm trying to help novices get started. I use
the package myself though, so maybe I was an expert when I wrote it
but a novice when I used it. Of course, Elizabeth Rather has stated
that the novice package was "written by a novice" (yuk! yuk!).

> > In my novice package I have a lot of work-arounds for problems in ANS-
> > Forth. For example, I rewrote ALLOCATE and friends so that I could
> > have ALLOCATION. Obviously, members of the Forth-200x committee
> > (including Stephen Pelc) aren't going to support my novice package,
> > because doing so would be a tacit admission that ANS-Forth has
> > problems.
>
> I think everybody is aware that ANS Forth has some problems e.g. see the
> discussion about FIND elsewhere. I don't think there is a formal Forth
> 200X committee, anyone can comment and vote on proposals for change,
> AFAIK anyone can attend Forth200X meetings and vote.

Forth-200x is what Leon Wagner says it is; he has the final say. When
I proposed SIZE (later renamed ALLOCATION), I was getting a lot of
support, including from Anton Ertl. Then Leon Wagner killed it, and
the whole matter died immediately. Not even Anton Ertl can buck Leon
Wagner's decisions. Sure, anybody can comment and vote, but your
comments aren't read (when Leon Wagner killed my RfD he said that it
had nothing to do with linked lists, and yet the linked-list was the
only example I had given, so it was obvious that he hadn't actually
read the RfD before killing it.) As for voting, you can vote on
anything that you want to, but your vote doesn't count at all.

Last night I watched "Bury my Heart at Wounded Knee." In that movie
Sitting Bull refused to go to the meetings. There was a lot of talk
about how every Injun was equal and any man could stand up and speak
at the meetings. Sitting Bull said: "If any man can speak, then let
any man go in my place." The point that he was making, is that the
decisions had already been made; the meeting was just a charade
intended to give the people the illusion that they had debated the
matter and that they had lost the debate, but there really was no way
that they were going to get what they wanted. I've been attending
meetings like this for a long time, starting with family meetings when
I was five years old and continuing with work meetings as an adult ---
it is just a charade --- people only go to those kind of meetings so
that they can be suck-ups and tell the boss that whatever he thinks is
also what they think. Of course, there are sometimes free doughnuts
being given away, which is another reason to attend. In the days of
Sitting Bull, there were free blankets being given away --- and just
hope that the blankets hadn't been purposely infected with small-pox!

> > The only evidence I have that my novice package has been well tested
> > is that I wrote a lot of application code, including the slide-rule
> > program, using the novice package and that software worked.
>
> Unfortunately, in general, running one application doesn't adequately
> test a library. Neither does a test program but it comes a lot closer.
> Does your slide rule program use *every* bit of code in the novice package?
>
> > As I have
> > said, I have never heard of anybody writing any application program
> > using FFL, and I doubt that it could be done anyway --- so FFL has
> > never been tested in the crucible of application-writing.
>
> I see - if you haven't heard of something it has never happened.

You haven't given me any example of FFL being used in an application
program, so you don't know of any either!

Everything in the novice package has been tested; there are no bugs.
Not everything has been used in an application though. For example,
when I wrote ASSOCIATION.4TH I intended to rewrite the slide-rule
program to use associations rather than lists, but I never got around
to doing that. Still though, I wrote my associations so that they
could be used in applications. It was my intention to provide features
and interface appropriate to application writing, and not to just
implement the basic data-structure and stop there, without providing
any real way to use it.

> >> 5. Write a small, easily understandable application where your library
> >> is beneficial. Your slide rule program is too large.

Since you are such a fan of FFL, why don't you write a program that
uses it? I will write a corresponding version using the novice
package. Write something that uses linked lists. I think it is a good
idea for a language to have a primary data-structure that is used by
most every program, unless they have some particular need for
something special. This idea was pioneered by Lisp with its lists. You
do have data-structures such as self-balancing trees or hash tables
available if you really need them, but you generally use the list as
your first choice. Similarly, Lua has hash tables and Factor has
"sequences," which you are expected to use as a first choice unless
you have a pressing need for something else. When I wrote LIST.4TH, it
was my intention that lists should become the primary data-structure
for Forth.

> >> I hope this helps.
>
> > It didn't. You are pretty much in the same category as John Passaniti
> > in the sense that you are talking at length about a subject that you
> > know nothing about.
>
> I don't think he said that about your novice package, IIRC he said that
> about the algorithm in your symtab module and proved it with a detailed
> analysis and experimental results which you've never disputed. The code
> itself may be of excellent quality but that doesn't make a poor choice
> of algorithm anything but a poor choice of algorithm.

You use the word "prove" pretty loosely! The only argument against
symtab seemed to be that it wasn't a hash table. I had my reasons for
not using hash tables though. The good news with hash tables is that
there are only two possible mistakes, which are to make the table too
small or to make it too big. The bad news is that you always make at
least one mistake, and you may make both mistakes (start out with it
too small and then over-correct and make it too big.) If you make the
table too small, then you have to "stop the world" and rebuild the
entire table, which is time-consuming. If you make the table too big,
then you waste a lot of memory.

All in all, I think that hash tables are only appropriate when you
have beaucoup memory and can just make the table significantly bigger
than necessary so that you never have to rebuild, and to heck with the
inefficient memory usage. Of course, modern desktop computers do have
beaucoup memory, so the hash table is a reasonable choice most of the
time. Languages such as Factor that are only going to be used on big
32-bit computers can just use the hash-table as a no-brainer. My
symtab is more appropriate for mid-sized computers in which memory
usage is more of an issue.

So it is a little more complicated than just saying that symtab
"sucks" and hash tables rule.

> > On the plus side though, you didn't say that my
> > I'm aware of the concept of Agile development. I don't think that test
> > suites are all that useful for code such as a library that gets
> > written once and isn't changed again
>
> So you never change any code in the novice package - I don't believe
> that is true. You miss some important points of having a decent test
> program e.g.
> - it would enable you to test the package on different ANS Forth
> systems, which would increase confidence that the package was actually
> ANS Forth compliant rather than it just being your opinion based on
> running it on 1 system

I have tested it on SwiftForth, Gforth and Win32Forth --- that is 3,
not 1.

> - it would enable people like me who have their own ANS Forth system to
> check that the package works on my system without having to examine it
> in detail first.

The big problem here is that the ANS-Forth standard is too vague. When
you read the document, you notice the word "may" being used an awfully
lot. It is wishy-washy. There are also a lot of parts that are just
confusing, such as the definition of (LOCAL) not explicitly saying
that the local gets initialized. There is no way to know if ANS-Forth
software will run on a specific ANS-Forth system except extensive
testing. It is easy to say that a test suite will catch all of these
problems, but it is much more difficult to actually write such a test
suite --- doing so requires knowledge of the internal workings of
Forth to know where the possible problems will arise --- which I'm
marginal at, as my only compiler-writing experience was in Forth-83
rather than ANS-Forth.

Upgrading the novice package so that it worked on Gforth and not just
SwiftForth, was a pretty big step for me. Upgrading to work on
Win32Forth was easier, as the only issues I ran into were that
Win32Forth supports fewer locals (which is why I commented out
<5ARRAY> and <6ARRAY>) and that there was a bug in FEXPM1 (which I
provided a patch for, thanks to George Hubert).

I have no idea if my novice package will run on your ANS-Forth system
or not. Provide a link to your system and I will test it when I have
time. I know that my novice package doesn't run on FICL, which is
supposed to be ANS-Forth, but that is due to myriad problems in FICL.
I asked John Sadler to fix the problems, but he said that I should do
this myself and then submit the new version of FICL to him, so I just
ignore FICL until I have some reason to specifically support FICL
(there is a lot of C programming required to get FICL to support the
novice package, and I don't have much interest in C programming).

> Incidentally why didn't you use the Forth 200X structure proposal that
> has already been accepted?

That structure proposal was introduced by David Williams after my
novice package was released, and he said that it was inspired by my
novice package:
http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.forth/browse_thread/thread/d90c532cae6410f7
For reasons unknown, he changed the name from FIELD to +FIELD --- but
I think the former is more readable and more common, so I am sticking
with it. I don't really care if my code or his is used, as the result
is the same either way --- his is shorter, but whether it is simpler
or not is debatable.

> On the second point to take one example, you have a word <1array> that
> defines an array and 5 words to operate on it using :name and friends to
> prefix/suffix substrings to the array name. (I've a lot of sympathy for
> wanting a word like :name in the ANS Forth standard as I've wanted it
> myself several times so that's OK). However your technique is not the
> only way to bind several actions to a data structure. Look athttp://excamera.com/sphinx/article-forth-boundmethods.html#forthbound...
> for another way, using CREATE...DOES> funnily enough. The actions
> following DOES> can insert code in-line just as easily as your <1array>
> definition so there should be no speed penalty.

I have more than one way to implement arrays. I have my <1ARRAY> etc.,
and I also have <ARY> which is more robust in that we have only a
single word no matter how many dimensions are in the array, rather
than have a distinct word for each number of dimensions (on the
downside, <ARY> uses more memory and it may be slightly slower).

I really consider CREATE DOES> to be a horrible and ugly construct,
and I just don't use it. Since you seem to like it, why don't you
write something similar to my ARY that is based upon the CREATE DOES>
definer?

You'll notice that the common note throughout this post is that I
don't much like being criticized for not having done work, which
nobody else has done either. I put a lot of time and effort into
writing the novice package, so I'm not interested in hearing people
tell me that I should put in more time and effort --- maybe I will,
but I would be a lot more inclined to do so if somebody were to say
something positive about what I've already done (it can't all suck!).
The internet is full of people who will tell others that their work
sucks, but there is a definite shortage of people who are willing to
put forth any time and effort of their own. I'm really thinking about
jumping to another language where the people aren't so mean. Even the
Lisp community, which is notoriously nasty, is a step up from the
Forth community (mostly because there aren't any commercial Lisp
systems being pushed by salespeople, as we have SwiftForth being
pushed by Elizabeth Rather, so there is no big muckety-muck for the
trolls to flock around).

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#3844

FromJosh Grams <josh@qualdan.com>
Date2011-07-07 01:23 +0000
Message-ID<4e150a94$0$29769$a8266bb1@newsreader.readnews.com>
In reply to#3843
Hugh Aguilar wrote:
> On Jul 6, 8:45?am, Gerry Jackson <ge...@jackson9000.fsnet.co.uk>
> wrote:
>> On 05/07/2011 04:57, Hugh Aguilar wrote:

> If FFL can't even get a simple data-structure such as linked-lists to
> work properly

The FFL's linked lists have worked properly every time I have used them.
What specifically is wrong with them?

>>> You are pretty much in the same category as John Passaniti in the
>>> sense that you are talking at length about a subject that you know
>>> nothing about.
>>
>> I don't think he said that about your novice package, IIRC he said
>> that about the algorithm in your symtab module and proved it with a
>> detailed analysis and experimental results which you've never
>> disputed. The code itself may be of excellent quality but that
>> doesn't make a poor choice of algorithm anything but a poor choice of
>> algorithm.
>
> You use the word "prove" pretty loosely! The only argument against
> symtab seemed to be that it wasn't a hash table.

The argument against symtab was that, given a sequence of definitions
and lookups taken from real codebases (including the source to your
novice package, IIRC), it performed measurably worse than other
algorithms, including some simple hash tables.

> big.) If you make the table too small, then you have to "stop the
> world" and rebuild the entire table, which is time-consuming.

People pointed out hash table algorithms for which this is not true.

> There is no way to know if ANS-Forth software will run on a specific
> ANS-Forth system except extensive testing. It is easy to say that a
> test suite will catch all of these problems, but it is much more
> difficult to actually write such a test suite --- doing so requires
> knowledge of the internal workings of Forth to know where the possible
> problems will arise --- which I'm marginal at, as my only
> compiler-writing experience was in Forth-83 rather than ANS-Forth.

You don't need knowledge of the Forth system, you just have to check
whether your code returns the expected results for a reasonable subset
of the possible inputs -- check all the paths through your code, check
the boundary conditions, and a few random checks of other values.  If a
Forth system does something unexpected that causes your code to
misbehave, this will usually catch it.  And if a Forth system does
something unexpected that doesn't cause your code to misbehave, you
don't need to care about it.

>> Incidentally why didn't you use the Forth 200X structure proposal
>> that has already been accepted?
>
> That structure proposal was introduced by David Williams after my
> novice package was released, and he said that it was inspired by my
> novice package:
> http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.forth/browse_thread/thread/d90c532cae6410f7
> For reasons unknown, he changed the name from FIELD to +FIELD

He "changed the name" because that is the syntax in the Forth200x
structure proposal, which was introduced long before your novice package
was released -- I'm too lazy to look up exactly when it was introduced,
but it was accepted into the standard at the 2007 meeting.

It was the optimization that was inspired by your novice package, not
the idea of implementing data structures or the syntax.

--Josh

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#3846

From"David N. Williams" <williams@umich.edu>
Date2011-07-06 21:44 -0400
Message-ID<iv331j$k9e$2@dont-email.me>
In reply to#3844
On 7/6/11 9:23 PM, Josh Grams wrote:
 > [...]
> He "changed the name" because that is the syntax in the Forth200x
> structure proposal, which was introduced long before your novice package
> was released -- I'm too lazy to look up exactly when it was introduced,
> but it was accepted into the standard at the 2007 meeting.
>
> It was the optimization that was inspired by your novice package, not
> the idea of implementing data structures or the syntax.

Thanks, Josh.  I saw this just as I finished my reply, but
decided to post it anyway.

-- David

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