[ColorForth] colorForth ~popularity

["t" <loveall@xxxxxxxxx>]

On Tue, 16 Apr 2002, Jack Johnson wrote:
>
> Now, to me this is extremely interesting.  If I'm reading you correctly,
> you don't delineate between programming in colorForth and the colorForth
> environment.

The environment requires attention only so far as the demands it places on my
motor skills. How do I enter/modify text? If I have to think about it, then I
differentiate the environment from programming. If old motor skills work then I
can focus completely on colorForth.

> I suppose to a programmer (which you are), your primary activity in that
> environment would shape how you view that environment.  I suppose Chuck is
> one of the few among us who uses colorForth as a true information space;
> he is not here to program but to accomplish some other task that requires
> some programming to get there.

To me programming languages are topological surfaces in the N-dimensional space
which has been called the noospere. Each language has a curvature matching its
set of primitive functions to a 'real world' set of dynamic relations. The
curvature radius corresponds to how economicallly the dynamics are expressed.
Solving a problem amounts to describing a transformation from one dynamic to a
minor or major different dynamic.

colorForth seems to have the smallest radius of any language I have
encountered. There are more primitive logic systems that are 'simpler' but end
up being more complex and unwieldly to use.

E.g. brainfuck (http://www.muppetlabs.com/~breadbox/software/tiny/)
has an even smaller compiler than forth, but the I/O is basically binary.

Digital math and logic can be expressed in terms of Exclusive-Nor and carry.

Both suffer from too low a level of expression.

Assembler requires too much attention on the CPU context (registers, addressing
modes...). colorForth seems to have hit the sweet spot of optimum expression in
representing the logic and dynamics of most computer programs.

When writing/modifying colorForth I try to think mainly in terms of its
primitive functions for most efficient expression. However, I try to keep in
mind other logic systems that may fortuitously map to colorForth.

Or to put it simply, when programming in colorForth I try to think in
colorForth. If translating/interfacing other programs to colorForth then I have
to think in those languages as well.

Regards,
Terry Loveall
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