Re: future directions for FORTH

["Samuel A. Falvo II" <kc5tja@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

At 07:47 PM 8/20/97 -0400, you wrote:

>My personal view is that complexity is best managed by factoring out
>modules and isolating, standardizing, and publishing the interfaces.  It is
>unfortunate, that once an interface is published, it is fixed and has to
>be maintained.
>
>So how does FORTH help us deal with evolving, publishing, and managing
>interfaces? 

FORTH is -=VERY GOOD=- at maintaining interfaces.  #1) it greatly encourages
the use of factorization and isolation, #2) it's inherently platform
independent, #3) The stack is a natural (if not slow) way of passing
parameters and results around with a minimum of fuss.

All you care about is whether or not the word works as it should; it neither
know nor care how a word is actually IMPLEMENTED.

>Cars do not use standard parts over 10 years.  Yet, I have DOS programs
>from 15 and more years and they run on a modern Pentium II and will
>continue to run for at least 10 more years.  There is an enormous amount
>of bloat, associated with making them run today.
>
>So, cars are not a good example of standardization.

But is *IS* a good example of a market that proves backward compatibility is
not a necessity.

Many people get the impression that, "We need backward compatibility so we
can run old software, so we can stay in business."  This is a flat out
cop-out lie.  If technology routinely progressed, we'd have newer, better,
AND CHEAPER systems.  Not only that, but it'd keep us software developers in
business.  Although it may be more expensive for the purchaser in the long
run, it'd be a major contributor to keeping the economy alive.

Intel and Microsoft is as responsible for America's economic depressions as
anyone, simply because they forbid competition in an economy which RELIES on
it for survival.
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"Tongue tied and twisted, just another Earth-bound misfit..." -- Pink Floyd

Samuel A. Falvo II                          KC5TJA/6, Technician with HF
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Project Leader: Dolphin Operating System