wmb@sun.uucp (Mitch Bradley) (07/01/86)
I believe that many of the "missing features" of Forth are compromises
that were made so Forth and some kind of editor would still fit in
limited memory. On modern computers, a different set of tradeoffs is
appropriate.
I have a Forth system called Forthmacs. It currently runs on Suns and
Atari ST's. (I'm doing Mac and Amiga ports; don't know when they will
be ready).
Forthmacs is a 32-bit Forth 83 implementation with a lot of
programmer-productivity extensions.
It has a lot of tools. It uses real files and includes the MicroEmacs
text editor, integrated into Forth (you can pop back and forth between
Forth and Emacs at electronic speeds, and incrementally load part of
an Emacs buffer, for example.) It has a decompiler which will even
regenerate the source code for conditionals. It has a disassembler.
Sample decompiler/disassembler output:
see test
: test
10 0
do begin key? 0=
while pause
repeat
loop
;
see +
code +
1ead0 sp )+ d0 long move
1ead2 d0 sp ) long add
1ead4 next
It has command line editing where you can go back and fix something at the
start of the line (in fact the command line editor has most of the Emacs
commands). It has history so you can go back and edit any one of the
last 8 command lines.
It has interfaces to every operating system routines on the Atari, and
you can do all the normal file manipulation things like DIR/LS , ERA/RM,
RENAME/MV, COPY/CP, etc, from within Forthmacs.
It has a single-stepping debugger. It has on-line help.
All this runs quite comfortably (and fast) on the minimum configuration
of the Atari ST computer, which I have seen advertised for $495!
The Atari disk is shareware; you can copy it all you want. If you send
in a $50 donation, I send you the 200+ page manual, the latest version
of the disk, and put you on the mailing list for the newsletter.
For $50 more you can get source code.
There is no telephone support, but I usually answer U.S. Mail from
people who have donated.
I think that Forthmacs is a good example of what a modern Forth environment
can and ought to be.
The address is:
Bradley Forthware
P.O. Box 4444
Mountain View, CA 94040
Cheers,
Mitch Bradley