cwpjr@cbnewse.att.com (clyde.w.jr.phillips) (09/05/90)
rds: K.I.S.S. I'm apologizing to Rich and the net. The bottom line is stated very well by another: -------- Anyway, I think Rich's comments on Forth are unfairly colored, and in the context of this discussion, just plain wrong. Forth was meant for small imbedded systems for real-time control. It is perfectly suited for that, and that is what any MIDI device amounts to. Forth is not appropriate for a large information management system, but niether is C (,but that's another discussion, and not one for r.m.s.). -------- Can I flame this for a moment: a 30 person team created a 300 terminal informati on system for the VAST RIDYAH ( Saudi Arabia ) Airport. After a company the size of Arther Anderson Consulting fell way behind and overbudget. Using your cherished structured, God be graet "C"! The FORTH team came in and chose simpler hardware, developed exclusively in forth and finished the job in 6 months. Under budget. What I see hear from Rich is someone who pcked up FORTH, tried to use it on a major project and was burned because it did'nt work. Since when can you expect to start a major project with "C" people and have then USE "FORTH" to do the job without training and a good knowledge of why FORTH was chosen? This is bad planning and unfair to blame anyone but yourself, Rich. I also tend to feel CAT scanning is no big deal. I've done CCD array processing in FORTH, along with the "platform motion Control" along with the the real-time PC based DMA Display, with myself and a hardware guy as a trainee. We did well and Loved it! We were responsible and professional in our use of FORTH. So those who wonder about forth THINK OF IT THIS WAY: It takes dicipline to use FORTH well at all. And understanding, what and how you want to do it. With this you will find FORTH the easiest to produce your specifications. Without spec, understandin of FORTH and your application, plus DISCIPLINE, it will not come together WELL for you. Like programming a synth to make the sounds you want ( success! ), you must get to know it before you depend on it's use, like you'd have to do to take a synth on stage and use it for Real Time Performing. But FORTH = a PERFORMANCE Synth, and only pro's dare go on the road with it. When they do there is nothing like that SOUND!