[comp.lang.forth] You got the look

raino@td2cad.intel.com (Rodger Raino) (09/08/88)

Arithmitc can look extreamly ugly in Forth, but of course it doesn't have
to.  As has already be noted you can create a vocabulary to implement
any syntax you like.  But outside of that changing the way the code
looks can do wonders.

Long ago computer scientists
	discovered the value of
		indentation.
	However this technique
		is not
			in and of itself
		of great value
		for general communication.
	It's benifit comes
		from the fact
		that it solves
			a problem
			that is created
				by comunicating
			in a synthatic language
		that is dominated
	by control structures			  /unlike english
But sometimes 
	you end up thinking
	like this
	even when not appropiate
end;


So you start off wanting to say something like   (A+B) * 2
and yikes Forth makes you say   A B + 2 *  not a *pretty* sight.
So don't say that, think a bit and come up with something tha LOOKS GOOD,
is visually apealing, human oriented.  Maybe something like...

	A
	B +
	_____
	Total
	2 *
	_____
	Total

I should add that the words "-----" and "Total" don't do anything from
the computers point of view.  That doesn't mean that the words are 
unnecessary, they add clarity and meaning more directly than the always
popular comment.  Yeah I know those unneeded words do waste resorces,
but what the heck the infinite MIP machine is just around the corner.

and remember kids
when the droids attack
use your EMP

rodger
-- 
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i know i'm a bad speller, don't waste FlameWidth pointing out old news
intel agrees with this, but not necessarly anything above the line.
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