Forth: The Next Step (small Computer Series)

Forth, the language of the International Astronomical Union, is rapidly establishing itself as an important applications programming language in the professional field, particularly for control applications such as process control and robotics. Apart from its adaptability to a number of diverse applications, Forth has the advantage of being highly portable from one machine to another. In this book, the author concentrates on the two dominant standards of the language, FigForth and ‘79 - standard, though the recent ‘83 - standard and other variants are also considered. Forth, like a living language, is extensible. New ‘words’ can be defined to suit the particular purpose of the user. In this book the author presents some common extensions to the minimum required word set along with some programs that have been found to be either useful or entertaining. These will stimulate users to discover solutions to their own programming problems.In particular, solutions are provided to problems not readily realized in integer mathematics. This book will be of interest to the growing body of Forth enthusiasts who, having learned the fundamentals of the language, wish to take the next step - especially scientists, engineers and computing professionals who are looking for ‘tools’ to do a particular job. The approach throughout is practical, with an emphasis on using the language. Among the useful topics covered are: \* Formatting \* Calendar functions \* Double-number definitions \* Mathematical functions Additionally, a wide range of general purpose and frequently used definitions and tools are included. A glossary and bibliography complete this compact and useful reference text. Preface Chapter 1 Getting Organized 1. 1 Error handling 1.2 Planning for readability 1.3 Differences between FigForth and ’79-standard Forth 1.4 Avoiding the assembler References Chapter 2 Some Forth Extensions 10 2.1 Counter-rotate (-ROT or