For a demonstration of the power of m4 stripped to the bare minimum--no builtins other than `define'--see www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~doug/barem4.txt. (Because browsers may not like .m4 files, it's called .txt--but is not Windows format.) Well-commented code builds quickly from nothing to binary arithmetic. Final remarks outline how to simulate a computer and its memory--all within m4.
To try it, you might begin by entering one of the many examples given in the program's comments: prompt> m4 barem4.txt - base2(mpy(add(one,two)),two)) 110 add(one,two) (1,(1,())) I hope you enjoy it. Comments and criticism will be gratefully received. Doug
