Hi, Paulo.
PF> That was a very old Forth !!!!!!
PF> VERY VERY OLD !!!!
I don't doubt it. It was years ago when I found it, and it wasn't new
then. Got it from PSL on a double density 5.25" floppy, if that gives
you a hint. <g>
PF> You can find many forths that use files at http://www.forth.org
I've made myself a note.
PF> The "old way" of using the disk(s) in forth was breaking the space in
PF> blocks of 16 lines of 64 chars (1024 bytes), and addressing the disk in
PF> blocks.
Rings a bell.
PF> Why that approach ? To eliminate the need of an OS.
I seem to recall that you could basically replace command.com with
forth.exe by simply deleting the former and renaming the latter. It was
a good plan, except when I tried it on my PC Jr, with only one floppy
drive -- since FORTH also had no problem overwriting itself, which kinda
defeated the purpose...
PF> P.S.: The book "Thinking Forth" by Leo Brodie is one of the best
PF> books ever about programming.
I seem to recall reading that book then, and I agree that it was a good
book -- one of the reasons I was interested at the time. Picked up a
number of different flavors of compilers & assemblers & such in the same
order. Even learned just enough assembler to get in -very- serious
trouble.
That was at the time I had my PC Jr and my two-floppy suitcase-sized
luggable. Really liked the latter machine, although it had no
harddrive or capability to handle one, only 256K of RAM, and the Com
port didn't work. The machine was apparently specifically designed to
run either CP/M or DOS, and had come with a special utilities disk,
which I didn't get with it at the rummage sale.
Didn't actually work when I bought it, either, but a more-technical
friend was kind enough to fix it. He inherited it when I got the PC Jr,
which was marginally superior overall, I suppose. He felt he'd gotten
the better deal, and maybe he did, at that.
That old luggable was the first time I've seen software actually damage
hardware. Seems my friend was trying to reverse-engineer the thing to
get some of it working, poked in a wrong value somewhere, and blew one
of the video chips. He was rather pleased at that.
That old beast was, by modern standards, hopelessly primitive, but it
had some very nice qualities, did well by me (generated some resumes for
me that got me work), and I rather miss it. The computer, I mean, not
the friend. <grin>
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