From haas@starnine.com Thu Apr 7 19:08:57 1994 Received: from starnine.starnine.com (starnine.com) by toadflax.cs.ucdavis.edu (4.1/UCD.CS.2.5) id AA22698; Thu, 7 Apr 94 19:08:54 PDT Received: from quickmail.starnine.com (quickmail.starnine.com [198.211.93.40]) by starnine.starnine.com (8.6.8/8.6.8) with SMTP id TAA09095; Thu, 7 Apr 1994 19:08:43 -0700 Message-Id: Date: 7 Apr 1994 19:07:43 -0700 From: "Mike Haas" Subject: Re- -TITLE-- JForth Pr To: "Amiga Announcements" Cc: "Dan Zerkle" X-Mailer: Mail*Link SMTP/QM 3.0.0b2 Status: R Reply to: Re: -TITLE-- JForth Profess > try to cut back on that first paragraph of the DESCRIPTION section. The history is interesting, but not really appropriate for this group. >I'd like to see a little bit more about Forth itself. Many people in the group (myself included) have never used Forth. Just say what kind of language it is and what it is useful for. You should also say why it is good to use it on the Amiga. here y' go... I hope I turned it into what you wanted... feel free to edit/shorten etc. as you see fit. let me know if it needs anything else! --------------------------------------------------------------- TITLE JForth Professional 3.x Demo VERSION 3.1 COMPANY Delta Research P.O. Box 151051 San Rafael, CA 94915-1051 (415) 453-4320 AUTHOR Mike Haas (mikeh@starnine.com) - Also author of Textra and LCD Calculator Phil Burk (phil@ntg.com) - Also author of HMSL, FindWindow and HeadClean DESCRIPTION Forth is an interactive software development environment, normally tailored for embedded controller and machine control applications. With JForth's comprehensive Amiga system interface, Forth now excels at platform software development. Originally created to provide precise control of observatory telescopes, Forth contains both an interpreter AND a compiler, combining the best features of both systems. The interpreter affords interactive access to all language features; programs are compiled into native 68K code. JForth programs are compatible with all AMiga models and OS versions. AGA support (3.1) is currently in beta test. This is a demo version of the JForth Professional 3.x software development system. It includes a complete JForth interpreter/compiler which is fully-functional but limited in the size of executable code it will produce. Also, the demo will NOT create standalone programs (the commercial package will). This demo version also offers an "Introduction" which can be optionally viewed at startup. The demo interpreter/compiler includes a disassembler, assembler, as well as a source-level debugger. While the demo package does not provide the JForth "include" files (similar to C's ",h" files, JForth calls them ".j"), MANY are pre-compiled and accessible in the demo program. Similarly, the demo can also call many Amiga shared-library functions, as they have been pre-compiled for you (the demo package does NOT support adding more... the commercial package can call any Amiga library func-, tion, even custom libraries). Additionally, there is a compiled example program which demonstrates the JForth interface into graphics, menus, HAM mode, gadgets, etc. There are several source files provided, including an IFF file viewer, word/line counter and others (all will compile within the working space limitations imposed by the demo). Additionally, several tutorials are provided for users new to Forth and/or JForth. Also provided is V1.11 of Textra, the user-friendly Amiga GUI-based text editor. This is the same editor which accompanies the JForth package and can be integrated with JForth (even the demo) via ARexx. (Later versions of Textra are available and are completely backward-compatible with JForth). Finally, as an example of a JForth standalone, graphics-based productivity application, Mike Haas' 1993 "LCD Calculator II" is included. NEW FEATURES OF JFORTH PROFESSIONAL 3.x - Amiga DOS 2.0 includes and library support, 68040-compatible - ASL file requester - ANIM and ANIMBRUSH IFF extensions to the Picture system - ARexx support toolbox simplifies writing command driven host applications - Mike Haas' Textra editor (v1.11) integrated with JForth via ARexx - Faster and smarter Clone - Profile - code performance analyser - ARP and Requester library support - New error handling tools, - Optional global register-based optimizing compiler - Index for manual - Improved local variables - Tools for Double Buffered graphic displays - Numerous other improvements and (gasp) bug fixes - Now comes on 3 disks - Improved manual with Index SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS 1 Meg required PRICE JForth Professional 3.x MSRP is $179.95 DISTRIBUTABILITY The J4thDemo.lha package is freely-distributable as long as it is unmodified. FILE NAME/LOCATION Uploaded to aminet, specifically... wuarchive.wustl.edu:/pub/aminet/dev/lang/J4thDemo.lha (IP address of wuarchive.wustl.edu: 128.252.135.4) Also uploaded to Genie, Amiga, Pro/Ami Library, file #1204 OTHER Later shareware versions of Textra are available on the net, and are compatible with JForth professional. (The enclosed v1.11 was the last Freeware version) ------------------ RFC822 Header Follows ------------------ Received: by quickmail.starnine.com with SMTP;7 Apr 1994 17:48:08 -0700 Received: from toadflax.cs.ucdavis.edu (toadflax.cs.ucdavis.edu [128.120.56.188]) by starnine.starnine.com (8.6.8/8.6.8) with SMTP id RAA06036 for ; Thu, 7 Apr 1994 17:47:48 -0700 Received: by toadflax.cs.ucdavis.edu (4.1/UCD.CS.2.5) id AA20671; Thu, 7 Apr 94 17:47:39 PDT Date: Thu, 7 Apr 94 17:47:39 PDT From: zerkle@cs.ucdavis.edu (Dan Zerkle) Message-Id: <9404080047.AA20671@toadflax.cs.ucdavis.edu> To: haas@starnine.com Subject: Re: -TITLE-- JForth Profess