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[ColorForth] Why I'm here, also


Lx, 04.12.2001
 
This is a rather long post and presents my own views.
If you aren't intrested, just pass ahead.
Thanks.
 
I'm am new posting to this list but by no way new to it nor the older MISC list.
I've been following Jeff's work since I discovered his site back in 1997 and so far I've learned a LOT with what he has reported from Chuck's work and his own work as well as with everything he has reported on his site.
 
In fact it does hurt me quite a lot when I see people with different ideas and views not respecting the ones that are different from their own.
Not only here or in the Internet but anywhere.
 
I've been introduced to Forth win the old Computer's Cantab Jupiter Ace (anyone remembers that?) which had a slightly modified version of Forth-79.
And since that Forth has been my prefered programming language and I do can thank a lot to it.
Helped me with programming with all the other languanges I do know also.
Helped me with the way I try to find solutions for problems (within work and outside it).
Helped me with the way I do see hadrware, software and computers in general.
And many, many other things.
 
I do understand dharma and could understand Jeff's post with which I identify myself completelly.
Parhaps because my own way with computers has been cut by myself when, back in 1978, I decided to myself I would built one.
I only had a problem then:
I didn't knew how they worked.
I didn't knew nothing about digital circuits although I grow-up playing with electronics.
I didn't knew what was an ALU nor a microprocessor.
I was 13 years old, then.
But neither of this made my determination of building one to be lower.
 
The power of Forth is, as I understand it, the power that comes from giving power to one hands.
Anyone can do anything, is not the Forth language that is going to stop it, by the contrary.
But I've found, to many times, throughout my life, and to my surprise, that majority is quite afraid from what is new, from what is diferent.
 
But some are not and I think I can include myself in those who are not.
 
If Jeff and everyone, whose dharma has been cutting new edges and exploring new frontiers, find it almost impossible to breath in such a dense atmosphere and have to leave to where everything is lighter and, thus, easier for them, we all will be poorer but I wonder how many will notice that....
 
Reading what Jeff wrote made me remember words from someone I know, here in Portugal, whom I admire and respect very much.
Once he told me that only some come back from where they arrive, and try to teach what they have discovered and learned. And that the majority don't listen to them and yet, they keep teaching because that's their dharma.
And that effort is not in vain as there is always someone that, at least, will listen and, eventualy, learn something.
 
With all respect to everyone, if I may say this, reading Jeff's post I couldn't stop thinking in Richard Bach's Johantan Leaving Seagul history....
And I do think and feel that's the story of any one who realy tryies to show anything quite new....
 
This is a post in the sequence of what I've read so far, here.
And all this has made me wonder; parhaps I should reserve more of my time to work more also in this; not in just learning but in teaching as well to anyone who is willing to listen...
 
I haven't posted here anything about my own works although some parts are already online, as it is not directly related with ColorForth, although is related with MISC.
In fact, the fact of discovering Jeff's website and others also trying to find simpler and more effective and pruductive ways for computing, gave me the oportunity to rethink the whole issue of computers (hardware and software) and think thouroghly about it, trying to factor it from the processor and hardware to the upper layers of software one can think of.
I didn't arrived yet to the end, if even such end exists.
 
But I have already a lot of work done that eventually will see the light of day in a website....
And although not as "bare" as the version of ColorForth Chuck released (I'm using "bare" in the sense of "strictly essencial"), it started with the definition of the processor core (my SmP processor), which is the VCM (Virtual Code Machine) and is now on the VTM (Virtual Thread Machine), which is a cell based stack processor that can either be implemented in hardware, also, or in software over any processor, with any cell size (my SmP processor is not effectivelly implemented but in 32 bit or multiple/submultiple sizes....)
 
But I think that this is an already long post and I will stop here.
If anyone should be interested in leaning anything more about this and to know any of my ideas about ColorForth (I still have to make it start on my machines.... It doesn't start in the initial version and I had not yet the time to figure out the necessary changes to make it boot), can contact me my email to my personal mail address (ajose@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx) or my work's email address (ajose@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx), and don't spend this list's bandwith with it.
 
My best regards to you all.
 
António José Gomes
 
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