crc/retroforth: Retro is a modern, pragmatic Forth drawing influences from many sources. It's clean, elegant, small, easy to grasp, and adaptable to many tasks.

Retro is a modern, pragmatic Forth drawing influences from many sources. It's clean, elegant, small, easy to grasp, and adaptable to many tasks.

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crc 794ccef3ce rewrite commentary in rx.md FossilOrigin-Name: 744a64e643af9958e41ba550062d11bfb757871a51abdc6801eb22cbe4bf2158		2018-05-10 02:57:57 +00:00
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doc	add `d:words-with` from Kiyohsi	2018-05-09 12:13:01 +00:00
example	complete renaming of words in the examples	2018-05-07 16:36:37 +00:00
interfaces	js+html interface: cleanups	2018-05-09 13:22:34 +00:00
literate	rewrite commentary in rx.md	2018-05-10 02:57:57 +00:00
tests	no longer use ```` for code blocks; this fence sequence will be used for embedded tests in a later update	2018-04-25 16:57:28 +00:00
tools
build.sh
glossary.forth	work on more commentary in the glossary tool	2018-05-10 00:54:33 +00:00
LICENSE.md	some work on documentation expansion/formatting	2018-05-10 00:54:05 +00:00
Makefile	updated Makefile	2018-04-21 01:41:07 +00:00
ngaImage	oops, forgot to enable the new word	2018-05-09 12:15:27 +00:00
README.md	some work on documentation expansion/formatting	2018-05-10 00:54:05 +00:00
RELEASE_NOTES.md	js+html interface: cleanups	2018-05-09 13:22:34 +00:00
words.tsv	add `d:words-with` from Kiyohsi	2018-05-09 12:13:01 +00:00

README.md

RETRO FORTH

RETRO is a modern, pragmatic Forth drawing influences from many sources. It's clean, elegant, tiny, and easy to grasp and adapt to various uses.

Features:

Open Source (ISC License)
Portable (runs on a MISC-style virtual machine)
Small source & binaries
Builds into a single, self contained binary for easy deployment
Sources in literate format, using a Markdown variant

Quick Start

For FreeBSD, NetBSD, macOS, Linux:

make

You will need a standard C compiler and make. The ri binary requires (n)curses, but you can ignore any build/link errors by doing:

make -kis

Executables

Binaries will be placed in the bin directory.

rre

Short for run retro and exit, this is the primary interface for RETRO. The rre interface is used to run the examples and Atua Gopher and HTTP servers that power forthworks.com.

rre embeds the RETRO image into the binary, making it trivial to copy and deploy.

The rre interface also extends the language with many new words and vocabularies, adding scripting, file i/o, gopher, and floating point math support.

repl

This is a basic read-evaluate-print-loop for interactive use. It's intended for quick tests and as an easy starting point for new interfaces.

The repl interface looks for the RETRO image (ngaImage) in the current working. If not found, this will use an embedded copy.

ri

ri is an interactive, (n)curses based interface inspired by the interface used around 2001 with RETRO4. It provides an output area and then an input area at the bottom. Input is processed as it is entered, and the top stack items appear to the right of the input.

It's useful for playing around with new ideas and seeing how the stack works.

Commercial Versions

I provide proprietary versions of RETRO for iOS and macOS. These use a custom, dual pane editor-based environment and some platform specific words and extensions. They do use the same image and virtual machine as rre, repl, etc.

iOS: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/retro-forth-12/id1170943580?ls=1&mt=8

macOS: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/retro-forth/id1317494014?ls=1&mt=12

The macOS application is also availble for free, though the source is not published.

Proceeds from these are used to pay for various project related expenses (vps, domains, hardware upgrades, and an occasional cup of tea).

Alternative Implementations

This source tree includes implementations in C#, JavaScript, Pascal, and Python. These are not officially supported, but are provided for your use if the C implementation will not suffice.