forth
TLDR
Start Forth interpreter (Gforth)
SYNOPSIS
gforth [options] [file...]
DESCRIPTION
Forth is a stack-based programming language known for its simplicity and extensibility. Gforth is the GNU implementation of Forth, conforming to the ANS Forth standard.
Forth uses reverse Polish notation (RPN) with an explicit stack. Words (functions) are defined with `:` and `;`. The language is highly interactive and extensible, commonly used in embedded systems.
PARAMETERS
-e code
Evaluate Forth code.-m size
Dictionary size.-d size
Data stack size.-r size
Return stack size.file
Forth source file to load.-
Read from stdin.
BASIC OPERATIONS
2 3 + . \ prints 5
\ Define a word
: square ( n -- n^2 ) dup * ;
5 square . \ prints 25
\ Stack manipulation
1 2 3 swap \ 1 3 2
dup \ duplicates top
drop \ removes top
CAVEATS
Stack-based paradigm differs from most languages. Manual memory management. Limited standard library compared to modern languages. Debugging can be challenging.
HISTORY
Forth was invented by Charles H. Moore in the late 1960s for controlling radio telescopes. It became popular in embedded systems due to its small footprint and efficiency. Gforth was started in 1992 by Anton Ertl and Bernd Paysan.
