Re: Forth input line buffered, why?

celephicus wrote:
Greetings,

Forth, whether interpreting or compiling waits for the user to type
return before starting doing it's magic. Is there a reason for this,
apart from avoiding the output getting mixed up with the input?

The main reason is that it's often desirable to manage the input stream while you're in it. The most obvious way is simply by using the backspace or arrow keys to move around in the line at will before pulling the trigger. I would hate to be unable to backspace on the command line! There are other, more subtle, games that can be played with the input stream, but they are less common and less obvious.

I have in mind a strange implementation that tokenises while it is
accumulating input. Every time the tokeniser sees whitespace it spits
another word out. The rationale for doing this is to cut down the size
of the input buffer from 80 to 10 or so.

I have seen implementations that compile a command line before executing it, in order to be able to use things like IF and DO in the command line, but I think executing before the user is finished typing would be very hard to get used to.

If you're really that size-constrained, try shortening the buffer somewhat (e.g. 40 chars) but leave the logic the same.

Cheers,
Elizabeth

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