

Go Forth and WikiReadit - benhoyt
http://blog.brush.co.nz/2009/12/wikireader/

======
SingAlong
direct clickable: <http://thewikireader.com/>

I wasn't suprised when I read the footer of the site, which credited OpenMoko
:)

They are the same guys who make the OpenMoko phones, Neo Runner and the like.
So I just dug up a bit more to find out that this device, like the OpenMoko
phones runs on linux. atleast thats what I concluded when I saw the source
code here <http://github.com/wikireader/wikireader>

The article above says it's developed in Forth and also links to a part of the
source code. Anybody has any experience with Forth?

The only caveat is this: <http://thewikireader.com/store.html>

The updates for the data in this device (all data is stored in the device),
will cost you $29 per 2 updates per year. Heck, why not just have an updating
software and let it update whenever it detects a wifi connection? Paid updates
for an open device accessing open content sounds locked to me.

~~~
listic
I have some experience with Forth; I have been programming a forth CPU in 2002
and got paid for it.(it's me who left a comment in the article)

The article says "the main WikiReader app is written in C" and uses forth "for
testing and apps"; a fine approach if you depend on core libraries which are
in C. It'll be interesting to see which functionality is done in Forth.

The article mentions that Forth is used to simplify debugging. This is
traditional approach and this is what Forth proponents say. The truth is, it
was more true back in the day when JTAG wasn't available. Now that JTAG is
omnipresent and popular IDEs can use it, the use of fringe language such as
Forth (or any software solution where hardware-assisted one is readily
available!) is so much less justified.

In the quoted letter, Christopher Hall, the developer, does a nice job of
explaining the use of Forth in a project. But I think many people who got the
chance to familiarize with Forth, feel like this is a mere justification. Like
"c'mon you can tell them what you want, but between you and me, we know that
this is a good shit and you just want to try it once again" Or, like, picture
Paul Graham picking a language for his next project: "Should I use Lisp or
Blub? Hmm, this question needs careful consideration."

NB: Wikipedia articles for Forth and JTAG are good.

