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diff --git a/doc/source/index.ht b/doc/source/index.ht new file mode 100644 index 000000000000..1c66a2ed992d --- /dev/null +++ b/doc/source/index.ht @@ -0,0 +1,244 @@ +<? +ficlPageHeader("ficl") + +def feature(preamble, keyfeature, postscript = ""): + print "<p><dt>\n" + preamble + " <b><i>" + keyfeature + "</i></b> " + postscript + "\n<dd>\n" + +?> + + +<? ficlHeader1("What is Ficl?") ?> + + +Ficl is a programming language interpreter designed to be embedded +into other systems as a command, macro, and development prototyping +language. +<p> + +Ficl is an acronym for "Forth Inspired Command Language". + + +<? ficlHeader1("Ficl Features") ?> + +<dl> + + +<? feature("Ficl is", "easy to port.") ?> + +<ul> + +<li> +It typically takes under 2 hours to port to a new platform. + +<li> +Ficl is written in strict ANSI C. + +<li> +Ficl can run natively on 32- and 64-bit processors. + +</ul> + + + +<? feature("Ficl has a", "small memory footprint.") ?> + +A fully featured Win32 console version takes less than 100K +of memory, and a minimal version is less +than half that. + + + +<? feature("Ficl is ", "easy to integrate", "into your program.") ?> + +Where most Forths view themselves as the center of the system and +expect the rest of the system to be coded in Forth, Ficl acts as a +component of your program. It is easy to export code written in C or +ASM to Ficl (in the style of TCL), or to invoke Ficl code from a +compiled module. + + + +<? feature("Ficl is", "fast.") ?> + +Thanks to its +<a href=http://www.complang.tuwien.ac.at/forth/threaded-code.html#switch-threading>"switch-threaded"</a> +virtual machine design, Ficl 4 is faster than ever—about 3x the speed of Ficl 3. +Ficl also features blindingly fast "just in time" compiling, removing the "compile" step from +the usual compile-debug-edit iterative debugging cycle. + + + +<? feature("Ficl is a", "complete and powerful programming language.") ?> + +Ficl is an implementation of the FORTH language, a language providing +a wide range of standard programming language features: +<ul> + +<li> +Integer and floating-point numbers, with a rich set of operators. + +<li> +Arrays. + +<li> +File I/O. + +<li> +Flow control (<code>if/then/else</code> and many looping structures). + +<li> +Subroutines with named arguments. + +<li> +Language extensibility. + +<li> +Powerful code pre-processing features. + +</ul> + + + +<? feature("Ficl is ", "standards-compliant.") ?> + +Ficl conforms to the 1994 ANSI Standard for FORTH (DPANS94). +See <a href=dpans.html>ANS Required Information</a> for +more detail. + + +<? feature("Ficl is", "extensible.") ?> + +Ficl is extensible both at compile-time and at run-time. +You can add new script functions, new native functions, +even new control structures. + + + + +<? feature("Ficl adds ", "object oriented programming features.") ?> + +Ficl's flexible OOP library can be used to wrap +data structures or classes of the host system without altering them. +(And remember how we said Ficl was extensible? Ficl's object-oriented +programming extensions are written in Ficl.) + + + +<? feature("Ficl is", "interactive.") ?> + +Ficl can be used interactively, like most other FORTHs, Python, +and Smalltalk. You can inspect data, run commands, or even +define new commands, all on a running Ficl VM. +Ficl also has a built-in script debugger that allows you to +step through Ficl code as it is executed. + + +<? feature("Ficl is", "ROMable.") ?> + +Ficl is designed to work in RAM based and ROM code / RAM +data environments. + + + +<? feature("Ficl is", "safe for multithreaded programs.") ?> + +Ficl is reentrant and thread-safe. After initialization, +it does not write to any global data. + + +<? feature("Ficl is ", "open-source and free.") ?> + +The <a href=license.html>Ficl licence</a> is a BSD-style +license, requiring only that you document that you are +using Ficl. There are no licensing costs for using Ficl. + + +</dl> + + +<a name=whatsnew> +<? ficlHeader1("What's New In Ficl 4.0?") ?> +</a> + +Ficl 4.0 is a major change for Ficl. Ficl 4.0 is <i>smaller</i>, +<i>faster</i>, <i>more powerful</i>, and <i>easier to use</i> +than ever before. (Or your money back!) +<p> + +Ficl 4.0 features a major engine rewrite. Previous versions +of Ficl stored compiled words as an array of pointers to data +structure; Ficl 4.0 adds "instructions", and changes over to +mostly using a "switch-threaded" model. The result? Ficl 4.0 +is approximately <i>three times</i> as fast as Ficl 3.03. +<p> + +Ficl 4.0 also adds the ability to store the "softcore" words +as LZ77 compressed text. Decompression is so quick as to be +nearly unmeasurable (0.00384 seconds on a 750MHz AMD Duron-based +machine). And even with the runtime decompressor, the resulting +Ficl executable is over 13k smaller! +<p> + +Another new feature: Ficl 4.0 can take advantage of native +support for double-word math. If your platform supports it, +set the preprocessor symbol <code>FICL_HAVE_NATIVE_2INTEGER</code> +to 1, and create <code>typedefs</code> for <code>ficl2Integer</code> +and <code>ficl2Unsigned</code>. +<p> + +Ficl 4.0 also features a retooled API, and a redesigned directory +tree. The API is now far more consistent. But for those of you +who are upgrading from Ficl 3.03 or before, you can enable API +backwards compatibility by turning on the compile-time flag +<code>FICL_WANT_COMPATIBILITY</code>. +<p> + +Ficl 4.0 also extends support every kind of local and +global value imaginable. Every values can individually +be local or global, single-cell or double-cell, and +integer or floating-point. +And <code>TO</code> <i>always</i> does the right thing. +<p> + +If you're using Ficl under Windows, you'll be happy +to know that there's a brand-new build process. +The Ficl build process now builds Ficl as +<ul> + +<li> +a static library (.LIB), + +<li> +a dynamic library (.DLL, with a .LIB import library), and + +<li> +a standalone executable (.EXE). + +</ul> + +Furthermore, each of these targets can be built in +Debug or Release, Singlethreaded or Multithreaded, +and optionally using the DLL version of the C runtime +library for Multithreaded builds. (And, plus, the +<code>/objects/common</code> nonsense is gone!) +<p> + + +Finally, Ficl 4.0 adds a <code>contrib</code> +directory, a repository for user-contributed code that isn't +part of the standard Ficl release. The only package there +right now is <b>XClasses</b>, a Python-based IDL that generates +the definition files for C++-based classes, the equivalent Ficl +classes, and code to allow the Ficl classes to call the C++ methods. +Using <b>XClasses</b> you can write your class once, and use it +immediately from both C++ and Ficl. + + +<? ficlHeader1("Getting Ficl") ?> + +You can download Ficl from the +<a href=http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=24441> +Ficl download page at Sourceforge</a>. + + +<? ficlPageFooter() ?> |