Date   : Fri, 22 Nov 1985 14:23:20 EST
From   : Dave Towson (info-cpm-request) <cpmlist@AMSAA.ARPA>
Subject: FORTH compiler product description:

Fellow CP/Mers - I have received information describing Forth compilers (as
opposed to Forth interpreters) for Z-80 and 8086 family targets running on
CP/M-80 (Z-80 processor, Z-80 target, only) or MS-DOS (any target) hosts.
Salient features of these compilers are:

1) Generate headerless, rommable, code.  Considerable optimizations 
   are claimed -- generated code is said to be as good as or better than
   other available compilers for C or Pascal.  Source code can be either a
   Forth screen file or a standard ASCII text file.
2) Meets 83 standard, excepting for words which assume the presence of a
   dictionary in the target (remember, no headers) or perform BLOCK 
   accesses.
3) Defining words allowed, as well as interpret state during compilation,
   so that most Forth applications can be compiled with little modification.
4) Assembler (for target processor) included.
5) Forward referencing of colon or code words is handled automatically.
6) Single pass compile and link.  Links from libraries that are source
   code, including only those words needed.  This means low overhead on
   small programs.  Simple things like the Byte benchmark compile into
   minimal sized, 1k, COM files.
7) Compilation speed is slower than in-memory compilers such as BDS-C or
   Turbo Pascal, but faster than disk-bound compilers.  For instance, the
   one-step compile time is roughly the same as the compile step of AZTEC
   C, but with AZTEC C you still have to assemble and link.
8) Includes many demonstration programs (utilities equivalent to TR, WC
   TAIL, and UNIQ, forth screen management, benchmarks) and libraries for
   83 Standard Forth, dos nterface, and software floating point.

This information was provided by the author, Tom Almy.  I have no personal
knowledge of or experience with this product.

     Requests for additional information may be directed to Laboratory Micro-
systems, P.O. Box 10430, Marina del Rey, CA 90295, phone (213) 306-7412.
Price is $300 for any version.



Dave Towson <info-cpm-request@amsaa.arpa>
info-cpm list maintainer