r/Forth

2.6K archived posts · Feb 2009 – Sep 2026

Forth - The programming language for low-fat computing.

r/Forth

"In particular you need to avoid writing code for situations that will never arise in practice. You need to avoid writing code to handle a general problem that you are never going to encounter. I don't need to solve the general problem when I only have to solve these specific cases." -- Chuck Moore

Created Jul 1, 2008

3.6KMembers (last snapshot)

2.6KArchived posts

#Why Forth?

You can try things out interactively as you build your system. The compiling functionality is an exposed part of the language like everything else.
It can be used to debug itself!
Forth has no baked-in syntax or privileged data structures -- programming is done by extending the language to your application. Thus, it can become what ever you need it to be and fit the problem like a glove.
Forth has a "low floor; high ceiling" approach to abstraction -- that is, it can be both low level, high level and anywhere in-between.
You can do more with less. Forth fits in very small storage spaces.
Forth is one of the few environments which is totally comprehensible by one person.