[svfig-announce] Forth Day, Saturday, November 20

[Kevin Appert]

FORTH DAY 2004 Schedule

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We hope you will check the website at http://www.forth.org/svfig/ for last 
minute changes to the schedule.  The most up-to-date meeting information is 
at http://www.forth.org/svfig/next.html

Preliminary agenda and discussion along with schedule updates may 
frequently be found on the SVFIG emailing list, send email to jv at zork.net 
to subscribe.

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SVFIG  Meeting Agenda for FORTH DAY
Saturday, November 20, 2004
At Cogswell College, 1175 Bordeaux Drive,  Sunnyvale, CA

9:00  --- Nosh and/or Caffeinate    NOTE EARLY START TIME!!!

	aroma wafts
	happy nostrils
	awake now

9:25   --- George Perry --- WELCOME

9:30  --- Robert Nash --- DISGUISING FORTH   // SERVING FORTH

	Forth, on the windy path
	Precious Words in a Window shell;	
	Embrace the stormy change

      "Although Forth is one of the first choices for new applications with 
challenging requirements, this early success is often forgotten and the 
application is later targeted for conversion to a more "mainstream" or 
"maintainable" programming language.  Based on a recent conversion effort, 
this paper discusses some ways that Forth applications can be disguised so 
that they can survive a conversion push (putsch?)."
      In the second part of Bob's talk he'll describe a Forth-based 
transportable GUI.
      "Although code transportability is touted as one of the advantages of 
certain languages, including Forth, there are few languages that provide 
GUI transportability.  Thus, Forth programmers are forced to spend much of 
their time adapting existing GUI tools to their program's needs, often 
departing significantly from their strengths as Forth programmers."
      "Also, Forth developers are often compelled to re-write significant 
parts of their applications when moving between computing environments such 
as Windows and Linux.  This paper describes how standard HTML tools and a 
Forth-based scripting language can address this problem, using an example 
from a recent project developed in Swift Forth for Windows."

10:30  --- Jeff Fox --- WHOLE BRAIN FORTH
      "Up, Down, Left, Right, whole brain multiprocessing in Forth.  In 
Forth how are the subsystems interacting?  Where is control and 
understanding located? How does communication take place and what role does 
language play?  What can be learned about natural parallel intelligence in 
Forth?"    --- http://www.ultratechnology.com

11:30 --- Tim Duncan  --- RECENT FORTH PROJECTS
       Tim mixes Computers and Music with moderator rods of Forth.  A heady 
and intoxicating mixed metaphor indeed!

12:00  --- LUNCH Lunch courtesy of Doctor Ting

1:00 --- Introductions,  Announcements, Rumors, Gossip

1:20 --- John Rible --- TREASURER'S REPORT

1:30 --- Paul Clifford,  Mosaic Industries, Inc. --- FORTH IN REAL WORLD 
PRODUCTS
      Mosaic Industries has been using Forth since their start in 
1985.  They produce off-the-shelf and custom embedded computer solutions 
for numerous applications such as industrial control, process automation, 
product development and/or product upgrades, data acquisition, and 
scientific instruments.   They will present their use of Forth both as the 
on-board real time operating system and for developing functional 
libraries, for example, for Graphical User Interface (GUI) tool kits for 
embedded display/touchscreen products.    http://mosaic-industries.com/

2:00 --- Dave Jaffe --- WEARABLE DATA ACQUISITION
	Dave will share his ideas on a portable personal data acquisition system 
including new sensors.

2:20 --- Ting ---   OSCILLOSCOPE PROJECT
      Ting is leading a team to develop an ultra-compact 
very-high-frequency super-low-cost digital oscilloscope.  He'll give us an 
overview of the project and then demonstrate some hardware - a small 
printed circuit board to sample the signal and a Game Boy Advance to 
display the scope traces.

2:40 --- NETGROKING  --- put your heads together and chat about 
Forth.  Have a clearance-sale doughnut.

3:00 --- Chuck Moore --- FIRESIDE CHAT
      The inventor of the Forth programming language will convey his 
thoughts on the language and his experiences with it.

4:00 --- dash for the door

5:00 --- Golden Wok --- DRINKS AND DINNER
       I'll pass around a roster during the meeting for 
:    Name   ///    email address  ///  Wok?
	The folks who respond in the affirmative will thereafter be referred to as 
"Wokkies"

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Other notes:
Bring your wireless card for on-site Internet access!
If you would like to present at a SVFIG meeting, mailto:jv at zork.net

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Future Meetings:

	Al Mitchell,  Forth-Based Ethernet Gadgets  http://www.amresearch.com/
	Tour of Computer History Museum at new digs  http://www.computerhistory.org/