Re: Avoid treating the stack as an array [Re: "Back & Forth" is back!]

On Sun, 29 Sep 2024 12:40:58 +0000, albert@spenarnc.xs4all.nl wrote:
[..]

Maybe I'm a purist. Indirect threaded code is a clear expression
of programmers intent. That is the ideal foundation on which to
build optimisers.

Do you mean that we can debate endlessly what Forth is exactly,
should be, or should become, while that is a non-issue when
we simply pronounce that a given and frozen ITC implementation
exactly defines Forth?
Once you have such ITC implementation it is possible to
compile to anything else, which then can be made
indistinguishable within a testable margin of error. But
if that is agreed, surely there is no need to start
from ITC.
I personally don't think one can say that ITC expresses (or
is able to express) Forth *better* than DTC, TTC, STC or
native code. Additionally, surely STC is a lot *clearer to
understand* than ITC?
-marcel