Fascinated by Snobol's unique string-centric nature and pattern matching capabilities, the author decided to learn the language. They found its table-driven implementation particularly intriguing, inspiring them to explore implementing a similar structure for a different language. This led to the creation of a small, experimental Forth interpreter written in Snobol, showcasing how Snobol's pattern matching could effectively parse and execute Forth code. The project served as a practical exercise to solidify their understanding of Snobol while exploring the underlying mechanics of language implementation.
The author of the blog post "I learned Snobol and then wrote a toy Forth" embarks on a personal journey of programming language exploration, beginning with Snobol4. Intrigued by its unique pattern-matching capabilities and string manipulation prowess, the author delves into the intricacies of Snobol4, highlighting its distinctive features such as its reliance on success or failure of pattern matching for control flow, its dynamic typing system, and its built-in backtracking mechanisms. The author expresses a degree of fascination with the language's power and elegance, even while acknowledging its age and relative obscurity in the modern programming landscape.
After gaining familiarity with Snobol4, the author decides to undertake the project of creating a simplified implementation of Forth. This endeavor is motivated by a desire to further explore language design and implementation, and the author leverages the knowledge gained from working with Snobol4 to inform the design choices made in the Forth implementation. The post details some of the key steps involved in building the Forth interpreter, including the process of tokenization, parsing, and execution of Forth code. The author emphasizes that this is a "toy" implementation, meaning it is not a fully-featured or optimized version of Forth, but rather a learning exercise focused on the fundamental concepts. The experience of implementing Forth allows the author to appreciate the stark differences between the two languages, highlighting the simplicity and stack-based architecture of Forth in contrast to the more complex pattern-matching paradigm of Snobol4. The post concludes with a sense of accomplishment and an invitation for readers to explore the fascinating world of programming language design and implementation.
Summary of Comments ( 12 )
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43951885
Hacker News users discuss the original poster's experience learning SNOBOL and subsequently creating a toy Forth implementation. Several commenters express nostalgia for SNOBOL, praising its unique string manipulation capabilities and lamenting its relative obscurity today. Some discuss its influence on later languages like Icon and Perl. Others debate SNOBOL's performance characteristics and its suitability for various tasks. A few users share personal anecdotes about using SNOBOL in the past, including applications in bioinformatics and text processing. The discussion also touches on the differences between SNOBOL and Forth, with some commenters expressing interest in the poster's Forth implementation.
The Hacker News post titled "I learned Snobol and then wrote a toy Forth" generated several comments discussing various aspects of Snobol, Forth, and programming languages in general.
Several commenters reminisced about their experiences with Snobol, often highlighting its unique pattern-matching capabilities. One user fondly recalled using Snobol on a mainframe in the 1970s, emphasizing its power for text processing tasks that would be cumbersome in other languages. Another commenter pointed out the educational value of Snobol, particularly in understanding different programming paradigms. Its distinct approach, they argued, broadens one's perspective beyond more conventional languages.
The discussion also touched on the influence of Snobol on other languages, with one commenter mentioning its impact on Icon and SL5, highlighting the legacy of its pattern-matching features. The concise and expressive nature of Snobol's syntax was also praised, with one user contrasting it favorably to the perceived verbosity of Perl.
The connection between Snobol and Forth, as mentioned in the title of the post, also drew comments. One user questioned the perceived relationship, prompting the original poster to clarify that learning Snobol inspired them to explore other unique languages, leading them to Forth. This sparked further discussion about the contrasting philosophies of the two languages.
Some commenters expressed curiosity about the specific implementation of Snobol used by the original poster, including Catspaw Snobol and the Vanilla Snobol4 implementation. This led to a brief exchange about the availability and portability of different Snobol versions.
Beyond the specific languages, the conversation broadened to encompass the value of learning "weird" or less mainstream languages. Several commenters argued that exploring such languages can significantly expand a programmer's understanding of different programming concepts and approaches. This sentiment was echoed in a comment suggesting that languages like Snobol and Forth encourage a deeper appreciation for the underlying mechanics of computation. The thread also briefly touched on the practical applications of Snobol, with one commenter mentioning its use in bioinformatics.