From: dxforth@gmail.com   
      
   On 11/02/2026 4:48 am, jkn wrote:   
   > ...   
   > I have no skin in this game at all - I am basically an observer of both the   
   language,   
   > and this newsgroup. But it seems strange to me that in a language that is so   
   > self-describedly flexible as Forth, the operation of the inner interpreter   
   should   
   > not itself be open to flexibility.   
      
   IIRC recognizers was a c.l.f invention.  Each forth, it was noted, had its own   
   way   
   of integrating floating-point into the system - fp being an 'optional   
   extension'   
   of Forth-94.  Typically integration was achieved through hooks the system   
   designer   
   had purposely built into system.  Forth-94 had already defined how the forth   
   interpreter should handle fp numbers.  Parsing words F# etc were not an option.   
      
   WIBN (wouldn't it be nice) it was argued if these hooks into the interpreter   
   could   
   be made portable.  It caught the imagination of sufficient users (in forth   
   there's   
   little distinction between user and system-designer) and the rest is history.   
   Recognizers were sufficiently complicated prompting more justification than fp   
   (1)   
   in order to sell it.  It was 'a solution in search of a problem'.  From that   
   came   
   the idea that forth should be able to parse *anything* - however unlikely or   
   little   
   used.   
      
   (1) While fp integration prompted recognizers, recognizers were never a   
   complete   
   solution.  Integrating fp into a system often requires more than simply making   
   the   
   interpreter recognize fp numbers.  System-specific hooks remain.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)