Lpc2000

MANY years ago I was involved with writing the code to hang hard
drives and run CP/M on Apple IIs.

At the time, disk controllers were complex circuit boards with lot of
parts and drives weren't all that reliable.

One of the controller manufacturers I visited used Forth extensively
in their testing process because it allowed for bottom-up testing and
debugging.

Write the code to send bits to a port.
Write code to call the port code and send commands to the port.
...etc.  Always building from the bottom up.

At each step of the development all the lower level code was available. 

Now, the neat thing was the simplicity of interactively defining a new
word (function) that would simply extend the underlying, already known
working, code.  Need a different functional test?  Define a word that
uses what is already known working and interactively available.

I was staggered by the simplicity.  I was not converted, just staggered. 

I have no intention of using Forth nor any desire to start a language
war but there is a certain elegance in the approach.  It is also
obscure, backward reading and a lot of other things.  But it is elegant.

It's odd how some languages stick and others fall away.  Twenty five
years ago I thought C would be replaced by D (fictious successor to C)
or even Pascal.  I still prefer Pascal.  Shows you what I know...

Richard