This is an update for those interested , in one capacity or another ,
in progress towards the creation of an ultimate CoSy noteComputing
environment . If you wish to be removed from this mailing please
reply to this message and let me know . On the other hand , if you know
individuals who may be interested in this project , introduce us .
Spanning the continuum from the hardware to the most evolved
math/linguistic abstractions , centered on the most common activities of the
everyday business of life , future CoSy , simplifying the insights
of APL upon open FORTH code is certain to be among the most powerful ,
everyday useful , computing environments available . Human languages are
universal ; CoSy will be closer to that goal than anything now
existing .
I am almost surely unique in my knowledge of the span of
language from FORTH to the abstracted evolute of APL , K , and to have
lived in my own powerful note taking personal "business of life" and
computing environments for many years .
In order to provide a repository for CoSy project related material , I
have constructed a protected directory for reference materials related
to future CoSy . While access may be more restricted later on , all of
you who have expressed interest in the project can access the directory
http://www.cosy.com/CoSy/CoSy/
with the username 4thcosy and the password future .
It's been quite a while since I've been in touch with a number of you so
here's a quick chronology .
- While a guest of Ray Cannon at the Naples Florida APL conference last
November , I seriously started constructing a CoSy for the rest of my
life based on all I have winnowed about very direct , learnable ,
APL informed , "noteComputing" environments over the decades .
- Thru November and December I made rapid progress implementing the core
"1tree" allocated list of allocated lists dictionary structure of the
of the new language . I got essential insights into the necessities of
reference management and deallocation from , most particularly , email
discussions with Jim Brown .
- Right before Christmas , I obtained a license for the commercial
VFXforth from MPE Ltd
I had begun work in . I chose VFX as the better of the two commercial FORTHs
available for windows when I explored the market in H2 , 2003 .
- January 10 the hard disk on my notebook froze necessitating moving
to a new machine , the first desktop I have owned since before the PC .
Fortunately I had saved all the work on new CoSy .
Setting up my new machine , which came with minimal software , I found
myself replacing the various essential programs with open community
freeware . See Win32Forth_versus_VFX for further comments on the emerging superiority of free open code communities
and the specific software choices I have made .
- After immersing myself in VFXforth trying to understand how to create
and manipulate Windows - and burrowing into the Windows API
documentation with all the time and energy I could commit over more than
a month , I still did not understand how to access the text in a
window . I delayed writing this progress report until I mastered this crucial
link in the chain from machine to linguistic noteComputing environment. Without it I could not assure that the total project is doable -- by me -- in a predictable time , and that the resulting system is demonstrably comprehensible by single individuals .
- By the weekend of March 19 , I was driven to reconsider the open code freeware
FORTH community , Win32Forth.org . I discovered the product is in many ways far more modern than the commercial FORTHs and is supported by a growing
discussion group with over 220
members . The windowing functions are much more direct and coherent . The support available is much greater than a small company can provide . By Saturday evening I had converted the 100 or so words that
I have created so far implementing the 1tree structure .
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There is a history of availability of Open Code Forths and associated user/implementor groups since Charles Moore first created it . The core code of Win32Forth was developed by Tom Zimmer and his boss , Andrew McKewan .
Previous open Forth communities were email group based - an infinitesimal universe compared to today's World Wide Web hyper-linked community . The web's now ubiquitous community support mechanisms have tilted the table towards open root languages . While I uniquely may have the background to gestate 4thCoSy , to prosper , it must attract and be open to a language community unfolding its potential .
So how do we make money ? I'm doing this for my health , and in the last thirty or forty percent of my life , that can be expected to be one of my largest expenses .
Freeware Revenue Model is an email discussion of this issue I had with Jay Whipple III back in 1998 .
Now that I have assured myself that the technical path I am planning has no show-stoppers , this issue of revenue realization is , and will remain central .
Youall are so "in on the ground" floor that I reflect the question to you . I look forward to your feedback on all aspects of the Future CoSy project , and particularly this aspect .
There's a company to be made here , at the level of the most profound technologies .
I look forward to your help in defining it .
Bob Armstrong
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