---
title: "What Forth?"
type: "article"
slug: "what-forth"
url: "http://localhost/article/what-forth/"
markdown_url: "http://localhost/article/what-forth.md"
published_at: "2026-01-21T15:14:03+00:00"
modified_at: "2026-01-21T15:14:04+00:00"
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  url: "http://localhost/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/20230809-041332.jpg"
excerpt: "FORTH, a computer language, has been described as many things. For example, L. Brodie, in his book, Starting FORTH, says \"Forth is many things: a high level language, an assembly language, an operating system, a set of development tools, and a software design philosophy.” This might be true (I didn’t understand of word of it…"
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post_tag:
  - name: "Forth (programming language)"
    slug: "forth"
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    url: "http://localhost/tag/forth/"
indiv:
  - name: "Duane Parker"
    slug: "duane-parker"
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publication_r:
  id: 35941
  title: "CATS Newsletter"
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authors_r:
  - name: "Duane Parker"
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volume: "8"
issue: "12"
issues_articles:
  - id: 38927
    title: "CATS v8 n12"
    type: "issue"
    url: "http://localhost/issue/cats-v8-n12/"
pages: "2"
pubdate: "May 1991"
archive_link: false
---

# What Forth?

FORTH, a computer language, has been described as many things. For example, L. Brodie, in his book, Starting FORTH, says “Forth is many things: a high level language, an assembly language, an operating system, a set of development tools, and a software design philosophy.” This might be true (I didn’t understand of word of it the first time that I read it!), but what does this mean to us in CATS? First of all, Forth is available for almost nothing for all of the Sinclair machines (TS-1000, 2068, and QL) at very low prices (a public domain version is also available for MS-DOS machines). Second, the system occupies a relatively few bytes. Third, it is a challenge to learn to use, and will force you to better understand how computers make any kind of program work.