STATUS        Oct, 2000 - moved to http://www.equi4.com/minotaur/

    In a nutshell: all Perl/Python/Tcl combo's in Minotaur work

        The details have been worked out on Linux and Windows.

    - pForth builds and works, on Linux, Macintosh, and Windows
    - for{Com,Ici,Java,Lua,Pl,Py,Rb,Tcl} work for "123 456 +"
    - forPhp builds, but crashes (a malloc vs. emalloc problem)
    - forDll has not yet been tested, it was stripped from forPy
    - shared library call interface ok for Linux/Mac/Win, yeay!


ROADMAP

    forAll/         A single shared lib linking Python/Tcl/Perl
    forCom/         MS COM server, using OLE automation
    forDll/         General DLL, exports eval call as external
    forIci/         ICI extension, a C-like scripting language
    forJava/        Java extension, uses JNI to connect
    forLua/         Lua extension, of Brazilian origin
    forPhp/         PHP extension, used for web scripting
    forPl/          Perl extension, frighteningly complex
    forPy/          Python extension, the OO scripting language
    forRb/          Ruby extension, of Japanese origin
    forTcl/         Tcl extension, the string scripting language
    forth/          Standalone build of pForth
        csrc/       Source code of pForth
        docs/       The original pForth documentation
        setup/      pForth sources used to build core dictionary
        utils/      Some pForth utility code to look at
    forTwo/         Extension for Python and Tcl (either way)
    minotaur/       Links Perl/Python/Tcl, if shared libs present

    Explanation:

        - "forth" is a basic standalone program, used to figure out
          pForth, to test forth code, and to compile dictionaries

        - most "for[A-Z]*" directories have dynamic extensions for
          each language, tying a forth system onto them as add-on,
          these are used to develop and test language-specific code

        - ForTwo is a special combination of ForPy and ForTcl, which
          lets either one call the other, as well as return results
          (it needs to know where to find both .so files on Unix)

        - ForAll takes forTwo one step further by including Perl.
          It requires Tcl, Python, and Perl, all must be shared libs.
          ForAll didn't handle Perl dynaloading right, Minotaur does.

        - Minotaur is the ultimate version of ForAll, it uses "weak"
          runtime linkage so it will work with Python, Tcl, and Perl,
          yet won't fail if any one of them is not present / used.
          Minotaur also/only needs the "forth/" directory to build.
          
        - The "Colossus" project will be a next phase of TinyScript
          (this is for those who witnessed the recent name change).


DOWNLOAD

    All source code is available from http://www.equi4.com/minotaur/
    
    
EXAMPLES

    Python (MacOS):
        Python 1.5.2b1 (#47, May 14 1999, 04:13:11)  [CW PPC w/GUSI w/MSL]
        Copyright 1991-1995 Stichting Mathematisch Centrum, Amsterdam
        >>> import forPy
        >>> forPy.init()
        >>> forPy.eval("123 456 +")
        579
        >>> 
        
    Tcl (Windows):
        C> tclsh80
        % load forTcl.dll
        % forTcl::init
        % forTcl::eval {123 456 +}
        579
        %

    Perl (Linux):
        $ perl
        use forPl;
        forPl::init();
        print forPl::eval("123 456 +");
        ^D
        579$
        
    Lua (Linux):
        $ lua
        Lua 3.1  Copyright (C) 1994-1998 TeCGraf, PUC-Rio
        > require("forLua.so")
        > forLua_init()
        > print(forLua_eval("123 456 +"))
        579
        >
   
    Java (MacOS):
        public class TestFor {
            static { System.loadLibrary("forJava"); }
            public static void main(String args[]) {
                ForJava fj = new ForJava ();
                fj.init();
                System.out.println(fj.eval("123 456 +"));
            }
        }
        
    ICI (Linux):
        $ ici -0
        forth.init();
        printf("%d", forth.eval("123 456 +"));
        579^D
        $

    Ruby (Linux):
        $ ruby
        require "forRb"
        ForRb::init()
        print ForRb::eval("123 456 +")
        ^D
        579$
        
    Microsoft COM server (Windows), extract of C++ code:
        Trace(_T("Calling IForObj::eval(...) method...\n"));
        long result = pMin->eval(_T("123 456 +"));
        Trace(_T("Call returns %d\n"), result);



REFERENCES

    Minotaur homepage, a.k.a. TinyScript/2
        http://www.equi4.com/minotaur/
        
    pForth, a simple portable ANS-Forth implemented in C
        http://www.softsynth.com/pforth/

    Python homepage at CNRI:
        http://www.python.org/

    Tcl homepage at Scriptics:
        http://www.scriptics.com/

    Perl homepage at CPAN:
        http://www.cpan.org/

    Lua homepage at the University of Rio de Janeiro:
        http://www.tecgraf.puc-rio.br/lua/

    Java homepage at Sun:
        http://java.sun.com/

    ICI homepage in Australia:
        http://www.zeta.org.au/~atrn/ici/

    Ruby homepage in Japan:
        http://www.netlab.co.jp/ruby/

    PHP homepage:
        http://www.php3.org/


-- Jean-Claude Wippler <jcw@equi4.com>