[PicForth] ANN: Pic18Forth 0.0.4 alpha

[David McNab]

Hi PICers and Forthers,

Just announcing a new alpha cut of Pic18Forth, available from the usual 
place: http://pic18forth.sf.net

Some highlights of new version:
  - added dynamic multitasker (tasks can be easily 'spawn'ed at
    run time)
  - added global interrupt-driven millisecond-resolution clock,
    plus thread-friendly time delay routines
  - more examples, better doco
  - massive compiler re-work:
      - 98% of compiler capability is now unbundled into separate
        a-la-carte library modules - the application source
        code 'bootstraps' the compiler into needed capability
        by loading chosen library modules (plugins),
      - simpler internal structure
  - big code cleanup

What might be noteworthy to non-pic18 users is the fact that the 
compiler's new structure allows for it to be retargeted to other 
devices, even completely unrelated devices like AVRs, ARMs, x86 or 68k 
chips.

(I'm way tempted to start on an x86 backend - there might be some value 
in a vm-based forth compiler that generates compact standalone apps - as 
long as I add the ability to load/invoke external system libraries).

-- 
Cheers
David