Small Programs and Languages
The article explores the appeal of tiny Forth implementations, tiny languages, and small programs. The author notes that when a program is only 200 lines of code, they are more likely to read it. Moreover, if a program accomplishes something interesting in just 20 lines, the author is even more intrigued. The article provides examples of such small programs, including a 46-byte Forth by Philippe Brochard and Roger K.W.
Hui's Appendix A Incunabulum, which describes an array-based language interpreter written on one page in one afternoon. The author also mentions Arthur Whitney's k array language, kdb, which is 100 lines of C, and a Lisp interpreter in Lisp that is as small as 436 bytes. The author emphasizes that code golfing, or creating the shortest possible version of a program in a predetermined language, is meaningful and can teach the fundamentals of programming languages.
Finally, the author encourages readers to explore miniaturized programs, which can provide valuable insights into the essential nature of programming concepts.
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