Welcome back!
>a. Can anybody recommend a decent book preferably available from
Amazon?
There are books not available from Amazon? But seriously, do a search on
Amazon for "forth computer" (without the quotes) for a list. There is
nothing at the moment for learning all the details of SwiftForth under Win
but "Forth Programmer's Handbook" is good. Did it come with your SwiftForth?
http://www.forth.com/Content/Handbook/Handbook.html
Other books are available to suit other interests. (embedded systems for
example) Books are available from the Forth Interest Group.
Look at the sample code!!! Ask questions on SF Talk.

> >b. Is there any kind of Forth magazine?
The Forth Interest Group publishes "Forth Dimensions" and subscription is
free to members. Sample issue on the web
http://www.forth.org

>c. Can Forth be interfaced to C++, Java and Visual Basic?
Any language capable of calling a DLL can call SF's polite, well behaved
DLLs. The kind of DLLs you would like to bring home to meet your mom. SF
can call DLLs written in other languages.

>d. What libraries etc are available?
The Forth Scientific Library (doesn't it come with SF?) is pretty much it in
terms of organized, peer-reviewed collections.
http://www.taygeta.com/fsl/sciforth.html

 There is a lot of code around on the web, especially at Taygeta (see
http://www.forth.org for a pointer to it.)
Of course, you have access to DLLs written for Windows, so generic Libraries
and Handlers are available for such things as IEEE-488 cards.

>e. How do you get control of the parallel port under NT4 with Forth?
Look at the serial port example for hints at how to wrestle the hardware
from the grasping hands of the operating system. You basically need to tell
the operating system that "this set of registers is MINE, do you hear MINE,
MINE, MINE!"

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Received on Tue Oct 05 1999 - 09:22:15 PDT