Prefix technically doesn’t need, either, if you avoid functions taking variable number of arguments and have a grammar that can reliably detect function calls (could be hard if you’re allowing higher-order functions)
Even with functions taking a variable number of arguments, you could do it the C way and use the argc, argv trick, giving you
* 2 + 3 5 6 7 3 ⇒ (* (+ 5 6 7) 3) ⇒ 54
I think you’d have to be a bit of a masochist to do that, though.
That also is why I think varargs functions tend to be rare in bare bones forths. You’d have to write
5 6 7 3 + 3 2 *
Using custom names for the varargs functions would help for the 2-argument version.
The need to remember operator precedence is a consequence of the infix notation syntax.
It’s a tradeoff against lots of irritating silly parentheses.
Postfix doesn’t need parentheses.
Prefix technically doesn’t need, either, if you avoid functions taking variable number of arguments and have a grammar that can reliably detect function calls (could be hard if you’re allowing higher-order functions)
Even with functions taking a variable number of arguments, you could do it the C way and use the argc, argv trick, giving you
I think you’d have to be a bit of a masochist to do that, though.
That also is why I think varargs functions tend to be rare in bare bones forths. You’d have to write
Using custom names for the varargs functions would help for the 2-argument version.
Hence Forth.
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