FIFTH programming language

From ArticleWorld


The FIFTH programming language is one of John U. Sussman's joke languages published in InfoWorld and, later, to several USENET groups. It is a parody of Forth, a stack-based programming language.

The original description by Sussman is: FIFTH ... FIFTH is a precision mathematical language in which the data types refer to quantity. The data types range from CC, OUNCE, SHOT, and JIGGER to FIFTH (hence the name of the language), LITER, MAGNUM, and BLOTTO. Commands refer to in- gredients such as CHABLIS, CHARDONNAY, CABERNET, GIN, VERMOUTH, VODKA, SCOTCH and WHATEVERSAROUND.

The many versions of the FIFTH language reflect the sophisti- cation and financial status of its users. Commands in the ELITE dialect include VSOP and LAFITE, while commands in the GUTTER di- alect include HOOTCH and RIPPLE. The latter is a favorite of frustrated FORTH programmers who end up using the language

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Actual uses of FIFTH

In the 1980s, Kriya Systems developed and sold an object oriented Forth-like programming language which was initially announced as FIFTH. FIFTH never appeared on the market, but Kriya Systems did launch an object oriented Forth variant, named NEON. FIFTH is also the name of a Forth-based programming environment, described by Cliff Click and Paul Snow at the 1986 Rochester Forth Conference.

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