SVFIG
Next Meeting -
Saturday, August 23rd
at
Stanford University
Terman Engineering Center
Room 556

Due to the closure of Cogswell College this summer, SVFIG will not be able to enjoy our normal meeting rooms this month.

Terman Engineering Center can be found on these maps - just search for Terman: Google map or Searchable Stanford Campus Map

There is open parking on weekends. Park in any A or C or metered space.

Take the elevator to the 5th floor. Walk across the foyer and up the ramp just to the left of the glassed-in office. Room 556 is at the top of the ramp - entrance on the left.

If you would like to have meeting announcements e-mailed to you, send the message Subscribe SVFIG Meeting Agenda to: George Perry

Meeting Agenda for August

10:30 --- Coffee and a Chat

10:40 --- Forth Day 2008
Suggest a speaker or volunteer to speak!

11:00 --- Firmware Engineering Workshop for ARM7 - CH Ting
"I just finished the flash programming portion of the Digital Storage Oscilloscope (DSO) project. On booting, eForth copies itself from Flash memory to RAM and runs from RAM. The application, written in Forth, is compiled into a dictionary space in RAM. The extended image of the entire eForth system can now be written back to Flash memory. After reset, the new image is copied from Flash and runs correctly in RAM. This effort completes the firmware development cycle."

Noon --- Lunch
Some folks bring their lunch, some will eat on-campus or nearby.

13:30 --- Introductions, Announcements, Rumors, and Random Access

14:00 --- Program Development Environment for Handheld Devices and PCs - Masa Kasahara
Masa has spent a great deal of time searching for the ideal platform to run his music education programs. He has looked at many handheld devices that would provide the portability required to practice anywhere. Important requirements include light weight, commercial availability, ease of use, ease of developing programs, and a seamless development environment. Recently, Masa began investigating the Allegro multi-platform game library for single source development for most operating systems running on today's PCs.

14:30 --- Random Access - All in attendance
Will it be random or just pseudo-random? We always find something to talk about.

16:00 --- Adjourn

How you can help SVFIG:

• Bring your speaker and topic suggestions to every meeting!
• Your input for and participation in next year's Forth Day is always welcomed.

Coming to SVFIG on ForthDay:

• IRC using wget in GForth - George Perry

Coming to SVFIG in the future (hopefully):

• Forth Videos:
  1. Computer Chronicles - A review of current popular programming languages - June 25, 1984
  2. Forth to .NET Compiler
  3. Selected videos from UltraTechnology's Streaming Video Theatre
     
     

• WAV File and Soundcard I/O Software Using Win32Forth - Andy Korsak
  This software was written for amateur radio applications. Andy has suggested that it might be useful to look at his code in advance of his talk. Contributions to this work-in-progress would be welcomed. You can download and view his sound card software on the Win32Forth group (membership required), or here.

Please register your interest for these topics:

• Viewing of Analog by Design shows hosted by Bob Pease - list of shows
• The world's second Babbage Engine is coming to town. Maybe we can have a meeting at the Computer History Museum to take a look.
• Review and discussion of recent postings on news:comp.lang.forth
• Review and discussion of interesting Forth projects and many files at the Yahoo Win32Forth Group

Off the table:

• There has been a lack of interest for a presentation by a representative from Gumstix.
• There has been no success in contacting the author of Propeller Forth - written locally by Cliff L. Biffle
• A tour of TechShop in Menlo Park is not planned at this time. If you would like to visit the facility, please make your own arrangements. Check out their talks, events, and instructional classes.

If you have anything you'd like to talk about in August,
please contact Kevin Appert.