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This repository contains the original specification, interpreter code 
and example programs of the 1994 language Orthagonal, kindly provided 
by Jeff Epler. The remainder of this document is the original README.

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This document describes the Orthagonal language.

Recently, in alt.folklore.computers, there have been discussions about a
language that would be 2 dimensional in nature.  This is my attempt at
writing such a language.

Please forgive the fact that this is hardly 'documentation'.

A program in Orthagonal has two parts:
1) The grid.
2) The stack.

When the Orthagonal interpreter is invoked, the grid is read from standard
input, the PC is loaded with (0,0),(1,0) and the stack is initialized to be
empty.  The bottom row of the grid, (0,255)(1,0) is loaded with up to 256
characters from argv[1].

(The format of the PC is (grid coordinate),(delta coordinate))

Then, the interpreter performs the following steps:
1) Interpret the contents of the current grid coordinate
 a) If the element is an operator, perform the action associated with
    the operator
 b) If the element is a quantity, push the quantity onto the stack (The stack
    can hold at most 256 elements)
2) Add the delta coordinate to the grid coordinate, wrap around if
necessary. (The grid size is 256x256 -- I wonder if this will be adequate?)
3) go to 1

Program execution terminates when there is a stack underflow, or when the
RET operator returns the top element of the stack as a result code to the
operating system

All quantities are 32 bit signed.  (Well, actually, they're the size of your
compiler's int until you change the definition of s32)

These are the operators: 
NOP do nothing
+ add top two elements on the stack and push result
- subtract the top element from the second element
* multiply top two elements
/ divide second element by top element, result is integer quotient
% divide second element by top element, result is integer remainder
~ Exchange top two stack elements
! Perform logical NOT on top stack element
& Perform binary AND on top two stack elements
| Perform binary OR on two top stack elements
^ Perform binary XOR on two top stack elements
@ Duplicate top stack element
$ discard top stack element
= Push an absolute element -- Top of stack names x, second on stack names y
# Set an absolute element -- Top of stack names x, second on stack names y,
  third on stack names value to store
? if top element is zero, add (delta coordinate) to (grid coordinate) (Net
  effect is a double-step)
dx Load the delta coordinate X with the top stack value
dy Load the delta coordinate Y with the top stack value
x Load the grid coordinate X with the top stack value
y Load the grid coordinate Y with the top stack value
c Output the top stack element as a character, or newline if character is 0
s Output stack elements as characters until a 0 is popped, then output a
  newline
d Output top stack element as a decimal quantity
ccw Change delta coordinate: (dx,dy) becomes (-dy,dx)
cw Change delta coordinate: (dx,dy) becomes (dy,-dx)
rev Change delta coordinate: (dx,dy) becomes (-dx,-dy)
h Delta coordinate becomes (-1,0)
j Delta coordinate becomes (0,1)
k Delta coordinate becomes (0,-1)
l Delta coordinate becomes (1,0)

ret Terminate execution.  Return top stack element to OS

In the input file:
;comment lines begin with a semicolon
;other lines have the form:
x y element

where x and y are integers in the valid range, and element is one of:
1) An integer quantity
 -1
 0
 36
 etc.
2) A character, enclosed in single quotes
 'a'
 'z'
 '0'
 etc.
3) An operator
 ccw
 +
 -
 etc.

If a line can't be figured out by the parser, parsing stops and the number
of the line is printed.  Informative error messages are out of the scope of
the interpreter.

To run a program:
orth [arg] < program.or
gorth [arg] < program.or

gorth is like orth, except it prints debuggering info about the input file and
subsequent execution.

Enjoy.  (Or, as we say, spok dein fifi)

Feel free to contact me at [email protected] if you have any comments about
this language.

I hope to hear soon that an enlightenend computer science teacher will
use this language in one of his 100-level comp sci courses, instead of pascal.
After all, the looping constructs are very elegant.  (Yes, I've been waiting
all day to say that)

Jeff Epler
the reluctant creator of orthagonal