Programming Books

Excellent Free Books to Learn Factor

Last Updated on May 4, 2023

Factor is a dynamic stack-based programming language. It was originally conceived as an experiment to create a stack-based language practical for modern programming tasks. It was inspired by earlier stack-based languages like Forth and Joy.

Factor programs look very different from programs in most other programming languages. At the most basic level, function calls and arithmetic use postfix syntax, rather than prefix or infix as in most programming languages. Factor provides local variables, but they are used in only a small minority of procedures because its language features allow most code to be comfortably written in a point-free style.

Here’s our recommended free books to learn Factor.


1. Factor cookbook by Factor Code

Factor cookbookThe Factor cookbook is a high-level overview of the most important concepts required to program in Factor.

This book offers good treatment of basic syntax, shuffle word and definition, control flow, dynamic variables, vocabularies. There’s also chapters on application cookbook, script, Factor philosophy. and pitfalls to avoid.

Read the book


2. Factor: A Dynamic Stack-based Programming Language by Slava Pestov, Daniel Enhrenberg, Joe Groff

Factor: A Dynamic Stack-based Programming Language

This paper contributes the following:

Factor is a dynamic object-oriented programming language. It began as an embedded scripting language and evolved to a mature application development language. The language has a simple execution model and is based on the manipulation of data on a stack. An advanced metaprogramming system provides means for easily extending the language.

Thus, Factor allows programmers to use the right features for their problem domain. The Factor implementation is self-hosting, featuring an interactive development environment and an optimizing compiler. In this academic paper, the language and its implementation are presented.

  • Abstractions and checking for managing the flow of data in stack-based languages.
  • A CLOS- and Dylan-inspired object system, featuring generic functions built upon a metaobject protocol and a flexible type system.
  • An expressive and easy-to-use system for staged metaprogramming
  • The design of a foreign function interface and low-level capabilities in a dynamic language

Read the paper


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PHPPHP has been at the helm of the web for many years
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