Hi OpenBoot is the coding method used to bring up Sun workstations. It is normally used to interpret byte codes stored in the ROMs of various boards that plug into a SUN box. The idea is that the board configures itself by executing a non-platform dependent code. The platform supplies the information, such as where the next avaialble address space is and the board then allocates what it needs. One doesn't need to encode as byte code because there is also and interpreter. This is the part I think is most valuable. Unlike XML, Forth like languages are truly extendable to a greater degree. The richness of the primitives is what counts here. There is also the fact that even a mediocre programmer can implement a Forth like interpreter where as something like XML is easier to read but because it contains higher level syntactical rules needs a more complicated interpreter. The problem is that in the future, one needs to provide the simplest method of describing that can be implemented the easiest. Forth like interpreters follow simple rules: 1. Every thing that is separated with white space is a word. 2. As one comes across a word, left to right, one executes it. Forth adds one more step that I don't necessarily recommend. If it comes to a word that it doesn't understand, it tries to read it as a number. I believe that this is not necessary. The advantages are such that most any form of encoded data ( in ASCII ) can follow. The file itself can then convert to other formats. Things like simple compaction can even be added. Agreed. Yep Dwight