# 172: Tell Forth You Me Please

- Show: [Embedded.fm](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm)
- Published: 2016-10-19
- Length: 1h 13m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2016-10-19-172-tell-forth-you-me-please
- Listen: https://makingembeddedsystems.libsyn.com/172-tell-forth-you-me-please

## Summary

James Cameron, a developer at the nonprofit One Laptop Per Child (OLPC), discusses the Forth programming language, its history, and its application in embedded systems. He details his work porting C Forth to the Teensy 3.1 microcontroller and using it to interact with Bluetooth Low Energy devices. Cameron also explains OLPC's mission to provide rugged, open-source laptops to children in developing countries, focusing on the XO series hardware and the challenges of sustaining engineering.

## Chapters

- [0:06](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2016-10-19-172-tell-forth-you-me-please#t=6) Introduction and Lightning Round
- [8:40](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2016-10-19-172-tell-forth-you-me-please#t=520) Forth Language History and Stack-Based Design
- [11:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2016-10-19-172-tell-forth-you-me-please#t=660) Forth vs C: Iterative Development on Target
- [23:15](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2016-10-19-172-tell-forth-you-me-please#t=1395) Porting C Forth to Teensy 3.1
- [40:49](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2016-10-19-172-tell-forth-you-me-please#t=2449) One Laptop Per Child Mission and Hardware
- [48:33](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2016-10-19-172-tell-forth-you-me-please#t=2913) Open Source Impact on Code Quality and Community
- [1:04:29](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2016-10-19-172-tell-forth-you-me-please#t=3869) Forth on ESP8266 and IoT Applications

## Topics

- [Embedded firmware](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/embedded-firmware)
- [Microcontrollers & dev platforms](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/microcontrollers-and-platforms)
- [Open-source hardware](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/open-source-hardware)
- [Wireless & RF](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/wireless-and-rf)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- One Laptop Per Child (company)
- Teensy 3.1 (product)
- ESP8266 (chip)
- C Forth (tool)
- NodeMCU (tool)
- Open Firmware (tool)
- XO laptop (product)

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- [Embedded Linux with Jay Carlson](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2020-11-02-embedded-linux-with-jay-carlson) (The Amp Hour)
- [Ep 387: Superhuman Clocks, CAN in USB-C, and the Joys of Bare Metal](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hackaday-podcast/2026-09-18-ep-387-superhuman-clocks-can-in-usb-c-and-the-joys-of-bare-metal) (Hackaday Podcast)
- [#397.3 - An Interview with Jared Boone of Sharebrained](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2018-06-22-397-3-an-interview-with-jared-boone-of-sharebrained) (The Amp Hour)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2016-10-19-172-tell-forth-you-me-please. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Embedded.fm.