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Why, yes there is!

First, I keep a diary on mine. I'd been keeping a diary for several years on little pads of paper, but a paper diary is rather inconvenient for searching. If I want to remember what the name of that bed and breakfast we stayed at a couple years back was, I can find it in seconds. Paper diaries are also much harder to encrypt, if you're worried about snoopers.

Second, a real geek use - I like to program. I have three languages on my PDA - C, Scheme, and Forth. I can write small apps, test out algorithms, and even learn new languages, no matter where I am. I have the full ANSI C spec, as well as tutorials for both Scheme and Forth on an expansion card and can study them at my leisure.

As I said, my experience is with the Palm, not PocketPC. I was using Quartus Forth, which is Palm-only. But a quick session with Google finds both dsFORTH and SP-FORTH. They might be of help, but I haven't looked at them.

Do any of them have a console and the ability to run an onboard C (cross)compiler?

Well, there is a FORTH (cross) compiler.

Real men don't need C.

For something a bit different different you could try Forth, which excels in small footprint devices.
I've seen a full IDE in 16k (k as in kilo) bytes

For palm, there's Quartus Forth

Forth is still great when resources are very limited... Palm OS programming, for instance. I've used it there and in several embedded systems projects without an underlying OS, and managed to run circles around a team coding for 8051-based systems in PL/M (I think that's the name of what they were using, but I'm not 100% certain).

I also tried a version of Forth-83 for Windows by Ray Duncan's company, LMI. I tried to code up a DDE server, and while it worked, it was painful. I've come to believe that Forth is more trouble than its worth when interfacing to APIs designed for C. Such APIs are often poorly factored (relative to how you'd solve a problem in Forth), and take too many parameters of different sizes as arguments. Even with the Palm you jump through some of these hoops, but in that environment it's often worth the effort.

The underlying principles of Forth are worth knowing no matter what language you program in... there's a lot of simplicity at its core, and it'll help you understand how to program for other stack based languages such as .NET's CIL. And nothing I've seen teaches factoring better than Forth (too bad Brodie's "Thinking Forth" is out of print).

Forth seems to keep hanging on. Here is a port to the Palm Tried figuring it out a full times, but it never stuck (pages, etc.) ...

How hard have you actually looked?

lame junk text added to outlame the lame lameness filter

Quartus Forth for Palm OS:: http://www.quartus.net/products/forth/

Forth for Windows CE: http://www.delosoft.com/

This is NOT a cross-compiler - all compilation is done on the Palm: http://www.quartus.net/products/forth/. Has access to complete PalmOS API to make full applications.

Quartus Forth is an ANSI/ISO Standard Forth for the Palm OS -- check it out!

I was wondering whether playing around with Quartus Forth was like on the original thing as it can be so low-level it could still be surprising.
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There is a hack for the Palm that moves the scrollbars to the left. Get it here.

Haven't seen one for windows, but there is a hack available for PalmOS that moves the scrollbar to the left-hand side. It's called Left Hack and I've heard decent stuff about it. Of course, it makes more sense to move the scrollbars on PalmOS, since to scroll (normally) with your left hand, your hand covers the screen as you scroll.

A Forth compiler for the Palm platform already exists and has for some time now. Its called Quartus Forth.

The mindset of Palm programmers seems to be morbidly similar to that of most Windows programmers - develop an app, release it as Shareware with a nag screen and 30-day trial period, then try to make a few bucks by selling your software on PalmGear, so any project to further open development for the Palm is a big step forward.

On the downside, it appears that it wants a device with at least 4MB of memory (Sorry III, V and 2MB Visor owners...) and it doesn't seem to have the ability to create standalone PRC files (thats a standalone application file).

Some of the other alternatives for developing directly on your Palm (no PC necessary; these read MemoPad or DOC files with your source):

Quartus Forth: A standalone Forth interpreter/compiler that is quite powerful; however, the free version can't compile PRCs, and it costs $70 to register.

LispMe is a Scheme compiler, licensed under the GPL. Yummy. Now we just need a better way to write parentheses in graffiti...

PocketC is an onboard C compiler, distributed as shareware.

And, one musn't forget the ever-helpful Palm OS Programmers FAQ

I have a Visor Deluxe & a Targus keyboard to match. I personally find a keyboard useful.

If you plan on doing onboard development with your palm (such as with Quartus Forth) a keyboard such as this is a good investment. It is also handy if you want to work on term papers on the go.

As for a keyboard being useful for the purely "Personal Organizer" type PDA, its probably not worth it. But for those who instead use their PDA as a "Palm Computer" with real data entry needs, a keyboard such as these may be a very valid investment.

So, it depends on your needs...

They can turn many a moment that would otherwise be wasted into time well spent, and also serve as a backed-up adjunct to the memory in the way that a paper notebook can't match. You can play chess, write novels, even develop software on them.

I carry a Palm constantly; it's already 'wearable' in the sense that it's in my pocket. A goggle-based display, though, seems like it would only be useful in circumstances where you didn't need to use your eyes for other things.

Quartus Handheld Software!

Mirrored at http://quartus.net/msad.

I'm getting off topic, I suppose, but Legos aren't the only platform where FORTH is available and you are not going to waste your time learning it.

Versions, free and commercial, exist for any Unix with GCC, DOS, OS/2, Macintosh, Windows, the Palm Pilot, and dozens of microcontrollers. Did you know that FORTH is part of the Open Firmware provided in the Sun and the PowerMac boot proms? (Note IEEE requires a subscription, so check out Sun's OpenFirmware page)

The experience on one platform transfers well to another and there is lots to like about FORTH, especially when dealing with an environment with exceedingly limited resources in comparison to a PC.

This list of FORTH implementations by platform is a little dated but should point in the right direction.

I'd like to see an app for the Palm -- written using Quartus Forth for the Palm of course -- that would let you control and program the Lego brick directly from the Palm infrared port.

Neal Bridges
Quartus Handheld Software!

I'd like to see an app for the Palm -- written using Quartus Forth for the Palm of course -- that would let you control and program the Lego brick directly from the Palm infrared port.

Neal Bridges
Quartus Handheld Software!