Once you have downloaded a binary package or built from source, you can start Factor as follows:

• Mac OS X: Double-click Factor.app, or run open Factor.app in a Terminal
• Windows: Double-click factor.exe, or run .factor in a command prompt
• Unix: Run ./factor in a shell

On Windows and Mac OS X, this automatically starts the Factor UI, and on X11, it starts the UI if $DISPLAY is set.

The Factor environment includes extensive reference documentation and a short "cookbook" to help you get started. The best way to read the documentation is in the UI. You can also browse the documentation online at http://docs.factorcode.org. Important subsections on the above site:

• Library reference
• Vocabulary index
• Factor cookbook

First steps

• Configure Factor to work with your favorite editor.
• Start a project with the Scaffold tool.

Explore further

To see examples of Factor code, download the Factor distribution and take a look in the core/, basis/ and extra/ directories.

The FAQ will answer the most common questions.

Chris Double maintains a collection of Factor articles covering various advanced topics.

A great way to get started with Factor is to join the Concatenative IRC channel and introduce yourself. We are a friendly community and we like to help beginners. We also have a Mailing list for Factor discussion.