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 to start the UI; run ./factor in the Terminal to start a command-line listener
• Windows: Double-click factor.exe, or run .\factor.com in a command prompt, to start the Factor UI
• Unix: Run ./factor in a shell to start the Factor UI if $DISPLAY is set, otherwise start a command line listener

For more details, see Running Factor.

Documentation

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; press F1 in the UI listener to open the help browser tool. You can also browse the documentation online at http://docs.factorcode.org. Important subsections on the above site:

• Library reference
• Vocabulary index
• Factor cookbook
• The main http://docs.factorcode.org page has a search box for searching all of the documentation and language reference material.

First steps

• Configure Factor to work with your favorite editor.
• Start a project with the Scaffold tool.
• Read the introductory Factor cookbook or the "Your First Program" tutorial, both of which are a part of the Factor Handbook.

Explore further

You might want to look at some Examples.

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.

Be sure to ride the cutting edge with RSS feeds from Planet Factor also!

Blei thinks its a good idea to read the source of vocabs that interest you and look up what you don't know.

Also, you might like to follow Slava's Google Tech Talk and study the docs where you arent familiar with what he is saying.