Hi Ray,

Replying to a message of Ray Hyder to David Noon:

APL is a language developed by Dr. Kenneth Iverson of IBM in the
early 1960's. It was designed for teaching formal mathematics,
primarily matrix algebra. It is written right-to-left, not
left-to-right, and uses Greek symbols [Z-code, not ASCII or EBCDIC]
quite extensively for its mathematical operators. Most people find
it impenetrable, and one must use it fairly frequently to remain
fluent.

David, APL is possibly the wost language ever developed for the
computer.

It depends what one is doing.

BTW: APL means A Programming Language

That is actually the title of Iverson's original paper defining the abstract language. Nobody at IBM could think of a better title [that could be published!] for the language, so APL stuck.

One must also have an APL keyboard. Or a PC keyboard reconfigured for
APL.

Not so. I use ISI's APL/386 here using a standard 102-key Logitech keyboard. [ISI = Iverson Software Inc., of Toronto, Ontario] The way that interpreter's IDE works is that it maps scan code combinations into the exotic Z-code characters. This makes for some Liberace-style keyboard work, but it serves the
purpose.

However, the original S/360 implementation did use an IBM 2741 "golf-ball" terminal (hard-copy at 150 baud!) with a custom golf-ball and a custom keyboard; the comms interface had to know Z-code too. No other output medium was supported until APL print chains became available for the IBM 1403 line printer.

Impenetrable? APL is the only language I've ever seen where the
person that wrote the line of code could not explain what it did one
day later.

Many times a lot *less* than a day!

Regards

Dave
<Team PL/I>

--- FleetStreet 1.25.1
* Origin: My other computer is an IBM S/390 (2:257/609.5)

I bring you tidings of some kind.

Crossposted from the 'Net..

From: "David T. Johnson" <djohnson@isomedia.com>
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.advocacy,comp.os.os2.misc
Subject: IBM Releases Demo of APL2 for OS/2
Date: Thu, 31 May 2001 00:27:05 -0400
Message-ID: <3B15C819.182B38C0@isomedia.com>

Looks like IBM posted a fully-functional (240 minute timer) demo last > week

of their new version of the APL2 interactive programming language > for OS/2:

ftp://service.software.ibm.com/ps/products/apl2/demos/apl2demo

Please do not shoot the messsage boy.

Now, so divulged, what is APL2? Is this a variation on a PL whatever Lessor theme of weevils? Grin!

Since OS/2 is 'dead' and the Visual Age for C++ version 5 ain't to be made up for anything by et UX boxes, why is there new compiler work appearing for OS2?
Or is this a chance for a sly, "I told you so!", perhaps, from a particpant or
two here? Chuckle!

Should I en passant this creature?

Inquiring mind wants to know!



Mike @ 1:117/2001


--- Maximus/2 3.01
* Origin: Ziplog Public Port (1:117/3001)

* Reply to a msg from David Noon @ 2:257/609 on 06-02-01

APL is a language developed by Dr. Kenneth Iverson of IBM in the
early 1960's. It was designed for teaching formal mathematics,
primarily matrix algebra. It is written right-to-left, not
left-to-right, and uses Greek symbols [Z-code, not ASCII or
EBCDIC] quite extensively for its mathematical operators. Most
people find it impenetrable, and one must use it fairly
frequently to remain fluent.

David, APL is possibly the wost language ever developed for the computer.

BTW: APL means A Programming Language

One must also have an APL keyboard. Or a PC keyboard reconfigured for APL.

Impenetrable? APL is the only language I've ever seen where the person that wrote the line of code could not explain what it did one day later.

- ray

--- PC-RAIN 1.00 (ß6)
* Origin: Rasputin Compute's, Georgetown, Georgia (1:3613/666)