4 ms·

This is an interesting post, and the code sample from APL got my attention. I have questions. How do I learn/get/run APL or J? How do I even type the APL code

This is an interesting post, and the code sample from APL got my attention. I have questions. How do I learn/get/run APL or J? How do I even type the APL code given? What does the J code even mean? As for the content... "makes code super concise (less room for bugs)" Unfortunately, while this sounds great, it does not logically follow. And while geometric mean is well-defined and understood, most functions I'm probably going to write in whichever language are going to be more complicated and less well-defined. So, how does APL/J/pure-functional help/make my non-trivial code more beautiful/concise/bug-free/provable?

wvlia5 9y ago
>How to type APL characters They are unicode characters. Type them the way you would type any unicode character. If you have not yet found a practical way of doing it, there are plugins for editors to help you type APL characters with no hassle. >How to learn APL? There's a Dyalog APL manual which is quite clear, Google it. Also, you can use the GNU APL interpreter. I would recommend learning APL first, only by reading the Dyalog manual and writing programs with pencil an paper, then learn J in detail. > How do I learn J? Jsoftware provides a free interpreter. They also have a sleek interpreter app for Android. I would recommend to download this app and go through the project Euler problem set. Jsoftware provides all the documentation you will need in their webpage http://code.jsoftware.com/wiki/System/Installation http://code.jsoftware.com/wiki/System/Installation > what good will J do for me? The best would be to learn it and see it for yourself. Sadly, you find yourself in Paul Graham's Blob Paradox.I can't get you out.
- avmich 9y ago
  >> what good will J do for me? > The best would be to learn it and see it for yourself. I've found the statement on the front page of jsoftware.com to be rather accurate: "If you are interested in programming solutions to challenging data processing problems, then the time you invest in learning J will be well spent." And "data processing problems" could be understood pretty widely. I've had a case when I first spent about 45 minutes producing a prototype (a program which would generate realistic plans for floor of an office building) using J, then converted that prototype in functionally equivalent (no embellishments) program in C# spending a couple of hours. Certainly working on a prototype took several failed attempts, yet it was still faster than doing the same in C# after the algorithm was already clear.

wvlia5 9y ago

>How to type APL characters They are unicode characters. Type them the way you would type any unicode character. If you have not yet found a practical way of doing it, there are plugins for editors to help you type APL characters with no hassle. >How to learn APL? There's a Dyalog APL manual which is quite clear, Google it. Also, you can use the GNU APL interpreter. I would recommend learning APL first, only by reading the Dyalog manual and writing programs with pencil an paper, then learn J in detail. > How do I learn J? Jsoftware provides a free interpreter. They also have a sleek interpreter app for Android. I would recommend to download this app and go through the project Euler problem set. Jsoftware provides all the documentation you will need in their webpage http://code.jsoftware.com/wiki/System/Installation http://code.jsoftware.com/wiki/System/Installation > what good will J do for me? The best would be to learn it and see it for yourself. Sadly, you find yourself in Paul Graham's Blob Paradox.I can't get you out.

avmich 9y ago
>> what good will J do for me? > The best would be to learn it and see it for yourself. I've found the statement on the front page of jsoftware.com to be rather accurate: "If you are interested in programming solutions to challenging data processing problems, then the time you invest in learning J will be well spent." And "data processing problems" could be understood pretty widely. I've had a case when I first spent about 45 minutes producing a prototype (a program which would generate realistic plans for floor of an office building) using J, then converted that prototype in functionally equivalent (no embellishments) program in C# spending a couple of hours. Certainly working on a prototype took several failed attempts, yet it was still faster than doing the same in C# after the algorithm was already clear.