Confessions of two APL educators learning J

ABSTRACT

This paper reports how we, two university teachers of APL, began to learn J. By presenting accounts of a series of small experiments, it reveals our understandings and misunderstandings along the way. It discusses things we especially liked and disliked about J as well as the resources available for learning it, and it indicates some implications of our experience for teaching J.

REFERENCES

• 1: J. Philip Benkard, Replicate each, anyone?, ACM SIGAPL APL Quote Quad, v.17 n.4, p.245-252, May 1987
• 2: R. Bernecky, An introduction to function rank, ACM SIGAPL APL Quote Quad, v.18 n.2, p.39-43, Dec. 1987
• 3: Robert Bernecky , Roger K. W. Hui, Gerunds and representations, ACM SIGAPL APL Quote Quad, v.21 n.4, p.39-46, Aug. 1991
• 4: Bob Bernecky and Kenneth E. Iverson, "Operators and Enclosed Arrays", Proceedings 1980 APL Users Meeting, I. P. Sharp Associates, 1980, pp. 319-331.
• 5: Leroy J. Dickey, "What is J? An Introduction, Part 1", on-line document, University of Waterloo, October, 1991 (ftp from watservl.waterloo, edu in directory/languages/apl).
• 6: Andrea A. diSessa, "A Principled Design for an Integrated Computational Environment", in Human- Computer Interaction, vol. 1, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1985, pp. 1-47.
• 7: Michael W. Ecker and Charles Ashbacher, "Primeproducing Polynomials", Recreational and Educational Computing Newsletter, vol. 7, no. 3 (April/May, 1992), p. 7.
• 8: Murray Eisenberg , Howard A. Peelle, APL thinking: examples, ACM SIGAPL APL Quote Quad, v.17 n.4, p.433-440, May 1987
• 9: Roger K. W. Hui , Kenneth E. Iverson , E. E. McDonnell , Arthur T. Whitney, APL\?, ACM SIGAPL APL Quote Quad, v.20 n.4, p.192-200, July 1990
• 10: Roger K. W. Hui , Kenneth E. Iverson , Eugene E. McDonnell, Tacit definition, ACM SIGAPL APL Quote Quad, v.21 n.4, p.202-211, Aug. 1991
• 11: Kenneth E. Iverson, "Rationalized APL", i. P. Sharp Research Report no. 1, Toronto, 1983.
• 12: Kenneth E. Iverson, A dictionary of APL, ACM SIGAPL APL Quote Quad, v.18 n.1, p.5-40, September 1, 1987 [doi>10.1145/36983.36984]
• 13: Kenneth E. Iverson, Arithmetic, Iverson Software, Toronto, 1991, vi + 116 pp.
• 14: Kenneth E. Iverson, Dictionary of d: J Version 5, Iverson Software, Toronto, 1992, ii + 74 pp.
• 15: Kenneth E. Iverson, An Introduction to J, Iverson Software, Toronto, 1992, ii + 45 pp.
• 16: Kenneth E. Iverson, Programming in d, iverson Software, Toronto, 1992.
• 17: E. E. McDonnell , K. E. Iverson, Phrasal forms, ACM SIGAPL APL Quote Quad, v.19 n.4, p.197-199, Aug. 1989
• 18: Donald B. McIntyre, Mastering J, ACM SIGAPL APL Quote Quad, v.21 n.4, p.264-273, Aug. 1991
• 19: D. B. McIntyre, Language as an intellectual tool: from hieroglyphics to APL, IBM Systems Journal, v.30 n.4, p.554-581, 1991
• 20: H. A. Peelle, "Undesigning APL", in APL92 Workshops and Tutorials, Dick Bowman, ed., ACM SIG/APL ct al., St. Petersburg, 1992, 2 pp.
• 21: H. A. PeelIe, "A Little J Horner", Vector, vol. 9, no. 3 (January, 1993), pp. 89-90.

INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  D. Software
  D.3 PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES
      D.3.2 Language Classifications

          Nouns: APL

Additional Classification:
  D. Software
  D.3 PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES

  F. Theory of Computation
  F.2 ANALYSIS OF ALGORITHMS AND PROBLEM COMPLEXITY
      F.2.1 Numerical Algorithms and Problems
          Subjects: Computations on polynomials

  H. Information Systems
  H.1 MODELS AND PRINCIPLES
      H.1.2 User/Machine Systems
          Subjects: Human factors

  K. Computing Milieux
  K.3 COMPUTERS AND EDUCATION
      K.3.2 Computer and Information Science Education
          Subjects: Computer science education

General Terms:
Algorithms, Design, Human Factors, Languages