Re:I got the J language working on OpenBSD
by nerdponx on Sunday September 12, 2021 @03:33PM
(#28504132)
It would be interesting to see a writeup comparing J and the open-source implementation(s) of K. Which would be better for a complete novice at array programming?
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Re:I got the J language working on OpenBSD
by liveranga on Sunday September 12, 2021 @04:52PM
(#28504812)
J is definitely more batteries-included than the open source K implementations.
There's also a wealth of documentation and books on J: J for C Programmers: https://www.jsoftware.com/help/jforc/contents.htm
Learning J: https://www.jsoftware.com/help/learning/contents.htm
And the New Vocabulary "Nuvoc" on the wiki: https://code.jsoftware.com/wiki/NuVoc
Edit: spelling.
Re:I got the J language working on OpenBSD
by maximus-decimus on Sunday September 12, 2021 @07:03PM
(#28505897)
J is also way harder to learn in my opinion due to it having many times more operators. K2 and Q also have official books.
Re:I got the J language working on OpenBSD
by razetime on Sunday September 12, 2021 @10:32PM
(#28507267)
K is the easiest popular array language due to its array model and its commitment to simplicity. Gets you into the habit of writing out strings of symbols instead of names, and although it holds your hand less, I'd say it's great as a beginner language. With the existence of new docs like the oK docs(https://github.com/JohnEarnest/ok/blob/gh-pages/docs/) and the wiki(https://k.miraheze.org/), it is getting much easier to learn K.
Re:I got the J language working on OpenBSD
by lvass on Sunday September 12, 2021 @05:00PM
(#28504875)
I'd recommend APL2 and the GNU APL implementation instead. The reasoning is you can follow through the excellent Ken Iverson Turing Award paper [0], and, while using non-ascii is a small upfront cost, it IMO makes array languages much more readable.
[0]Notation as a tool of thought, https://doi.org/10.1145/1283920.1283935
Re:I got the J language working on OpenBSD
by rak1507 on Sunday September 12, 2021 @05:15PM
(#28505030)
I would recommend Dyalog APL over GNU APL, it is much more modern.
Re:I got the J language working on OpenBSD
by lvass on Sunday September 12, 2021 @05:30PM
(#28505176)
That's proprietary. And modern isn't an advantage in itself, unlike open-source for someone requesting open-source.
Re:I got the J language working on OpenBSD
by rak1507 on Sunday September 12, 2021 @05:37PM
(#28505241)
I know it's proprietary, it isn't my language of choice, but it's a lot better than GNU APL.
If they really want something open source and good, J, open source ks, or BQN will be better. But if you're suggesting an APL dialect, Dyalog is much better than GNU despite being proprietary.