Re:K – A simple, fast vector programming language
by flocke on Thursday May 12, 2022 @11:46PM
(#31363085)
IMO, readability is simply a misnomer for familiarity, and - for example - a pythoner feels more comfortable reading java than APL purely because it's more regular.
In fact, APL/J/K are simpler to read than most languages![1] Programs consist of functions and higher-order functions that are applied to array(s) in an infix or prefix style. These are evaluated Right-To-Left with minimal precedence rules.
Given a few days, the core language(s) can be easily memorized[2][3][4].
The issue, at it's roots is mostly confidence. And that's a cultural issue APLers are constantly alleviating. A part of that is countering the spread of dishonest framing and narratives.
In fact, APL/J/K are simpler to read than most languages![1] Programs consist of functions and higher-order functions that are applied to array(s) in an infix or prefix style. These are evaluated Right-To-Left with minimal precedence rules.
Given a few days, the core language(s) can be easily memorized[2][3][4].
The issue, at it's roots is mostly confidence. And that's a cultural issue APLers are constantly alleviating. A part of that is countering the spread of dishonest framing and narratives.
[1]: https://xpqz.github.io/learnapl/intro.html#but-it-s-unreadab...
[2]: https://awagga.github.io/dyalog/voc/
[3]: https://mlochbaum.github.io/BQN/doc/index.html
[4]: https://kparc.com/k.txt