-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 "Miller, Raul D" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
> J's reference documentation is terse, and dense. > > I think this is a good thing (reference works should > focus on core issues, and not waste a person's time > with introductory material), but people also need > introductory material. What I missed most when learning J (and still miss sometimes) is not necessarily more documentation but more interaction with J. When learning other languages, I was used to being able to read the material, organize the concepts mentally, and then begin to write programs. Most of the time, that process worked reasonably well. When I first started with J (J7?), I got most or all of the old, ring-bound books. I installed J on my work computer and then took the books home to read in my spare time. The books were great (albeit terse), but they assumed that you could try things out, explore applying new verbs to ever-increasing domains, and discover what worked. It felt like being in a conversational French class with no one to speak with. Later, I got a laptop and installed J on it, and I've had laptops ever since, and that made life easier. What I sometimes wish I had (but am not going to buy, at least right now) is a handheld with J so that I could pull it out when I have a few spare minutes, either to use as a great calculator or to learn more J. LJ and JfC are very good books, and I'm glad they're included with the download. What I miss, I think, is more terse books written in the old, ring-bound book style that would let me work through a small chunk of an idea quickly. Even the old books, updated to new syntax, might be nice. To some degree, the labs have replaced that, but only to some degree. Bill - -- Bill Harris http://facilitatedsystems.com/weblog/ Facilitated Systems Everett, WA 98208 USA http://facilitatedsystems.com/ phone: +1 425 337-5541 -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.3 (MingW32) Comment: For more information, see http://www.gnupg.org iD8DBQFFuPSZ3J3HaQTDvd8RArwOAJ0bx6cajuGoOk4Ju2IsahL9YUTVFACeNLYo SA0LZiQffkQlmQbngqvU44Q= =vlMb -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm
