One aspect: J/APL programmers tend to stay in the nice world of expressions and avoid the nastier world of statements. This tendency pushes you towards array thinking and away from scalar thinking.
For example, if b is a boolean array, and you want 4 where b is 0 and 17 where b is 1, write: (4*0=b)+(17*1=b) And of course the signs of real numbers x are: (x>0)-(x<0) Even Knuth, an eminent mathematician and computer scientist but not an APL programmer, knows to <strike>steal</strike> adopt this idea. See: Knuth, *Two Notes on Notation* <http://arxiv.org/PS_cache/math/pdf/9205/9205211v1.pdf>, 1992-05-01. In the first half of the paper he describes how "Iverson's convention" can be used to simplify the statement and manipulation of sums. See also: http://www.jsoftware.com/papers/perlis77.htm http://www.jsoftware.com/papers/perlis78.htm http://www.jsoftware.com/papers/APLQA.htm#Perlis-foreword On Wed, Jan 15, 2014 at 5:32 PM, Joe Bogner <joebog...@gmail.com> wrote: > I went googling for some deeper material on how to think like an APL > programmer. I have read/skimmed through a good set of the material on > http://jsoftware.com/papers/ and have skimmed through many of the > books listed on http://www.jsoftware.com/jwiki/Books. > > Are there any specific recommendations, free or for purchase? Or, > perhaps I should spend more time with the list above. > > I found this, The APL Idiom List by Perlis and Rugaber, which looks > similar to what I'm looking for: > http://archive.vector.org.uk/resource/yaleidioms.pdf. > > The review of this book looks like what I'm after, > http://www.amazon.com/Handbook-APL-programming-Clark-Wiedmann/dp/0884050262 > , > constructing useful programs and going into more depth. > > Or something of the style of The Little Schemer, > http://scottn.us/downloads/The_Little_Schemer.pdf > > I searched the forum and had trouble finding a relevant post > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm
