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semiquaver 3 hours ago

What does [APL] even mean?

dbt00 3 hours ago | parent | next [-]

an obscure but very powerful matrix-centered programming language usually considered to be "write only", as in impossible to read what someone else wrote.

jonahx 3 hours ago | parent | next [-]

> usually considered to be "write only"

Only by the ignorant and uninitiated.

mikelitoris 2 hours ago | parent [-]

I’m sure you’re fun to work with

voidfunc 44 minutes ago | parent | next [-]

Im sure _you're_ fun to work with. Get a sense of humor.

jonahx 2 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

I am!

groby_b an hour ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Very much not.

Its origin is as a mathematical notation for algorithms. It was used to publish research reports and (IIRC) a book or two.

You're confusing "possible to read" with "accessible to people unwilling to invest any effort understanding"

bossyTeacher 2 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

> as in impossible to read what someone else wrote.

Can you even read what you wrote several years ago?

dylan604 2 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Wait, isn't that what they say about perl?

philipov an hour ago | parent [-]

Yes, perl is considered write-only because it is a mess of features that allow unhygienic programming habits to flourish - it is full of hard-to-trace magical behavior. Completely different than APL, which has had perl's write-only label applied to it by programmers not used to reading terse mathematical notation.

gerdesj 2 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

40 years ago (at school) I generally wrote in ink - edged and straight nibs, blue and black ink because I liked it. I learned several formal styles as well as my idiosyncratic efforts. I did have biros and fibre tips etc available. I had loads of choice. My parent's generation was probably the last of the ink and nib first users.

zem 3 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

"a programming language".

philipov an hour ago | parent [-]

Not to be confused with b programming language, which is not its succesor, but is the predecessor to c.