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A+ Fun!
October 29th, 2009 by Mike

How can you not love a language that has a keyboard layout like this?

Seriously, though, I’ve found a certain fascination in APL ever since I first saw it back in … well, a number of years ago. A+, a new language based in part on good ‘ole APL, promises to be just as fascinating, but in a more modern and up-to-date way.

I remember having to find a special terminal (yes, a terminal) that had the funky APL keyboard caps, then picking out a program, one special character at a time. The good new was that in about 5 characters (including a couple of overtyped things that looked like squashed bugs), my program was finished – and doing real work. That’s the amazing thing about APL, and it’s modern ancestor A+ – the expressiveness is just amazing.

I’d show you some code samples, but you need a special font to read them, so you’ll just have to go have a look around on the A+ site.

Readability isn’t quite as scary as you might think at first, either, at least once you know what all those funny dead-bug symbols mean, as there’s not that many of them in a typical program. There’s also an ASCII mode, for the less adventurous.

I’ve yet to really give A+ a proper workout, but I have to say I’m looking forward to referring to my key-cap printout and taking it out for a spin!


2 Responses  
Marvin Elder writes:
November 2nd, 2009 at 9:23 AM

Mike,

I’m probably one of the few developers old enough to hava actually used APL. The ‘original’ IBM personal computer (no, not the IBM PC) was the 5100 (circa 1975). They even called it a portable: but you had to man up to haul it around in what resembled a golf bag, with a total weight of over 80 pounds.

The 5100 supported both APL and Basic. Even though IBM pushed Basic and I wrote some serious apps in that, including an accounting system for a company with 400 employees, I toyed around with APL; it was indeed powerful and expressive, as you say.

I’m curious about your blog, though: you have a prompt that says “just point your mouse at a key, but don’t click it”. I didn’t see any effect or outcome from doing that. What am I missing?

Marvin

   
    Mike writes:
    November 2nd, 2009 at 1:54 PM

    Marvin:

    Thanks for the comment – I think in the long-term BASIC was a much more successful language, but APL was sure a lot of fun!

    That message about “point your mouse” is part of the original image that I copied from A+’s site – if you go to http://www.aplusdev.org/ and look at the keyboard map, I believe it’s set up with JavaScript to show you the alternate and combined keycaps, but my site isn’t. Sorry for the confusion, and thanks for pointing that out.

    Mike

       

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