Understand too that left-to-right evaluation has expressive benefits: in
left-to-right evaluation, -/vec is equivalent to ({.vec)-(+/}.vec) whereas
the default in J gives us alternating sum. Similarly, %/vec is
({.vec)-(*/}.vec) taken left-to-right but gives us extended fractions.
Take a look at the result of
(+`%)/100$1 or <:(+`%)/100$2 1 to see what nicely falls out of this order
of evaluation.
On Sun, Jul 21, 2013 at 9:25 PM, I.T. Daniher <[email protected]>wrote:
> I like Raul's style of thinking, comment rescinded.
>
> Best!
> --
> Ian
>
> On Sun, Jul 21, 2013 at 9:18 PM, Tracy Harms <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > I
> > On Jul 21, 2013 8:27 AM, "I.T. Daniher" <[email protected]> wrote:
> > >
> > > You can definitely build similar aliases in J - simply writing 'add =:
> +'
> > > will get you so far, but the right to left execution order confounds
> > > attempts to make truely human readable sentences, where left-to-right
> > > order is used.
> > >
> >
> > Like Raul, I disagree. I have become fluent enough in J that I naturally
> > read unfamiliar sentences from left to right, except for the glance to
> the
> > far right that may be needed to qualify whether the sentence as a whole
> is
> > a noun or a verb. Such reading favors general comprehension early on,
> with
> > details filled in as the sentence is completed.
> >
> > As a transition measure, when I've needed to read J sentences from right
> to
> > left I have, once I understood the sentence, then read it from left to
> > right. Repeated reading of a sentence with various scanning patterns
> builds
> > literacy, I've found. Another example is reading forks from inside, out,
> as
> > well as from the outside, in. As time goes on you may become less aware
> of,
> > or concerned with, the order in which you read. At least, that's been my
> > experience.
> > ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> > For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm
> >
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm
>
--
Devon McCormick, CFA
^me^ at acm.
org is my
preferred e-mail
----------------------------------------------------------------------
For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm
