True, but I think the effect can be cumulative.
On Tue, Oct 22, 2013 at 11:01 PM, Roger Hui <[email protected]>wrote: > > I usually refrain from commenting on articles/posts like these, as > nothing > > good usually comes from it, but it still irritates me that there may be > > some people whose first exposure to array languages may come from idiotic > > comments like this one. > > Look at it this way: The people whose first exposure to array languages > come from such comments and then decide to make it their last, how big a > loss to the array languages community is that? > > > > > On Tue, Oct 22, 2013 at 7:48 PM, Kenneth Lettow <[email protected] > >wrote: > > > I still consider myself relatively new to array languages, especially > when > > compared to the estimable members of these forums. I have learned a > great > > deal from the languages, as well as the incredibly helpful user > communities > > that support them. > > > > The one thing that always chafes my ass is when I come across negative > > comments about array languages when reading a general interest article on > > the web. > > > > Here is one I came across today. > > > > > > > http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/bitwise/2013/10/healthcare_gov_problems_what_5_million_lines_of_code_really_means.html > > > > quote from the article: > > > > On the other hand, here’s a line of APL (“A Programming > > Language<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/APL_(programming_language)>”) > > > code: > > > (~R∈R°.×R)/R←1↓ιR > > > That code prints out all the prime numbers from 1 to R. APL is a > > > notoriously terse and nightmarish language. I have successfully avoided > > > ever coding in it. One single line of APL code could contain half a > dozen > > > bugs. > > > > > > > > Clearly, this guy has never used APL, yet he has no problem dumping on it > > even after stating that he has avoided ever coding in it. > > > > I want to know what the origin of this negativity is? > > > > Did array'ers go around bullying programmers of other languages at > > conferences before I began using J? Did Ken Iverson pee in Dijkstra's > > coffee cup in 1968< > > http://www.jsoftware.com/pipermail/chat/2007-November/000633.html> > > ? > > > > I usually refrain from commenting on articles/posts like these, as > nothing > > good usually comes from it, but it still irritates me that there may be > > some people whose first exposure to array languages may come from idiotic > > comments like this one. > > > > <end rant> > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm -- *Kenneth Lettow* *Director of Web Analytics and Market Intelligence* *ThomasNet.com* Five Penn Plaza, 8th Floor New York, NY 10001 *: [email protected] *(*: 212.290.8713 www.thomasnet.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm
