Hey Skip, I like the idea of having a search engine that is specific to J with an algorithm tuned for searching out phrases. As an addition, I wonder how difficult it would be to have an algorithm that gives greater weight to the choices that users made in previous searches. So, if I was looking for a entity that would allow me to replace values, even if the search was not good enough to show me Amend as a result in the first days of its existence, over time it might use the previous searches of others to include as more likely.
George Siemens, who with Stephen Downes created the first Massively Open Online Courses, calls tools such as search engines, displays and IDE's the accretive domain of the learning ecology [1]. A second article speaks specifically about the nature of learning communities and may have some applications to the way the J's learning ecology might evolve [2]. I am considering exploring this part of the J learning environment in a talk at the J conference this summer, so I welcome any ideas that involve these areas. Also let me know if you think it is a suitable topic for a conference talk, as it seems to me to be a different aspect to the J experience than might be expected. Cheers, bob [1] http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/ldc.htm [2] http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/learning_communities.htm On Mar 31, 2014, at 10:30 PM, Skip Cave <[email protected]> wrote: > There is one mechanism that would make J much easier to learn and use. We > need a specialized search engine for the J Software site. This search > engine would translate common programming terms from other programming > languages, as well as English queries, into pointers to the appropriate J > content on the site. This wouldn't be particularly easy to do, but an > auto-translating search engine would provide a huge boost to most newbies > exploring the language for the first time, whether as an experienced > programmer, or a novice. > > The steepest part of the J learning curve is J's radical change in > terminology from common programming terminology, as well as the re-use of > English parts of speech as programming concepts. This tends to confuse both > experienced programmers, as well as novices learning their first > programming language. Non-programmers who may know all about nouns and > verbs, get confused about those names getting used in this context. > > If a newbie could type in a word like "variable" and get an explanation > about nouns, "function" and get a paragraph on verbs, or "arguments" and > get an explanation about monadic, dyadic, and vector input, I believe that > the learning curve could be dramatically shortened. > > Skip > > Skip Cave > Cave Consulting LLC > > > On Mon, Mar 31, 2014 at 2:14 PM, Raul Miller <[email protected]> wrote: > >> On Mon, Mar 31, 2014 at 3:02 PM, robert therriault >> <[email protected]> wrote: >>> I guess what I am saying is that we should make it as likely as >>> possible for learners to be successful at learning J. Water tends >>> to flow downhill and as much as you do have control over the >>> learning environment, you can make the learning more or less likely. >> >> Definitely. >> >> Thanks, >> >> -- >> Raul >> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- >> For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm >> > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm
