Thanks for the helpful replies everyone, I'll be looking into some of that reading material.
On Fri, Jun 26, 2009 at 1:42 AM, Oleg Kobchenko<[email protected]> wrote: > > There is another fundamental and fascinating book of historic value, > coming in two editions: > > Brooks, F.P., Jr., and K.E. Iverson, Automatic Data Processing, > Wiley, 1963 > > Brooks, F.P., Jr., and K.E. Iverson, Automatic Data Processing, > System/360 edition, Wiley, 1969 > > It is a sister-book to "A Programming Language", it uses the same > early APL notation, but to uninitiated it looks like a kind of > algebraic pseudo-code. > > "These two books started as one, but the material grew in both > magnitude and level until a separation proved wise." > > There is very detailed account of full spectrum of computer matter, > from binary operations, "coding systems" (encoded representation of values), > programming, hardware. The style very high-quality akin to Knuth. > But there are interesting transitions from binary numerics to > memory cores to magnetic drums and punch cards. > > > Another systems books using APL (by co-author of book below): > > Gerrit A. Blaauw, Digital System Implementation - Automatic Computation, > Prentice Hall, 1976 > > It also uses complete little APL programs, which can be executed, to > illustrate every concept throughout alongside component diagrams. > > From cover: > "Empasized the use of interactive APL in a systenatic approach to both > design and system verification ... with many examples taken from actual > machine designs." > > Interesting is quoted observation from Leibniz foreseeing computers as > a perfect instrument of exploitation: > "It is unworthy for excellent men to lose hours like slaves in the > labor of calculation which could safely be relegated to anyone else > if machines were used." -- Though proletariat of today may own their > means of production. > > (must be added to APL/J Reference in Wiki.) > >> From: Joey K Tuttle <[email protected]> >> >> The book "Computer Architecture: Concepts and Evolution " by Gerrit >> Blaauw and Fred Brooks uses APL expressions throughout to describe a >> lot of different concepts and machine functional descriptions. The >> original 1213 page book is now available as a 2 volume paperback >> edition - you can find it at: >> >> > http://www.amazon.com/Computer-Architecture-Concepts-Evolution-2/dp/0201105578/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1245862478&sr=8-1 >> >> I thought the reader reviews there were particularly interesting... > > >> From: Roger Hui <[email protected]> >> >> Falkoff, A.D., K.E. Iverson, and E.H. Sussenguth, >> A Formal Description of System/360, IBM Systems Journal, >> Volume 3, Number 2 and 3, 1964. >> >> http://www.research.ibm.com/journal/sj/032/falkoff.pdf >> >> >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: Jimmy Miller >> Date: Wednesday, June 24, 2009 9:14 >> Subject: [Jchat] The use of APL in describing systems >> To: [email protected] >> >> > Taken from http://www.sigapl.org/whyapl.htm: >> > >> > "APL is a language for describing procedures in the processing of >> > information. It can be used to describe mathematical procedures having >> > nothing to do with computers, or to describe (to a human being) the >> > way a computer works." >> > >> > I'm particularly interested in that last purpose; does anyone >> > have any >> > information on when and how APL was used in describing computers and >> > related systems? I tried searching on my own and found a passing >> > mention of its use in formally describing the IBM System/360, >> > but I >> > couldn't actually find said description. I would >> > appreciate it if >> > someone could point me to information on this use of APL. > > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm
