Alex Rufon wrote,
> Ok. I know a lot of veteran J users will not agree but I would
> suggest you start coding J using the primitives library. Then
> later-on, when you've overcome n00bness ... you can start
> programming using actual symbols. [...]
> I know it's longer with more words to type ... but it worked for
> all the jr programmers who worked under me. It's up to you to
> decide. So when you're more familiar with how J works ... you
> can start [to] code with the symbols ... ;)
It is interesting to hear that you've used this successfully in a business
context. I'd be happy to hear more details.
My disagreement with your recommendation comes as a side-effect of my emphasis
on reading. Almost everything that ought to be read by the aspiring J-er is
written in primaries (J symbols), and almost no material is at hand that relies
on the J 'primitives' library.
It does seem to me that a lot would be learned by transforming J phrases into
the vocabulary of that library. Some such effort would clearly make a fine
excercise. What I have my doubts about is that this should, or even could, be
routinely accomplished as part of the reading that a beginning programmer needs
to do.
Tracy
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