All, I tried the IRC J evalbot at:
http://webchat.freenode.net/?channels=jsoftware on my Palm Pre. It worked right off. Just about any one-line expression could be entered and executed, as long as the output wasn't too large to scroll off the screen. My biggest issue with this approach is the user interface. The size of the IRC web page, which is fixed by the IRC web software, is quite large. The IRC web client puts the input field at the bottom of a large, fixed-size web page. The resulting output appears at the top of that same page. The output scrolls down as more responses are generated. This user interface is optimized for IRC chat on a large screen device, where you occasionally input some text, and then watch the discussion roll on, and it works quite well for that application. This display approach is reasonable for IRC on a a full-sized screen, but it isn't particularly user-friendly for J on a small-screen device. On the Palm Pre's small screen, I have to scroll down to the bottom of the page to enter the J expression, then scroll up to the top to see the answer, then scroll down to enter the next expression, etc. This process gets quite tedious fairly quickly. Typing the ):: bot call at the beginning of each input is no big problem, but it does distract from the "pure J" experience. Generally, the IRC approach is OK for testing a simple single-line J expression on a smart phone. However the IRC UI is pretty cumbersome if you want to demo J, or do more complex calculations on a small portable device like the Palm or iPhone. We really need a web UI that looks like a typical J session, with 3-space indent for input, and left-justified output just below. This UI os nearly optimum for small-screen devices. With the groundswell of web-browser-enabled smart phones.and unlimited data plans that are now hitting the market, a standard-session J UI would give millions of people access to J, anywhere, anytime. No porting interpreters, no downloading, and no installing necessary. Surely it couldn't be too hard to put something like this on a web server. Perhaps someone proficient in Ajax could give it a try. Of course, you would have to limit execution times and access levels on the runtime engine, to prevent users from locking up the system or accessing critical files, but most typical users would never see those limits. This could be an approach that would open J to a much larger audience. J software could sell access to the "J Portal" on the iPhone or Palm Pre app stores. The "J portal" could be presented as "the next step, when your calculator application just can't hack it"..... Skip Cave Oleg Kobchenko wrote: > Here's a screenshot: > http://www.jsoftware.com/jwiki/Community/IRC#setup > >> From: Oleg Kobchenko <[email protected]> >> >> [19:39] ):: 2+2 >> [19:40] testxx: 4 >> [19:42] ):: mean=: +/ % # >> [19:42] testxx: |ok >> [19:43] ):: mean ? 10 # 100 >> [19:43] testxx: 46.6 >> >> This is a session from iPhone. Using copy / paste here from OS 3. >> >> The keys need some getting used to, but it's the same number of strokes as >> using shift/sym keys on other keyboards. >> >> This IRC web interface is usable, but could be improved for less scrolling >> to accommodate smaller device screens. >> >> Also it can keep and browse history but erroneously at the expence of >> keys like "&" etc. It should have buttons instead. >> >> >> On Jul 1, 2009, at 13:11, Zsbán Ambrus wrote: >> >> On Wed, Jul 1, 2009 at 3:20 PM, Skip Cavewrote: >> A browser-based "J computing service" would be even better than having a >> terminal session for J. >> ... >> Can the J interactive mode UI be implemented in a browser, say using >> Ajax or something equivalent? >> >> Yes, we were just talking about this on the list. Navigate to >> >> http://webchat.freenode.net/?channels=jsoftware >> >> which is an irc interface from the browser using javascript (probably >> ajax). Then use the evalbots as described in >> "http://www.jsoftware.com/jwiki/Community/IRC#newbotdocs": enter the >> line '):: a =: 5' then '):: 2 * a' to the channel to get the answer >> (10). >> >> Ambrus >> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- >> 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 > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm
