I'll jump in here and point out that words vary massively in their
potential to confuse. You've taken out >: <: +: -: *: %: , but these
verbs are dead simple to remember (and, as a bonus, you can do all of
them at once), and often make reasoning with J a lot easier. I couldn't
teach J without using these because they are simple monadic verbs with
easy utility. +/&.:*: is a great way to teach how &.: works.
+/&.:(^&0.5) is not.
On the other hand there are the words--particularly conjunctions and
adverbs--that are very difficult to figure out. You've taken out most of
these, like /. and ;. . I think } and ,. also belong in this category. }
is, though merely awkward in theory, actually a patchwork of corner
cases. ,. and to a lesser extent ,: are difficult to get right, and I
think ,. is better taught as ,"_1 in both valences. These are the words
that really need to be taken out. Leave the technically useless but
simple and convenient words alone.
This list looks like it's tending towards an effort to gut as many words
as possible and make the language look small. I think a better approach
would be to organize words into a few groups--arithmetic, logic, lists,
compositions, and heavy mathematics--which contain a larger selection of
useful operations and stress the symmetry of these (why would you take
out any of {. {: }. }: when they are easy to teach in a group?). Words
that are truly confusing and take a long time to understand (H. ,
anyone?) would be left out.
Marshall
On Fri, Mar 15, 2013 at 08:15:29PM -0500, km wrote:
>
> Here's the latest J core, using additional paring suggested by Raul.
>
> I did keep }: because of puzzling things that happen if you use _1&{. instead
> (giving you a vector instead of a scalar). And I took out GCD .
>
> --Kip Murray
>
> >> << Usr Pri JfC LJ Phr Dic Rel Voc !: Help Dictionary
>
> Vocabulary ( Constants Controls Foreigns Parts of Speech )
>
> = • Equal =. Is (Local) =: Is (Global)
> < Box • Less Than <. Floor • Lesser Of (Min) <: • Less Or Equal
> > Open • Larger Than >. Ceiling • Larger of (Max) >: • Larger Or Equal
> _ Negative Sign / Infinity
>
>
> + • Plus
>
> * • Times
>
> - Negate • Minus -. Not • Less -: • Match
> % Reciprocal • Divide
>
>
> ^ Exponential • Power
> ^: Power (u^:n u^:v)
> $ Shape Of • Shape
>
> ~ Reflex • Passive ~. Nub • ~: • Not-Equal
> | Magnitude • Residue |. Reverse • Rotate (Shift)
>
>
>
>
> : Explicit / Monad-Dyad
>
> , Ravel • Append ,. Ravel Items • Stitch ,: Itemize • Laminate
> ; Raze • Link
> ;: Words
>
> # Tally • Copy
>
> ! Factorial
>
> / Insert • Table
> /: • Sort
> \ Prefix
> \: • Sort
>
> [ Same • Left [: Cap
> ] Same • Right
> { • From {. Head • Take {: Tail •
> } • Amend (m} u}) }. Behead • Drop
>
> " Rank (m"n u"n) ". Do • ": Default Format • Format
>
>
> @ Atop @. Agenda
> & Bond / Compose &. Under (Dual)
> ? Roll • Deal
>
> a. Alphabet a: Ace (Boxed Empty)
>
>
>
>
>
>
> e. • Member (In)
> E. • Member of Interval
>
>
> i. Integers • Index Of
> I. Indices • Interval Index
>
>
>
>
> NB. Comment
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> >> << Usr Pri JfC LJ Phr Dic Rel Voc !: Help Dictionary
>
> Sent from my iPad
>
>
> On Mar 15, 2013, at 10:27 AM, Greg Borota <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> > 3) I am not the first to mention this. I wish there was a minimal J
> > language core documented/available. I see veterans on this forum saying
> > things like: "I almost never use some of those verbs". Is there not a
> > minimal J language core targeting general language use? For example,
> > leaving out specifics like numerical analysis, statistics, etc. This
> > might help some not drop by the way side. E.g. http://xprogramming
> > .com/category/j-language/
>
>
> On Mar 15, 2013, at 3:26 PM, Raul Miller <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> ...
> >
> > I'd probably also eliminate foreigns from "core". Foreigns are about
> > as peripheral as you can get. The beginner should probably be told to
> > start with covers (fread, fwrite, ...).
> >
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm
----------------------------------------------------------------------
For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm
