That's what I was trying to say. Make the topic a problem the user cares about solving, so they'll pay attention to the solution.
I would guess that a good rule of thumb would be that YOU want to see a solution. You didn't start by saying, "What's something I can do easily in J", but with "What's a problem I'd like to solve?". Henry Rich ---- Devon McCormick <[email protected]> wrote: > I agree with Jon. A lot of NYCJUG's "Beginner's Regatta" modules are > geared toward very basic things like reading file and turning it into a > useful array. > > On Wed, Jul 8, 2015 at 1:56 AM, Jon Hough <[email protected]> wrote: > > > I am interested in contributing, but am unsure what, if anything, I can > > contribute. I'd rather wait to see what others contribute to see what kind > > of things you are expecting. > > Regarding your points > > "The main thing is to choose an interesting topic. We want the user to see > > the topic as worthwhile, to think about how they would do it in their > > favorite language, and then to see the elegance of the J solution. The > > harder the code is, the farther back it will go into the Lab." > > In my opinion, keeping examples as concrete as possible is best. e.g. > > interfacing with MySQL, a HTTP client, manipulating csv and excel files. > > i.e. things that people are likely to want to use in the real world. Things > > like "calculating the square of the sum of the first 100 mersenne primes " > > or what not, might put people off and and make J seem only suitable for > > idle mathematical playing. Just a thought. > > > > > Date: Sun, 5 Jul 2015 21:40:39 +0000 > > > From: [email protected] > > > To: [email protected]; [email protected] > > > Subject: [Jprogramming] New visual teaching lab for J - contributors > > needed > > > > > > Up till now, to learn J you had to be willing to read a lot of words. > > Many modern programmers aren't into that. > > > > > > With J8.04, there's a new way - a VISUAL way - to learn J. It uses the > > J IDE, plus debug, dissect, and the user's browser to give an interactive > > environment for exploring J. You can read about this lab at > > > > > > http://www.jsoftware.com/jwiki/JbyPointAndClick > > > > > > (note that you have to update your J8.04 to the level as of right now) > > > > > > As it stands the lab is just a beginning. Load it & see if you like the > > idea. If you do, please contribute a chapter or two. I think about 50 > > more chapters might do the trick. > > > > > > The lab needs material at all levels. Write about a program you find > > interesting and your chapter can be inserted into the lab at an appropriate > > place. > > > > > > My hope is that this lab will grow to the point that it can keep a > > scalar programmer's interest long enough for them to see that J is a > > language fit for daily use. Then we can start an outreach program to > > influential codebloggers to get our language the recognition and respect it > > deserves. > > > > > > Henry Rich > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm > > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm > > > > > > -- > Devon McCormick, CFA > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm
