I was always a lousy lecturer, so take my comments here with a grain of
salt.
It's too big. There is way too much text on each slide, if these were
used as slides. For one, the full vocabulary should never be shown; it
should be an appendix to a handout, if anything.
If you're talking to a functional programming audience, I would talk
more about things they like and understand. I'd suggest something like
this:
1. The core of array languages is automatic lifting of functions to
arrays of various sizes. Go from scalar+scalar to array+array to
scalar+array. Implicit "map". (Haskell programmers love the word
"lift".) Talk about rank, right from the start.
2. Easy syntax for folds and scans, / and \ and \..
3. On top of this, language provides many built-in combinators. (They
also love combinators.) Diagram out dyadic @ vs &, demonstrate
(&.), mention (.).
4. Sequences of functions are implicitly combined. Hooks, forks.
Show diagrams.
5. All of this permits powerful point-free "tacit" programming.
Show off +/ % #.
Introduce a few verbs as you go; pick the smallest set that you need for
examples. Intersperse some comments about why J does what it does (no
operator precedence, etc.), but I don't think that's interesting enough
to be a full slide.
I don't know if this is helpful; I almost just deleted the whole thing.
But that's what my gut tells me would be better for functional
programmers.
Björn Helgason <[email protected]> writes:
> Begin by splitting it up in three thirty minute parts.
>
> Even then each part is probably massive.
>
> Why not split it into nine parts and instead of talking about them for ten
> minutes stretch each part to thirty minutes.
>
> After each part a question time and then next part given a week later.
>
>
> 2011/9/22 Devon McCormick <[email protected]>
>
>> I did present the whole thing (about 90 minutes) and only two (out of about
>> 8) people left early. But, as I said, there was kind of a stunned silence
>> at the end. I did get a nice review from one of the people who stayed.
>> However, it would benefit from some aggressive pruning.
>>
>> On Thu, Sep 22, 2011 at 9:00 AM, Roger Hui <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>> > I doubt that Devon presented the whole thing.
>> > I suspect that he whetted the audience's interest
>> > sufficiently so that they'd study the rest of
>> > the excellent presentation at their own leisure.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > ----- Original Message -----
>> > From: Björn Helgason <[email protected]>
>> > Date: Thursday, September 22, 2011 4:18
>> > Subject: Re: [Jprogramming] Shout out for Devon's Latest Wiki Posting
>> > To: Programming forum <[email protected]>
>> >
>> > > I think Devons presentation is fine and nice.
>> > >
>> > > I am a bit wondering about the length of the presentation.
>> > >
>> > > How much time did it get?
>> > >
>> > > The beginning is good and easy but it is a bit massive at the end.
>> > >
>> > > I know we want to show off everything but too much is just that -
>> > > too much
>> > >
>> > > 2011/9/22 Ian Clark <[email protected]>
>> > >
>> > > > > To some people, numerical computation and handling isn't too
>> > > > > attractive. They are more interested in string manipulation.
>> > > >
>> > > > And why not? IME, 50% to 98% of the code in a saleable app,
>> > > even a
>> > > > numerical app, handles strings not num arrays, thanks for the
>> > > need to
>> > > > interface with the user. (Nearer 98%, for an APL or J app, but
>> > > that's> down to the conciseness of math handling in APL or J.)
>> > > >
>> > > > To say that char and num arrays are treated the same way is
>> > > not the whole
>> > > > story.
>> > > >
>> > > > This is not to detract from Devon's presentation, which I
>> > > think is great.
>> > > >
>> > > >
>> > > > On Thu, Sep 22, 2011 at 2:12 AM, June Kim (김창준)
>> > > <[email protected]>> wrote:
>> > > > > On Thu, Sep 22, 2011 at 6:02 AM, Devon McCormick
>> > > <[email protected]>> wrote:
>> > > > >> Ken -
>> > > > >>
>> > > > >
>> > > > > Nice presentation!
>> > > > >
>> > > > >> I think everyone was a bit worn out by the end - I went on
>> > > for an hour
>> > > > and a
>> > > > >> half - so there were really only a few questions.
>> > > > >>
>> > > > >> One person wanted to know about the "area of application"
>> > > for J and I
>> > > > told
>> > > > >> him "analytics" but now think this was too narrow - I
>> > > should have
>> > > > mentioned
>> > > > >> how I use it every day for many different tasks where I
>> > > might be using
>> > > > perl
>> > > > >> or shell-scripting otherwise.
>> > > > >>
>> > > > >
>> > > > > I had done an introductory presentation of which point was
>> > > on "daily J
>> > > > > programming" using J as an extension to the brain.
>> > > > >
>> > > > > http://jsoftware.com/pipermail/programming/2009-
>> > > December/017260.html> >
>> > > > > Recently, I resumed "Thursday Quiz" for Korean J community mailing
>> > > > > list. I provide a daily J programming problem(which is authentic)
>> > > > > every Thursday.
>> > > > >
>> > > > >> Someone else wanted to know about string handling even
>> > > though I'd tried
>> > > > to
>> > > > >> emphasize the point that character and numeric arrays are
>> > > treated the
>> > > > same
>> > > > >> way (as appropriate to the verb being applied).
>> > > > >
>> > > > > To some people, numerical computation and handling isn't too
>> > > > > attractive. They are more interested in string manipulation.
>> > > > >
>> > > > >>
>> > > > >> I missed my chance to hold up the book Ken had
>> > > brought, too. I should
>> > > > have
>> > > > >> thought of that as you were headed out.
>> > > > >>
>> > > > >> Thanks for coming by,
>> > > > >>
>> > > > >> Devon
>> > > > >>
>> > > > >> On Wed, Sep 21, 2011 at 4:30 PM, Lettow, Kenneth
>> > > <[email protected]> >wrote:
>> > > > >>
>> > > > >>> Seconded.
>> > > > >>>
>> > > > >>> I was in attendance, the crowd was small but engaged. I
>> > > watched a lot
>> > > > of
>> > > > >>> heads nodding in agreement as Devon went through the examples.
>> > > > >>>
>> > > > >>> I had to leave a bit early, so I missed the Q&A. How did
>> > > that go Devon?
>> > > > >>>
>> > > > >>> -----Original Message-----
>> > > > >>> From: [email protected]
>> > > > >>> [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of
>> > > John Baker
>> > > > >>> Sent: Wednesday, September 21, 2011 4:17 PM
>> > > > >>> To: Programming forum
>> > > > >>> Cc: Devon McCormick
>> > > > >>> Subject: [Jprogramming] Shout out for Devon's Latest Wiki
>> > > Posting> >>>
>> > > > >>> If anyone here hasn't take a few moments to read Devon's
>> > > recent J WikI
>> > > > >>> posting please do so. It's a great introduction to J. I
>> > > particularly> >>> like
>> > > > >>> his graphic.
>> > > > >>>
>> > > > >>> Take a gander:
>> > > > >>>
>> > > > >>> http://www.jsoftware.com/jwiki/DevonMcCormick/FunctionalJ
>> > > > >>>
>> >
>> > ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>> > For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm
>> >
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Devon McCormick, CFA
>> ^me^ at acm.
>> org is my
>> preferred e-mail
>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>> For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm
>>
----------------------------------------------------------------------
For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm
