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From: rockwell@socrates.umd.edu (Raul Rockwell)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.apl
Subject: Re: Do I really need a loop?
Message-ID: <ROCKWELL.91May17075620@socrates.umd.edu>
Date: 17 May 91 12:56:20 GMT
References: <3970004@hpwrce.HP.COM> <15160018@hpdmd48.boi.hp.com>
	<1991May15.134305.10894@yrloc.ipsa.reuter.COM>
	<1991May17.031707.27992@cshl.org>
Sender: rockwell@socrates.umd.edu (Raul Rockwell)
Organization: Traveller
Lines: 24
In-Reply-To: monardo@cshl.org's message of 17 May 91 03: 17:07 GMT

Pat Monardo:
   amen. and the absurdity of the previous posts should make them
   reconsider whether the APL they speak has any value at all.

ahem.

Much as I like J, I must point out that APL (and even that FORTRAN or
C language :-) does have some value.  Specifically, APL runs on my
machine, and the machine we use at work.  Also, APL runs quite fast
(at least the APL we use).

I expect that J will *eventually* run APL into the dirt, speedwise,
because J seems to be a simpler language, at heart.  (And because
there is some pretty good talent interested in making J available.)
However as things presently stand APL has quite a bit of value that J
lacks.  (And even when J stablizes and runs fast, there will be people
sticking with APL because that's what their applications run in -- and
that's nothing compared to people sticking to COBOL for the same
reasons).

In the words of the famous philosopher:  Lighten up, eh?  People were
having fun.

Raul Rockwell