Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!decwrl!fernwood!uupsi!phage!monardo
From: monardo@cshl.org (Pat Monardo)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.apl
Subject: Re: Do I really need a loop
Message-ID: <1991May18.143007.29098@cshl.org>
Date: 18 May 91 14:30:07 GMT
References: <9105171506.AA23991@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU> <1991May18.043951.926@yrloc.ipsa.reuter.COM>
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Organization: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
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In article <1991May18.043951.926@yrloc.ipsa.reuter.COM> rbe@yrloc.ipsa.reuter.COM (Robert Bernecky) writes:
>In article <9105171506.AA23991@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU> liebtag@stlvm20.vnet.ibm.com ("David Liebtag") writes:
>>Pat Monardo,
>>
>>   Any argument that concludes that ANY language has no value on the
>>basis of how difficult it is to multiply the values in the rows
>>of a matrix by the values in a vector is patently absurd.
> 
>Dave, you have HIT the nail on the head!  As you clearly point out, 
>the Real Problem is how to apply an arbitrary function to arbitrary
>subsets of an array. Let's see how different languages address this
>issue. 
>
actually i was being nice because i knew i was too harsh.
but i do see a bit of irony in David's message since we ARE talking about
APL. I think it is fair to critize an array language on how
well it can deal with array subsets (as i think Bob is saying).
And APL is the best one i know about. I know about S, which is 
almost as good as basic APL for array processing. In fact i use S
all the time. S is a good replacement for standard APL. But give
me a system with rank, merge, and from and i'd love it.