Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!thunder!water!ljdickey
From: ljdickey@water.waterloo.edu (Lee Dickey)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.apl
Subject: Re: Compatibility with IBM APL
Message-ID: <1938@water.waterloo.edu>
Date: 16 Nov 88 13:41:44 GMT
References: <13635@cisunx.UUCP>
Reply-To: ljdickey@water.waterloo.edu (Lee Dickey)
Organization: U. of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 39

In article <13635@cisunx.UUCP> gunner1@cisunx.UUCP ( Jayant  Rajgopal) writes:
>I have a bunch of workspaces that were created on a couple of
>different APL systems (I think one of them was APL*PLUS, and
>the other was something on the Apple).

I think that your new APL can read a file.

Borrow a machine with your old APL on it (STSC's APL*PLUS is very popular,
and is surely in use there in Pittsburgh).  Use it to create a file that
follows the WorkSpace Interchange Standard (WSIS).  This can be ported
to your new APL.

Then, using your new APL, read the WSIS file.  Re-construct the Canonical
Representation Vectors (CRVs) for your variables and functions.  A next
important step is to use Quad-FX to ``fix'' your functions from the CRVs. 

Several variations on WSIS have been used, such as those in use by
Selfridge in Florida and Way in Cleveland.  Some APLs have built in
WSIS functions and commands or have supplied workspaces to help out.
For instance, if you were using an Apple II, you were probably using
Vanguard APL, and I know that Cory Skutt, while working for them, did
work on WSIS. 

APL2 from IBM includes system commands ``)IN'' and ``)OUT'' and a
new Quad function called ``Quad-TF'' (for Transfer Form) which can
help you with WSIS.

The British APL Association has an APL software exchange that includes
WSIS workspaces that were written by Richard Naugle of Wayland, Massachusetts.
The organizing committee APL89 is planning to run a software
exchange at APL89, and I think they will include WSIS workspaces. 

OK?

-- 
    L. J. Dickey, Faculty of Mathematics, University of Waterloo.
	ljdickey@WATDCS.UWaterloo.ca	ljdickey@water.BITNET
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	ljdickey@water.waterloo.edu