[Jprogramming] Learning J language - initial thoughts

[Greg Borota]

I am currently learning J. I think I am beyond a critical point, where
I can no longer see myself giving up on this endeavour, as there is much to
lose professionally otherwise.

Some initial thoughts:

1) Even though I spent most of my time in C land, I would recommend Roger
Stokes' "Learning J" after the Eric Iverson' "J Primer". It felt to me like
J for C starts gently and then all of the sudden you are plunged deep into
advanced stuff without much preparation. While "Learning J" follows more
the spirit of the Primer where new concepts are added more gently. I plan
on going back to J for C after I read the Primer and LJ one more time.

2) Roger Stokes has a new version of LJ here: http://www.rogerstokes
.free-online.co.uk/book.htm Shouldn't J site use that instead?

3) I am not the first to mention this. I wish there was a minimal J
language core documented/available. I see veterans on this forum saying
things like: "I almost never use some of those verbs". Is there not a
minimal J language core targeting general language use? For example,
leaving out specifics like numerical analysis, statistics, etc. This
might help some not drop by the way side. E.g. http://xprogramming
.com/category/j-language/

4) Whenever it felt like dropping, browsing through papers like "Notation
as a tool of thought" or "Language as an intellectual tool: From
hieroglyphics to APL" helped boost my motivation to stay the course. Maybe
creating a "Why learn J" section on J site where this kind of papers,
articles, etc. are referenced would help many.

5) English is not my native language. With the Internet, anything posted
online in English has automatically a global audience. Maybe keeping that
in mind and going easier on un-common/literary English words would help J
adoption some more? It's a pity APL language family are not
more mainstream. I think our profession has much to lose because of the
current state of things.