A Programming Language

language (APL) A language designed originally by Ken Iverson

at Harvard University in 1957-1960 as a notation for the

concise expression of mathematical algorithms. It went

unnamed (or just called Iverson's Language) and

unimplemented for many years. Finally a subset, APL360, was

implemented in 1964.

APL is an interactive array-oriented language and

programming environment with many innovative features. It was

originally written using a non-standard character set but

now can use ISO8485. It is dynamically typed with

dynamic scope. APL introduced several functional forms but

is not purely functional.

Dyadic Systems APL/W is one of the languages that will be

available under Microsoft's .NET initative.

Versions: APL360, APL SV, Dyalog APL, VS APL, Sharp APL,

Sharp APL/PC, APL*PLUS, APL*PLUS/PC, APL*PLUS/PC II, MCM APL,

Honeyapple, DEC APL, Cognos APL2000, IBM APL2.

See also Kamin's interpreters.

APLWEB translates WEB to APL.

Dijkstra said that APL was a language designed to perfection

- in the wrong direction.

["A Programming Language", Kenneth E. Iverson, Wiley, 1962].

["APL: An Interactive Approach", 1976].

(2002-01-19)