Newsgroups: comp.lang.apl
Path: watmath!watserv2.uwaterloo.ca!torn!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!ames!haven.umd.edu!uunet!utcsri!geac!itcyyz!yrloc!rbe
From: rbe@yrloc.ipsa.reuter.COM (Robert Bernecky)
Subject: SIGPLAN Notices,  June 1992
Message-ID: <1992Oct15.004806.3714@yrloc.ipsa.reuter.COM>
Keywords: APL spreadsheets     
Reply-To: rbe@yrloc.ipsa.reuter.COM (Robert Bernecky)
Organization: Snake Island Research Inc, Toronto
Date: Thu, 15 Oct 92 00:48:06 GMT
Lines: 35

There is an interesting article in the June 1992 issue of SIGPLAN
Notices: 
  "Real Programmers dont' use spreadsheets"  -- Rommert J. Casmir

Here's the conclusions paragraph, quoted without permission, andperhaps
with typos:
   In spreadsheets, the ideas from two powerful languages, LISP and APL
   are combined. The acceptance of spreadsheets by non-programmers shows
   that functional programming and the use of arrays as the only data 
   structure are concepts that are easy to understand...
   ... The main flaws in the design of Lotus 1-2-3 are the absence of
   user-defined functions, the lack of orthogonality shown in the
   prohibition of computed subranges, and the insatiable demand for
   memory. Most of these shortcomings would have been prevented if the
   originators of spreadsheet languages had had a more fundamental
   knowledge of programming languages, especially LISP and APL.


This issue also contains a nice article "Where is the evidence against
arrays and pointers?" by Markku Sakkinen, in which he says:
    "...By coincidence, the most recent issue of IBM Systems Journal
     celebrating the 25th anniversary of APL, arrived on the same 
     day as SIGPLAN Notices. There we can find an attitude to arrays
     that is diametrically opposed to that of Ince, Mills, and Linger,
     eg in {Donald McIntyre's article: "Language as an intellectual
     tool: from hieroglyphics to APL" /rbe}... 
 He goes on to praise APL, its inherent parallelism, etc.,
Bob
      

Robert Bernecky      rbe@yrloc.ipsa.reuter.com  bernecky@itrchq.itrc.on.ca 
Snake Island Research Inc  (416) 368-6944   FAX: (416) 360-4694 
18 Fifth Street, Ward's Island
Toronto, Ontario M5J 2B9 
Canada
