Newsgroups: comp.lang.apl
Path: watmath!watserv2.uwaterloo.ca!torn!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!utcsri!geac!itcyyz!yrloc!hui
From: hui@yrloc.ipsa.reuter.COM (Roger Hui)
Subject: Re: New features implemented in J 5.0, 5.1 and 6.0
Message-ID: <1992Nov23.053434.11121@yrloc.ipsa.reuter.COM>
Organization: Iverson Software Inc.
References: <memo.752740@cix.compulink.co.uk>
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 92 05:34:34 GMT
Lines: 52

Paul Moore writes:
> Is there any documentation available (preferably electronically)
> describing the new features implemented in the recent versions of J
> (5.0, 5.1 and 6.0)? I have copies of the Dictionary of J covering
> version 3 and version 4.1 (which is, to my knowledge, the latest
> dictionary version available - unless a version 5 or 6 dictionary has
> become available recently - and the fact that new versions of the
> dictionary are not announced makes this difficult to determine...)
 
The dictionary version currently available is version 5, and version 6
will be available soon.  Registers users receive newsletters announcing
availability of new products, new features, and new publications; the most
recent newsletters were mailed mid October.
 
> At present, I have no documentation on the following features:
>    <!.k     Not too hard, tolerance is documented (although it's not
>             entirely clear exactly where it applies)
>    >!._     Infinite tolerance??
>    {.!.f    Fit on {. - is this documented (and if so, I didn't
>             realise it had not yet been implemented)
>   ...
> Also, the !: cases 6!:2, 5!:5, 9!:2, 9!:3, 0!:4, 0!:5, 4!:56, 11!:0,
> and 11!:1 are new, but these are documented in xenos.doc...
 
J documentation is executed according to the following rough guidelines:
0) Avoid redundancy.
1) The dictionary specifies the language proper.
2) "xenos.doc" specifies !: derivates.
3) "status.doc" describes changes between versions, features described
   in the dictionary but not yet implemented, system dependencies, etc.
 
Therefore, "status.doc" does not and will not describe language features,
because these belong in the dictionary.  In particular, <!.k and >!._ are 
described in the version 5 dictionary under < and >; tolerance has long 
been described in section II D, "Comparatives"; and {.!.k is described in 
the version 5 dictionary under {..
 
> ... [On another, related,
> note - the description of fit (!.) in the dictionary basically says that
> what it does depends on what it is applied to. It would be useful to
> have all of the fit effects described in a single place, rather than
> having to hunt through the dictionary searching out the reference. ...
 
The only thing that various verbs derived from fit would have in common,
is that they are derived from fit.  That is not a useful classification
in any application.  The current organization in the dictionary associates
fit derivates with their agnates.  In my opinion, that is more useful
than the suggested alternative.

------------------------------------
Roger Hui, Iverson Software Inc., 33 Major Street, Toronto, Ontario  M5S 2K9
Phone: (416) 925 6096;  Fax: (416) 488 7559
