Newsgroups: comp.lang.apl
Path: watmath!watserv2.uwaterloo.ca!torn!utnut!cs.utexas.edu!usc!sdd.hp.com!nigel.msen.com!yale.edu!ira.uka.de!news.dfn.de!tubsibr!infbssys!neitzel
From: neitzel@ips.cs.tu-bs.de (Martin Neitzel)
Subject: mini-rev "APL  A Design Handbook for Commercial Systems"
Message-ID: <1993Mar19.092503.9030@ips.cs.tu-bs.de>
Organization: Inst. f. Informatik, TU Braunschweig, FRG
References: <9303160330.AB15617@unb.ca>
Date: Fri, 19 Mar 1993 09:25:03 GMT
Lines: 26


You should have a look into

	Adrian Smith:
	"APL   A Design Handbook for Commercial Systems"
	(Wiley series in information processing)
	Wiley & Sons, 1982
	ISBN 0-471-10092-7


A fine book, talking much about using APL as a useful tool to get
real work done.  It talks a lot about the inherently ever-changing nature
of many settings, that old-style software development cycles are not
the adaequate method in these cases, and that an approach using a
funny Greek language that executes backwards might help here.

It is directed both at managers ("Why does it make sense to use APL?")
and at programmers ("How do I tackle this problem with APL?").
It concentrates on software design with APL and introduces the language
only as far as is needed for this purpose.  One does not need to know
APL before reading the book and will get the message nevertheless.
That doesn't mean the book avoids to show any real code - you'll find
lots of real-life's problems and APL code to solve them.  There is
even a idiom list.

Martin Neitzel
