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The Array Cast

Rob Pike - Array Languages are Important

Aug 19, 2023

Rob Pike, creator of the Go programming language, discusses the influence of APL on Go and the power of APL in numerical calculations. They explore the elegance and problem-solving approaches in array languages, as well as the challenges of implementing multi-dimensional arrays in Go. The chapter also delves into the factors that separate individuals who are intrigued by APL from those who are not.

01:13:19

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Quick takeaways

APL allows for concise and expressive expression of ideas by eliminating unnecessary details and focusing on the problem at hand.

Ivy, developed by Rob Pike, started as a calculator and evolved into an APL-like language, offering flexibility and ease of implementing new operators and functions.

IVY, an APL-inspired language, provides an interactive and exploratory experience, although unfamiliar symbols may initially act as a barrier for some programmers.

Deep dives

The Fascination of APL's Approach

Rob Pike finds APL's approach fascinating because it eliminates the need for ceremony and boilerplate code. APL allows for concise and expressive expression of ideas, whether it's adding elements to a list or performing complex matrix operations. Unlike most languages, APL's way of thinking abstracts away unnecessary details and focuses on the problem at hand. Pike believes that learning different programming languages, including APL, provides unique perspectives and enriches one's thinking process.

1.

Introduction

3min

2.

Introduction to Rob Pike and Discussion on Array Languages and Go

4min

3.

Exploring APL and Collaboration with Stephen Wolfram

11min

4.

Challenges and Satisfaction in Implementing High Precision Floats and Transcendental Functions

4min

5.

The Influence of APL on Go and the Power of APL in Numerical Calculations

11min

6.

Exploring the Elegance and Problem-solving Approaches in Array Languages

27min

7.

APL: The Curiosity Test

9min

8.

Introduction to Array Languages and the Power of Primitives

4min

Array Cast - August 18, 2023
Show Notes

Thanks to Bob Therriault, Conor Hoekstra, Marshall Lochbaum and Adám Brudzewsky for gathering these links:

[01] 00:01:15 Adám's Leet code playlist https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUNPk6_ro4o&list=PLYKQVqyrAEj_6ZSDwha9PeftgKKHeDJ7-

Jot Dot Times - APL News Aggregator https://apl.news/

[02] 00:03:08 Rob Pike https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rob_Pike

Talks 2007-20016 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3NQHgGj2vtsJkK6ZyTzogNUTqe4nFSWd

Go Time podcast #100 - Creating Go https://changelog.com/gotime/100

Ken Thompson https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Thompson

Robert Griesemer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Griesemer

Go Programming Language https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go_(programming_language)

The Go Programming Language and environment https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXV7sa4oM4I

Ivy Programming Language https://pkg.go.dev/robpike.io/ivy

https://aplwiki.com/wiki/Ivy

[03] 00:05:50 UTF-8 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UTF-8

[04] 00:07:27 2741 terminal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_2741

TryAPL https://tryapl.org/

[05] 00:08:40 Stephen Wolfram https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Wolfram

Mathematica Programming Language https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfram_Mathematica

Lisp Programming Language https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisp_programming_language

[06] 00:11:09 Plan 9 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plan_9_from_Bell_Labs

Bell Labs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_labs

[07] 00:12:10 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google

[08] 00:17:20 Russ Cox Advent of Code videos https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrwpzH1_9ufMLOB6BAdzO08Qx-9jHGfGg

[09] 00:18:45 J programming Language https://www.jsoftware.com/#/

Raul Miller episode on the ArrayCast https://www.arraycast.com/episodes/episode59-raul-miller

Transcendental functions https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcendental_function

[10] 00:28:35 q Programming Language https://code.kx.com/q/learn/

https://apl.wiki/q

Joel Kaplan episode on ArrayCast https://www.arraycast.com/episodes/episode27-joel-kaplan

[11] 00:31:21 Ken Iverson https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenneth_E._Iverson

Stop Writing Dead Programs Jack Rusher https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ab3ArE8W3s

[12] 00:35:00 Leading axis agreement https://aplwiki.com/wiki/Leading_axis_theory

[13] 00:38:15 Arthur Whitney https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Whitney_(computer_scientist)

[14] 00:45:15 Nested Array Theory https://aplwiki.com/wiki/Nested_array

[15] 00:50:00 APL wiki https://aplwiki.com/wiki/

Dyalog documentation https://www.dyalog.com/documentation_182.htm#CORE

APLwiki documentation for Take https://aplwiki.com/wiki/Take

[16] 00:52:09 BQN Programming Language specification https://mlochbaum.github.io/BQN/spec/index.html

IBM specification APL2 https://www.ibm.com/downloads/cas/ZOKMYKOY

Go Programming Language specification https://go.dev/ref/spec

[17] 00:53:25 Rank operator https://aplwiki.com/wiki/Rank_(operator)

[18] 00:58:23 Right tack function https://aplwiki.com/wiki/Identity

Combinators https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combinatory_logic

[19] 01:02:25 John Scholes Game of Life https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9xAKttWgP4

Simplicity is Complicated https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFejpH_tAHM

[20] 01:10:40 Contact AT ArrayCast DOT Com

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