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APL demonstration 1975

Imperial College London · 110.7K views · 2013-07-12 · 28:00

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Overview

A 1975 live demonstration of the APL language by Imperial College professor Bob Spence, showing a REPL on a modified typewriter terminal and APL's appeal to non-programmers.

On Hacker News

Recommended as a charming, from-zero introduction to APL and a window into early interactive computing.

Recommended by 5 HN people across 4 months · HN mentions 2014–2021

Topics

History of computingProgramming language design
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aplarray languagescomputing historyrepl1975

What people said

jazzyjackson · 2021-11 · Recommendation

Thanks for sharing. I worked on the UIUC campus for some time right by the greenhouses where they experimented with cultivars of corn and other grasses, always funny to see giant 8 foot tall plants lit with sodium lamps through the winter. As for APL, I haven't really got past an orientation in the language but it's held a total mystique to me since seeing this video circa 1975 [0] walking through the language with a Selectric teletype acting as a REPL, totally flipped my understanding of computer history, I assumed it was all punchcard programming back in the old black and white days xD (I am born 1990 for reference, trying to catch up with what happened before me) [0] (30min) [VIDEO]

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curiousgal · 2019-08 · Recommendation

There is something so charming about the attached video [0]. It's very reminiscent of the original APL demonstration [1] from 1975. I love it! 0. [LINK] 1. [VIDEO]

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hhas01 · 2019-08 · Recommendation

I think the key to understanding APL is realizing that it’s not built for Programmers; it’s built for Mathematicians. Here’s a fine half-hour introduction to APL in action: [VIDEO] 1:00-2:00 is the motivation for APL—or any DSL—in a nutshell. (“conversational computing”, “users who are [not] professional programmers”) Or, if you’re happy to sit back and see math magic happen: [LINK] For all its mechanical advances over the last 40 years, it’s shocking how far our technology has regressed philosophically.

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Sources

Video by Imperial College London, played through YouTube.

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