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|{{quote | "A language that doesn't affect the way you think about programming, is not worth knowing."|Alan Perlis. [[wikipedia:Epigrams on Programming|Epigrams on Programming]].<ref>ACM. [[SIGAPL|SIGPLAN]] Notices Vol. 17, No. 9, September 1982, pages 7 - 13</ref>}}
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{{Also on Wikipedia|Perlis|Alan Perlis}}
{{Also on Wikipedia|Perlis|Alan Perlis}}


'''Alan Jay Perlis''' was an American computer science and [[wikipedia:Turing Award|Turing Award]] recipient known for pioneering work in early programming language design and development, in particular of [[wikipedia:ALGOL|ALGOL]]. He was an advocate of APL, and taught it in university courses.
'''Alan Jay Perlis''' was an American computer science and [[wikipedia:Turing Award|Turing Award]] recipient known for pioneering work in early programming language design and development, in particular of [[wikipedia:ALGOL|ALGOL]]. He was an advocate of APL, and taught it in university courses. His ''Introduction to computer science'' (1972, 1975) features APL besides Algol60 as one of the two programming languages for exposing programming.


Perlis was first introduced to APL at [[Ken Iverson]]'s 1963 talk on "Formalism in Programming languages", where he asked about executing APL on computers.<ref>Iverson, K.E. ''Formalism in Programming Languages'' ([https://www.jsoftware.com/papers/FPL.htm transcript])</ref> However, it was much later, after the implementation of APL on computers, that he became a devotee of APL. [[Edsger Dijkstra]] cited Perlis in this period as the main source for his exposure to APL (Dijkstra was never a fan of APL, and criticized it harshly).<ref name="interview2001">Misa, Thomas. [https://cacm.acm.org/magazines/2010/8/96632-an-interview-with-edsger-w-dijkstra/fulltext An Interview With Edsger W. Dijkstra]</ref>
Perlis was first introduced to APL at [[Ken Iverson]]'s 1963 talk on "Formalism in Programming languages", where he asked about executing APL on computers.<ref>Iverson, K.E. ''Formalism in Programming Languages'' ([https://www.jsoftware.com/papers/FPL.htm transcript])</ref> However, it was much later, after the implementation of APL on computers, that he became a devotee of APL. [[Edsger Dijkstra]] cited Perlis in this period as the main source for his exposure to APL (Dijkstra was never a fan of APL, and criticized it harshly).<ref name="interview2001">Misa, Thomas. [https://cacm.acm.org/magazines/2010/8/96632-an-interview-with-edsger-w-dijkstra/fulltext An Interview With Edsger W. Dijkstra]</ref>
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== Publications ==
== Publications ==


* 1974. "Steps Toward an APL Compiler", NSF report #24. ([https://archives.lib.umn.edu/repositories/3/archival_objects/16975 Information])
* 1974. ''Steps Toward an APL Compiler'', NSF report #24. ([https://archives.lib.umn.edu/repositories/3/archival_objects/16975 Information])
* 1977. "The APL Idiom List" ([https://cpsc.yale.edu/sites/default/files/files/tr87.pdf PDF]). With Spencer Rugaber.
* 1975. ''Introduction to computer science'', Harper & Row
* 1977. [http://www.jsoftware.com/papers/perlis77.htm ''In Praise of APL: A Language for Lyrical Programming'']
* 1977. [https://cpsc.yale.edu/sites/default/files/files/tr87.pdf ''The APL Idiom List''] (PDF). With Spencer Rugaber.
* 1977. [http://www.jsoftware.com/papers/perlis77.htm ''In Praise of APL: A Language for Lyrical Programming''] ([https://doi.org/10.1145/586015.586019 DOI])
* 1978. [http://www.jsoftware.com/papers/perlis78.htm ''Almost Perfect Artifacts Improve only in Small Ways: APL is more French than English''] at [[APL78]].
* 1978. [http://www.jsoftware.com/papers/perlis78.htm ''Almost Perfect Artifacts Improve only in Small Ways: APL is more French than English''] at [[APL78]].
* 1979. [https://doi.org/10.1145/800136.804466 "Programming with idioms in APL"] at [[APL79]]. With Spencer Rugaber.
* 1979. [https://doi.org/10.1145/800136.804466 ''Programming with idioms in APL''] at [[APL79]]. With Spencer Rugaber.
* 1979. [https://doi.org/10.1145/800136.804474 "APL and LISP—should they be combined, and if so how?"] at [[APL79]]. With William H. Burge, Joel Moses, and Vaughan R. Pratt.
* 1979. [https://doi.org/10.1145/800136.804474 ''APL and LISP—should they be combined, and if so how?''] at [[APL79]]. With William H. Burge, Joel Moses, and Vaughan R. Pratt.
* 1980. "Construction of APL processors" at [[APL80]].
* 1980. ''Construction of APL processors'' at [[APL80]].
* 1981. [https://doi.org/10.1145/800142.805369 "Is APL a programming language or isn’t it?"] at [[APL81]].
* 1981. [https://doi.org/10.1145/800142.805369 ''Is APL a programming language or isn’t it?''] at [[APL81]].
* 1983. [https://www.jsoftware.com/papers/APLQA.htm#Perlis-foreword Foreword] to ''APL: An Interactive Approach'', Third Edition, Wiley.
* 1983. [https://www.jsoftware.com/papers/APLQA.htm#Perlis-foreword Foreword] to ''APL: An Interactive Approach'', Third Edition, Wiley.
* 1986. [https://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1308785 ''FAC: A Functional APL Language'']. With Tu Hai-Chen.
* 1986. [https://doi.org/10.1109/MS.1986.232431 ''FAC: A Functional APL Language'']. With Tu Hai-Chen.


See also [https://archives.lib.umn.edu/repositories/3/archival_objects/16861 this listing] of Perlis's APL-related publications at the [[wikipedia:Charles Babbage Institute|Charles Babbage Institute]].
See also [https://archives.lib.umn.edu/repositories/3/archival_objects/16861 Perlis's APL-related publications] at the [[wikipedia:Charles Babbage Institute|Charles Babbage Institute]].


== Quotations ==
== Quotations ==
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{{quote|85. Though the Chinese should adore APL, it’s FORTRAN they put their money on.<ref>Alan Perlis, [http://www.cs.yale.edu/homes/perlis-alan/quotes.html ''Epigrams in Programming''], 1982-09</ref>}}
{{quote|85. Though the Chinese should adore APL, it’s FORTRAN they put their money on.<ref>Alan Perlis, [http://www.cs.yale.edu/homes/perlis-alan/quotes.html ''Epigrams in Programming''], 1982-09</ref>}}


{{quote|Some readers may question the use of Algol60 and APL as the programming languages in this text. Certainly they are neither the most popular nor the most advanced. They are, however, enormously influential in shaping trends, and an understanding of them makes the more popular and newer languages simpler to understand and master.<ref name="Introduction to computer science">Perlis, Alan. ''Introduction to computer science''. Harper & Row, 1975</ref>}}
== References ==
== References ==


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