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The name APL: Difference between revisions
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APL is named after [[Ken Iverson]]'s book [[A Programming Language]], following a suggestion by [[Adin Falkoff]].<ref name="mcdonnell">[[Eugene McDonnell|McDonnell, Eugene]]. [http://www.softwarepreservation.org/projects/apl/Papers/ASourceBookInAPL/view ''A Source Book in APL''], Introduction. ([https://code.jsoftware.com/wiki/Doc/A_Source_Book_in_APL#origins Online])</ref> Despite being the source of the name "APL", Iverson's book describes not APL, but [[Iverson notation]]. The name "APL" is used only for computer implementations of Iverson's language, starting with [[APL\360]]. | APL is named after [[Ken Iverson]]'s book [[A Programming Language]], following a suggestion by [[Adin Falkoff]].<ref name="mcdonnell">[[Eugene McDonnell|McDonnell, Eugene]]. [http://www.softwarepreservation.org/projects/apl/Papers/ASourceBookInAPL/view ''A Source Book in APL''], Introduction. ([https://code.jsoftware.com/wiki/Doc/A_Source_Book_in_APL#origins Online])</ref> Despite being the source of the name "APL", Iverson's book describes not APL, but [[Iverson notation]]. The name "APL" is used only for computer implementations of Iverson's language, starting with [[APL\360]]. | ||
Falkoff coined the name in 1966 during the implementation of [[APL\360]] at [[IBM]]. [[Eugene McDonnell]] writes<ref name="mcdonnell" /> that, after considering other names such as "Mathlab" ([[wikipedia:MATLAB|MATLAB]] did not yet exist), inspiration struck: | Falkoff coined the name in 1966 during the implementation of [[APL\360]] at [[IBM]]. [[Eugene McDonnell]] writes<ref name="mcdonnell" /> that, after considering other names such as "Mathlab" ([[wikipedia:MATLAB|MATLAB]] did not yet exist), inspiration struck: | ||
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A week later, [[Eric Iverson]] asserted to McDonnell that the name was already well known. | A week later, [[Eric Iverson]] asserted to McDonnell that the name was already well known. | ||
The letters APL are shared by [[wikipedia:APL|many other entities]].<ref>[[Dyalog Ltd.#The Dyalog duck|The Dyalog Duck]]. [https://www.dyalog.com/blog/2016/07/its-apl-but-not-as-we-know-it/ It’s APL… but not as we know it!] on the [[Dyalog Ltd.|Dyalog]] blog. 2016-07-21.</ref> [[Roger Hui]] remarks that he "started in 1966 on an APL machine that weighed 15,000 tons, when I travelled from Hong Kong to San Francisco on the S.S. President Wilson of the [[wikipedia:American President Lines|American President Lines]]."<ref>[[Roger Hui|Hui, Roger]]. [https://www.jsoftware.com/papers/eem/anecdotes.htm#15000 "Eugene McDonnell Quotations and Anecdotes"].</ref> Amazon has created a [[wikipedia:JSON Schema|JSON Schema]] for its virtual assistant, Alexa, called the | "APL" is occasionally re-interpreted to stand for ''Array Programming Language'' or ''Array Processing Language'', thereby making "APL" into a [[wikipedia:backronym|backronym]]. | ||
The letters APL are shared by [[wikipedia:APL|many other entities]].<ref>[[Dyalog Ltd.#The Dyalog duck|The Dyalog Duck]]. [https://www.dyalog.com/blog/2016/07/its-apl-but-not-as-we-know-it/ It’s APL… but not as we know it!] on the [[Dyalog Ltd.|Dyalog]] blog. 2016-07-21.</ref> [[Roger Hui]] remarks that he "started in 1966 on an APL machine that weighed 15,000 tons, when I travelled from Hong Kong to San Francisco on the S.S. President Wilson of the [[wikipedia:American President Lines|American President Lines]]."<ref>[[Roger Hui|Hui, Roger]]. [https://www.jsoftware.com/papers/eem/anecdotes.htm#15000 "Eugene McDonnell Quotations and Anecdotes"].</ref> Amazon has created a [[wikipedia:JSON Schema|JSON Schema]] for its virtual assistant, Alexa, called the Alexa Presentation Language.<ref>Amazon Developer Services and Technologies: [https://developer.amazon.com/en-US/docs/alexa/alexa-presentation-language/understand-apl.html#documents Understand Alexa Presentation Language (APL)]</ref> This is often abbreviated APL, and can thus create some confusion with the APL programming language. | |||
== References == | == References == | ||
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[[Category:APL history]][[Category:IBM]] | [[Category:APL history]][[Category:IBM]] | ||
{{Template:APL community}} | |||