APL is fundamentally cool and I'd like to think it will make a comeback. But it seems that most modern APL-derived languages focus on trying to squeeze everything into ASCII as concisely as possible.
The following is an example of quite readable ELI with only a handful of symbols:
c,[1.5]32+1.8*c<-$_10+5**!10
It's not bad, but when all you have is ASCII, dense notation will inevitably look like line noise.
APL's graphical notation was one of its original inventions, but custom keyboards weren't a viable solution in the PC era... But today the situation is different again. High-DPI displays and touch screens are becoming standard.
Would it be possible to reinvent APL notation to take advantage of high-res graphics and natural input methods? I'd love to see a tablet-only reinvention of APL that doesn't have a keyboard at all, just a number pad and painted gestures.
The following is an example of quite readable ELI with only a handful of symbols:
It's not bad, but when all you have is ASCII, dense notation will inevitably look like line noise.APL's graphical notation was one of its original inventions, but custom keyboards weren't a viable solution in the PC era... But today the situation is different again. High-DPI displays and touch screens are becoming standard.
Would it be possible to reinvent APL notation to take advantage of high-res graphics and natural input methods? I'd love to see a tablet-only reinvention of APL that doesn't have a keyboard at all, just a number pad and painted gestures.