Re: [Bug-apl] Feature suggestion: multiple function arguments

[Juergen Sauermann]

Hi Elias,
...

On 03/17/2016 05:13 PM, Elias Mårtenson wrote:

On 17 March 2016 at 23:58, Juergen Sauermann <address@hidden> wrote:

if I look at C++ then the standard is equally restrictive when it comes to the source code:

True, but most modern (and some old ones) languages do support it. Including Java, _javascript_, Lisp, C#, Go, Haskell and R, for example.

 

Maybe thats why none of them is on my top-ten list of favoured languages ?

I cannot really see why arbitrary Unicode characters would be an improvement.

APL in particular benefits much more from this than other languages, given its emphasis on compact code and using symbols to describe functionality much more concisely than strings of letters.

After all, APL is based on mathematical notation, which is famous for (over) using various symbols.

Yes. But the APL symbols have always been on the system side and never on the user-defined side.
If we allow them on the user-defined side then:

1. every user can define them differently,
2. we cannot use them for system purposes because we don't know if they conflict with some user's choice, and
3 chaos will ensue

One of the languages that apparently have followed the same strategy is Chinese and I am not sure if it is
a good idea to pave the way into that direction.

Regards,

Elias