Installation
J systems can be installed and distributed for free. To install, download a system from either the ![[WWW]](/wiki/modern/img/moin-www.png){kind=small}
beta or stable pages, and follow the installation instructions on those pages.
Once J is installed and loaded, you can get a quick overview of the language by selecting menu Studio|Labs, and running the first few labs. Next try some of the demos in menu Studio|Demos.
Examples
The Studio page has basic examples of J, plus some of the online Labs.
Documentation
Reading the Primer is a good place to start. Even if you have considerable programming experience, there is much that is unique to J, and it is worthwhile to at least skim this book before jumping into the deep end.
See System Documentation for other documentation provided with the installation, or Books for a list of books on J. Some books of interest to beginners are:
Learning J is an excellent introduction and overview of the core J language, see
![[JDic]](/wiki/modern/img/moin-inter.png)
Learning J. J for C Programmers is a guide for making the transition from scalar languages to J. Early chapters describe J in terms of C, but the reader is weaned off C as the book progresses, and many J programmers ignorant of C have found the book a useful companion. Available in a J installation (via Help|Help), in indexed pdf form, or as a Microsoft Word 2003 file. The book makes reference to a J script file.
Easy J is a gentle introduction for the complete beginner, see zipped
pdf.
The J Reference Card is a very handy 2-page summary of J primitives available in pdf form.
See Showcase for more examples and articles on J.
Many newcomers to J have previous experience with APL. The languages are contrasted here.
Forums
The J Forums are the best way to to request help and support, or to report bugs.