Good and bad tutorial examples, backgammon in J, mutex implementation, mutual exclusion using file-locking, algorithm publication, argument for executable algorithmic notation, Tabula for scientific calculations in various units, threads in J, Easter date calculation, parallel programming
Agenda for NYCJUG 20100713
1. Beginner's regatta: some different examples of tutorials - see "Backgammon tools in J.pdf" and "Java Tutorial-Bad - Javascript Tutorial-Good.pdf". 2. Show-and-tell: A J implementation of "mutex" - see "MutexInJUsingFileLocking.pdf". 3. Advanced topics: how might algorithms be better expressed in publication - see "NotationForAnAlgorithm.pdf"? Ian Clark's "Tabula": introduction and an example - see "Tabula-BeyondScientificCalculator.pdf". Threads in J? See Oleg's "JThreads.pdf". 4. Learning, teaching and promoting J, et al.: Would something like this paper by Polivka motivate a beginner to learn APL (or J) - see "Ten divisions to Easter by Ray Polivka.pdf"? Also, a parallel-programming conference - see "OSCONTalks-Plumbing-Parallel Programming for Artists and Makers.pdf"
Meeting Materials
Backgammon tools in J - from Vector.
Example of a bad Java Tutorial and a good Javascript one. The source for the bad one is here and the good one is here.
An implementation of mutex in J. This project can be found here.
Excerpts from an article from the ACM's "Transactions on Algorithms" - with attention to the peculiar "conventional" notation for showing replication by using a superscript.
Introduction to Tabula - "Beyond a Scientific Calculator" - with an example about how to figure the energy requirements for launching an elephant into orbit. See the source for this.
An outline of how threads might be used in J - see the source page here.
An essay on calculating the dates of Easter using a simple method requiring only ten divisions, by Ray Polivka - from Vector.
Some talks that were given at OSCON in July, 2008, including "Plumbing - Parallel Programming for Artists and Makers". The conference this year in Portland, Oregon on July 19-22. This talk, titled "Another Go at Language Design" by Rob Pike, looks interesting.