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New APL*PLUS Freeware
Manugistics has released APL*PLUS/PC v10 (called APLSE, for
complete DOS and APL file capabilities, full screen management,
graphics, and much, much, more. If you don't need Windows or
nested arrays, APLSE may be for you. But for beginning APL
users, there's both bad news and good news.
The Bad News:
APLSE has some printable documentation, and some on-screen help
with Ctrl-H. However, SYSHELP.ASF is absent, as are command line
options invoked by "?". Further, there's no documentation for
any of APLSE's [] System Functions and Variables -- the very
features that make APL*PLUS worth having. If you don't already
know APL*PLUS/PC, you won't be able to learn how to use these []s.
More than 100 [] System Functions that add high value to this
software (e.g. file management) are present, but unmentioned.
System Variables ([]IO, []ELX, []LX, etc.) are similarly present,
but unmentioned.
An inadvertently conspicuous example of the need for documentation:
upon starting APLSE, the mouse cursor pops into the middle of the
screen. Those not having []MOUSE documentation can't get rid of
it (hint: set []MOUSE[1] <- 0).
The Good News:
For newcomers to APL, there's a remedy for this lack of documen-
tation -- albeit a slightly awkward one. The free demo of
APL*PLUS/PC v10 (released in 1991) contains excellent on-screen
documentation of the [] System Functions and Variables. It also
has a cleverly designed keyboard diagram that, upon pressing a
highlighted key, describes the APL primitive on that key. When
this demo is used together with APLSE, the doors to a powerful
APL are opened, even for beginners.
Another positive note: those who already know APL*PLUS/PC are now
free to sell or otherwise distribute their applications without
concern for copyright, contract, or license legalities.
APLSE.ZIP and PLUSDEMO.ZIP (the demo mentioned above) are down-
loadable free from the BBS\APL, 703-528-7617, and via
ftp::\watserv1.uwaterloo.ca/languages/apl/apl-plus/. Those
without ftp may order APLSE.ZIP and PLUSDEMO.ZIP on disk by
mail for $US7, postpaid world-wide. Send mail orders (payment
enclosed; international postal money orders in $US are ok) to
Dick Holt, 3802 N. Richmond St. Arlington VA 22207 USA.