🚀 go-pugleaf

     Here's the true scoop on so-called APL/11.  It was originally
whipped up by Ken Thompson in about two days, and I later got it, fiddled
for a week or so, and sent it out to Usenix.  It was on the first or
second Usenix tape, a long time ago.  Since then it's bounced around a
certain amount and appeared (with some wrong guesses about its origin) in
4BSD.  To make it full APL, a lot of work would be needed.  Last time I
checked, its weaknesses included:

  No terminal independence
  No labels in functions
  Kludgy function compilation which causes flakes when function
    definitions change
  No function editor
  No state indicator
  No file package
  No shared variables
  Teensy-weensy workspace (better on the vax than the 11, though)
  Dubious behavior with arguments in limiting cases (e.g. null args)

The expression evaluator is nice, so it's OK as a desk calculator but a
decided loser beyond that.  I haven't touched or looked at it in years,
so please don't ask me for fixes.

John Levine, IECC, PO Box 349, Cambridge MA 02238; (617) 491-5451
decvax!yale-co!jrl, harpo!esquire!ima!johnl, ucbvax!cbosgd!ima!johnl (uucp)
Levine@YALE (Arpa).