Tuesday 27 October 2009

MicroAPL releases APLX 5

MicroAPL announces the commercial release of APLX Version 5 for all platforms – Windows, MacOS and Linux. APLX Server Editions, and 64-bit implementations, are also now available.

You can download free-of-charge evaluation copies of APLX Version 5 from the MicroAPL website www.microapl.co.uk/apl.

This is a quick summary of the new features introduced in Version 5 (see further details):

  • Performance Profiling can be used to find out which parts of your APL code take the most time to execute, or are executed most often, and so helps you to determine which functions to concentrate on when optimising performance. You can view the performance data in a number of different ways, and easily 'drill down' to get more detail on exactly where execution time is spent. APLX Version 5 introduces a very easy-to-use menu-based profiling facility, or, for more detailed control, a new system function for profiling. The results are available in tables, in graphical form, and as a detailed web page report.
  • Function, Workspace and Text Comparison
  • A new Scrapbook and Idiom facility, to help you re-use code snippets and APL idioms.
  • Mixins’, an innovative extension to the object-oriented language features introduced in APLX v4. Mixins allow you to extend your user-defined classes so that, at run-time, they dynamically 'mix in' functionality (i.e. methods and properties, and perhaps events) from one or more other classes; these can be internal (user-defined, and written in APL), or external (.Net, Java, Ruby etc, or a built-in APLX system class).
  • New external class interface: R Statistical Software. R is an open-source language and set of packages aimed principally at statistical analysis. It includes a huge library of pre-written statistical and mathematical routines, which can be accessed immediately and very conveniently from APLX. It also includes mathematically-oriented graphing facilities, and support for complex numbers.
  • New Primitive Functions: Unique, Union, Intersection, Stop, Left, Pass, Right, and Not Match.
  • XML Conversion facilities
  • Support for SVG Graphics
  • Larger component files.

Monday 26 October 2009

Donald McIntyre

Roger Hui on the J Forum:

Donald B. McIntyre (1923-08-15 to 2009-10-21) passed away peacefully in the afternoon of October 21. Donald was an eminent geologist who pioneered the use of computers in geology. He was a gifted and inspiring teacher, an early and long-time APL and J user, and a friend and colleague of Ken Iverson and myself. He is survived by his wife Ann and his son Ewen. A memorial service will be held in St John’s Kirk in Perth, Scotland, this coming Friday, October 30.

Information about Donald’s life and times and his work can be found at www.mcintyre.me.uk

Professor McIntyre was a generous contributor to Vector. He is greatly missed.

Saturday 24 October 2009

Finnish Forest Seminar 15-16 Apr 2010

FinnAPL has announced its annual Foreset Seminar w3ill be held “somewhere in Southern Finland” on 15-16 April 2010. The programme should cover the versions of Dyalog, Windows and J and some databases.

Contact Kimmo Linna for details: kimmo.linna@finnair.com

STSC manuals

Leather-bound STSC APL manuals seek a good home: contact treasurer@vector.org.uk

Wednesday 21 October 2009

JobWatch: UK

Reposted from JobServe:

Senior Python Developer - Automated Trading/Betting - London, Permanent
Skills: Python, Unix/Linux, Erlang, C, Haskell, APL/J/K, Lisp, Django

My client is a Sports Trading and Quantitative Research Software House based in West London with clients including market leading betting syndicates and high street bookmakers alike. They are presently looking for an exceptional Python developer to join a small team of industry leading technologists using cutting edge technology and quantitative techniques to overcome the betting industry's fundamental inefficiencies (namely a lack of automation, risk, efficient pricing and poor liquidity).

They are seeking a very strong Senior Python technologist with a broad range of technical experience acquired over 5 + years within a professional environment. Applicants with a strong interest in other Scripting languages, Erlang, Haskell and Unix/Linux would be especially sought after. As would those with experience developing reliable, fault tolerant applications.

The successful applicant will be joining an elite team working on the extension and improvement of an award winning Automated Sports Betting Systems, presently tailored specifically towards the Football markets, but with planned expansion to other sports. Previous experience working on similarly automated trading systems within finance or betting would be preferable, but those from outside the industry with a keen interest in Sport will be considered. Applicants will most likely be considered the technical authority on Python within their represent employer.

My client offers a technology focused environment which is relaxed (no suits, good work/life balance) yet technically excellent. They have already attracted some of the industries top talent by offering the best of both worlds, exposure to a broad range of automated trading and sports betting products in a high output environment with creative software house feel.

If interested, please email your CV to (see below).

Aston Carter Ltd is acting as an Employment Agency in relation to this vacancy.
Location West London
Country UK
Start Date ASAP
Rate £50k-£75k per annum + excellent benefits and bonuses
Employment Agency Aston Carter
Contact Oliver Doherty
Telephone 0207 997 1145
Fax 020 7997 1001
Email Oliver.Doherty.DD979.232A0@mail.jobserve.com
Web Link http://www.astoncarter.co.uk
Reference JSBR=TRADEPYTHON451
Posted Date 20/10/2009 18:15:26

APL The Next Generation

Visual APL

Stardate 2009. Ajay Askoolum finds Visual APL ready for the Visual Studio universe of polyglot solutions. Boldly go.

Exploring the beauty of J

Luis Diego Fallas has been exploring J on his blog Exploring Beautiful Languages.

Tuesday 20 October 2009

R… statistics!

APLX-R

Simon Marsden reaches for the rich, open-source resources of the R language – not a big stretch with his APLX-R interface

Monday 19 October 2009

Full moons and Sundays

quarter moon

Calculating when Easter falls ought to be tricky. Ray Polivka finds an old solution that needs just ten divisions.

Cocking & Darwin

Charles Darwin

Get evolution working for you. Romilly Cocking shows you how to grow your own programs using genetic algorithms.

Friday 16 October 2009

JobWatch: UK

Python Senior Software Developer Hedge Fund/Finance London

Python Senior Software Developer/Python Programmer is required for exciting and progressive Hedge Fund Financial company based in London. They are looking for an enthusiastic and experienced in Python and Unix/Linux Software Developer/Python Programmer. An interest in functional programming and its application in the real world would be useful. The role would suit developers with at least five years experience and proven ability to deliver working software. You might also have some of the following skills in C, Haskell, APL/J/K, Lisp, Django and significant part of childhood spent hacking away in 8-bit assembly language. Join an exciting company with many opportunities to progress your Python career. Send your CV for immediately review and further details.
Location London
Country UK
Rate £45k to £80k Per: annum + Benefits: Excellent Benefits
Employment Agency Oho Group Ltd
Contact Burim Hykaj
Telephone 0207 622 5155
Email Burim.Hykaj.1C2CB.3892E@mail.jobserve.com
Reference JS055
Posted Date 15/10/2009 18:30:48

Reposted from JobServe

Tuesday 13 October 2009

Below the SALT

Dyalog’s SALT lets you define functions, variables, namespaces and classes from scripts – but how to turn the workspaces you have into scripts? Dan Baronet shows it’s a snap

Sunday 11 October 2009

Beyond average

The Dfn version of the classic APL expression for the average or arithmetic mean is widely thought to be unimprovable. Roger Hui shows it’s not.

The problem with the world



Writing DotNet assemblies means handling multiple metrics. Get yourself ready with our GPS reader challenge.

Saturday 10 October 2009

Games of life and death

Military applications of APL? A weird wired patch from Solarbreeze’s Flickr collection.



Kudos to Devon McCormick for calling it in.

Correspondence: Mark Wickens

We don’t really have the comment thing going yet at Vector. So here’s a traditional letter to the editor from Mark Wickens

Just wanted to say thanks for the Dyalog at 25 issue of Vector. I went to blood donors last night and needed something to occupy me during the inevitable wait (an hour this time) and located this copy of Vector propped on top of a pile of books under the bed, couldn't decide whether I'd read it or not and just took it along. Absolutely fascinating, and a powerful insight into the trials and tribulations of a small software company, especially from the 'geek' perspective.

For my sins I have an interest in old DEC hardware (alpha, vax etc) so was especially interested in the bits about the 64 bit version and the slow VAX implementation. My first job was on the VAX porting team of a small software house – so a lot of the details rang true.

For a reason unknown only to myself I had an interest in getting VAX APL installed (which it is on a VAXstation 4000/90) and at some point in the future will get the time to hopefully provide a little information to anyone interested on the web. Are there any versions of Dyalog APL still kicking around for the VAX or Alpha? I'd love to have a go at getting it up and running.

Thanks for the article and all your hard work on Vector. The dedication of the team shows through in the quality of the publication.

Right back to the day job, Enterprise Java…

Regards,

Mark.
www.wickensonline.co.uk

50 in 50: Fifty programming languages in fifty minutes

Art or education? Or “pretentious drivel”? Guy Steele and Richard Gabriel presented fifty 50-word remarks on fifty programming languages at JAOO Århus 2008. Yes, APL too.

Kudos to Dave Thomas for the link.

JobWatch UK

Senior and graduate Python developers wanted with APL, J or K experience preferred:

Graduate Python Developers are required to work for a new emerging leader in the information security industry based in South West London.

You will be a part of a company that is growing rapidly in size and in reputation. As one of their Graduate Python developers you will be in a key position to be a part of something big and exciting, giving you endless opportunities to progress rapidly from a Graduate Python Developer to a Senior Python Developer position. You will receive an excellent starting salary, long holidays and discretional bonuses. You will ideally have had good academic experience working with Python and you will have a strong interest in Linux/Unix. You will have at least a 2:1 or above from a redbrick University and you will ideally have A's and B's at A-level.

A background in any of C, Haskell, APL/J/K, Lisp, Django would be beneficial but they are not essential.

Also…

Graduate Python Developers are required to work for a new emerging leader in the information security industry based in South West London. You will be a part of a company that is growing rapidly in size and in reputation. As one of their Graduate Python developers you will be in a key position to be a part of something big and exciting, giving you endless opportunities to progress rapidly from a Graduate Python Developer to a Senior Python Developer position. You will receive an excellent...

Contact Dan Seddon at Oho Group on +44 20 7622 6399.