Review: APL97 CD ROM

reviewed by Adrian Smith

Transcribed from the printed issue; not yet reviewed. Read it in the PDF of the issue, page 30

Introduction¶

The APL97 CD is much more than just a conference programme in a fancy shape — it contains many valuable APL resources, mostly with code that you can easily paste into your interpreter and use in applications. This review is actually more of a catalogue, really just to give you an idea of whether it is worth a few Canadian dollars to get the disk for your own use.

In general, the catalogue on the CD is comprehensive and effective; here is the readme.txt from the root directory:

IF YOU HAVE A WORLD WIDE WEB BROWSER:
Select the INDEX.HTM file on the root directory of this CD. You should be able to browse the contents of this CD from here.

IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A WORLD WIDE WEB BROWSER:
Get one.

PROBLEMS VIEWING FILES:
Check the TOOLS.HTM file for useful pointers. Most of the contributions came in MS Word format, so we have included the latest Word97 Browser for 32 bit Windows, plus a pointer to Microsoft’s website for the rest of the possible platforms.

… actually you can just root around in File Manager and double-click the interesting DOCs. In fact not all the hot-links work, so if the index mentions something then fails to find it, just take an educated guess and go digging. Don’t try the MSIE Win3.1 browser installation — instant death and loss of about 15 minutes editing on the text below!

How to Order It¶

You may order the APL97 CD ROM from www.torontoapl.org for $C20 + shipping, via cheque, money order, Visa, Master, or Amex.

Shipping Costs: please add the following amounts to your order for shipping costs:

Canada/U.S. — $3.00, Other countries — $5.00

You may submit an order from the web site, or for greater security, please FAX your order to: +1-416-781-5732, or send via postal mail to:

The Toronto APL Special Interest Group
P.O. Box 55, Adelaide St. Post Office
Toronto, Ontario, M5C 2H8, Canada

APL97 CD Contents¶

The list of workshops, tutorials and papers, with their abstracts, is transcribed separately as “APL97 (Toronto) CD Rom (with Abstracts)”.

APL97 Software Library — contributions of software or documentation¶

Contributor	Contents
Mike Jenkins	a file-based version of the Q’Nial Web site
Mike Jenkins	a demo version of Q’Nial for Windows, complete with libraries
Richard Levine	programs for transferring functions and data between various APL systems (some restrictions apply)
Keith Smillie	"Beginning J" — an article in PC Word 6 format, with two script files
Jim Weigang	APL Newsreader — the complete archive of comp.lang.apl articles from Feb 89 to the present, along with Jim Weigang’s APL Newsreader for browsing and searching the articles. (Run-time APL interpreter included.)
Jim Weigang	APLASCII Workspaces — utilities for converting APL symbols to {keywords} and back. Great for imbedding APL programs in e-mail and newsgroup postings and for moving workspaces between different APL systems. Versions are provided for all major contemporary APLs.
Jim Weigang	Jim Weigang’s Web Site — described by Vector as the "definitive APL home Web Site pages", this website has nearly a megabyte of useful information, example programs, and amusing diversions. Browse it from the CD without the usual Internet delays.

The Waterloo Archives¶

The complete contents of the Waterloo APL/J Archives, as of July, 1997