Created in the early 1990s, the J programming language was a synthesis of APL and the FP and FL function-level languages.
Developed by Ken Iverson and Roger Hui, the J language is free and open-source, released under the GNU General Public License. It can be used on Apple macOS, GNU/Linux, and Microsoft Windows.
J is a functional programming language that uses functional composition to model computational processes. Like APL, J views everything as an array. Computations are expressed as pipelines among functions that apply on the appropriate axis of each array. Diverging from APL, the language introduces tacit form, where arguments are implied, a concept that is fundamental to defining J programs.
A very terse array programming language, J is suited for mathematical and statistical programming, particularly when performing operations on matrices, although it is also used in extreme programming and analysis of network performance.
The J language is under active development by JSoftware.
Topics relating to the J programming language are the focus of topics in this category. Sites focused on the language itself, any compilers, IDEs, editors, or other tools designed to facilitate programming in J, as well as J user groups, forums, tutorials, or guides, are appropriate for this category.
Recommended Resources
Functional Programming and the J Programming Language
Written by John E. Howland, with the Department of Computer Science at Trinity University, this is a discussion of functional programming, using the J programming language for examples of the functional languages and their application to topics in mathematics. The topics include a description of functional programming, reasons for studying functional programming, and the J programming language specifically. Several programming examples are given, and a bibliography is included.
http://www.cs.trinity.edu/~jhowland/math-talk/functional1/
Hosted on GitHub, and available as a document repository, the site includes a link to the download page for the J programming software, examples of J programming code, references, the Fibonacci numbers, as coded in J, and more examples of J code involving the prime numbers, offering a glimpse of J tables, forks, and filtering by value. Another section includes examples of J code, creating numeronyms, which are number-based words. The source for small programs is also available.
https://github.com/jdan/j
J is a high-level, general-purpose programming language that is particularly suited to the mathematical, statistical, and logical analysis of data. Under active development by J Software, the language and J database are free for non-commercial use. The source can be used under a commercial license or under a GNU GPL License. Release notes, licensure data, and installation instructions are put forth, and an informational wiki includes documentation and support data.
https://www.jsoftware.com/
The Journal of J is an open and free online journal focused on the J programming language and on various areas of science, which may include mathematics, physics, and computer science. Submitted papers are made available on the home page of the journal within three weeks, and all readers have open access to reading and downloading content, and to copy, distribute, use, change, or make derivative works from the content. Contributors are acknowledged and magazine volumes are in PDF format.
http://www.journalofj.com/
Kukuruku: Introduction to the J Programming Language
The online magazine covers a variety of topics, many of them relating to computer programming languages. Published on May 31, 2015, Dr. K.L. Metlov offers an introduction to the J Programming Language, as it was in 2014. Beginning with an introduction to several of the languages that may have had an influence on J, as well as to the language’s creators, he discusses J language coding, gives several examples and, in some cases, equivalent programs in other languages.
https://kukuruku.co/post/introduction-to-j-programming-language-2004/
