<language> An APL extension from IBM with nested arrays. ["APL2 Programming: Language Reference", IBM, Aug 1984. Order No. SH20-9227-0]. (1995-11-29)

<language> Arguably the current (2001) market-leading implementation of APL, from Dyalog Limited. Dyalog APL runs under Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT, and Windows 2000; and several popular UNIX systems including Linux. Dyalog APL complies with ISO 8485 and has many features that make it good for complex GUI applications. Dyalog APL was introduced in 1983 and is currently (2002) in active development. (2003-11-17)

<language> (APL) A language designed originally by Ken Iverson at Harvard University in 1957-1960 as a notation for the concise expression of mathematical algorithms. It went unnamed (or just called Iverson's Language) and unimplemented for many years. Finally a subset, APL360, was implemented in 1964. APL is an interactive array-oriented language and programming environment with many innovative features. It was originally written using a non-standard character set. It is dynamically typed with dynamic scope. APL introduced several functional forms but is not {purely functional}. Dyadic Systems APL/W is one of the languages that will be available under Microsoft's .NET initative. ISO 8485 is the 1989 standard defining the language. Versions: APL360, APL SV, Dyalog APL, VS APL, Sharp APL, Sharp APL/PC, APL*PLUS, APL*PLUS/PC, APL*PLUS/PC II, MCM APL, Honeyapple, DEC APL, Cognos {APL2000 (http://apl2000.com/)}, IBM APL2. See also Kamin's interpreters. APLWEB translates WEB to APL. Dijkstra said that APL was a language designed to perfection - in the wrong direction. ["A Programming Language", Kenneth E. Iverson, Wiley, 1962]. ["APL: An Interactive Approach", 1976]. (2004-02-13)

A Programming Language

APL (named after the book A Programming Language) is a programming language developed in the 1960s by Kenneth E. Iverson. Its central datatype is the multidimensional array. It uses a large range of special graphic symbols to represent most functions and operators, leading to very concise code. It has been an important influence on the development of concept modeling, spreadsheets, functional programming, and computer math packages. It has also inspired several other programming languages.