Lambda World 2024 - Hooray for arrays - Stephen Taylor

[@c4tubo]

Superb; a most enlightening perspective on where it all came from!

[@jayfoad]

Love this!

[@AzureFlash]

Wow he was not kidding with that warning. That escalated quickly.

[@markdatko4832]

Is it true that Iverson wanted to call it THE Programming Language 😂 ?

[@5jt]

Not the first time I’d heard that ! I’ll ask around and reply here if I learn anything about it. 🤣

[@5jt]

From ChatGPT: Kenneth E. Iverson suggested the idea of "The Programming Language" (TPL) more as a passing idea rather than as a formal proposal, and there’s no specific paper or publication where he officially advocated for TPL. Most references to this alternative name come from historical accounts, oral histories, and recollections from people who worked with Iverson, as well as informal documents related to the development of APL. Iverson’s primary goal was to develop a notation for mathematical algorithms, which was later adapted into a programming language, and he was less focused on branding it with a particular name. As a result, the concept of "TPL" didn’t move beyond early discussions and was quickly replaced by "APL" when the language was first formally introduced in his seminal 1962 book, *A Programming Language*. After the publication of *A Programming Language* in 1962, the name "TPL" does not appear in any formal records or documentation related to APL's development at IBM or in subsequent academic or industry publications. By that point, APL had already gained traction under its official name, with IBM Research-particularly Adin Falkoff-fully embracing the "APL" acronym. Falkoff, who co-authored many works on APL with Iverson, suggested the "APL" acronym to give it a succinct identity that aligned with the book title and emphasized the language's focus on expressive power and algorithmic representation. Once APL was established within IBM Research and saw early adoption, any references to "TPL" were abandoned, and the language became known almost exclusively as APL in all formal and informal documentation. While there may have been occasional informal discussions about alternative names in the early years of APL's expansion, no records indicate that "TPL" or any other name was seriously proposed after 1962.