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Date:	Wed, 10 Sep 2008 16:06:16 -0700
From:	"Lynn H. Maxson" <lmaxson@pacbell.net >
Reply-To:	scoug-programming@scoug.com
To:	scoug-programming@scoug.com
Subject:	SCOUG-Programming: Drafting a lesson plan

Content Type: text/plain

While it does not have a neat tie-in to the lesson plan I had in mind I
have no objection for anyone offering to teach people about APL2. I
understand Steven's concern about topics for the monthly meeting. Thus
he would welcome anyone who has something to offer an opportunity to do so.

With respect to our Programming SIG project this does not contribute
toward its goals. We have a need to have a familiarity with assembly
language with a goal of both having a detailed understanding and
successful assembly of forth.exe. That understanding should give us
something of a comfort zone with respect to assembly language, the
process of the stack process of FORTH and how we implement "words" in
assembly language.

Existing FORTH implementations have a set of words which we need to
implement. FORTH like C supports only element only operators. We then
have to see what structurally we need to change to enhance FORTH with
aggregate properties for the operations we have defined to date. At
that point we can then go into the aggregate innovations which Iverson
introduced with APL like "reduction" and "selection". In this phase of
the project we need assistance with the understanding and implementation
of these advanced APL2 operators.

Of course, once we get into aggregate operators we have to introduce the
list aggregate. That sets us up to introduce the two-stage proof engine
of logic programming which means adding "assertion" in addition to
"assignment" expressions. This means enhancing FORTH, assuming that we
haven't shifted to an SL/I-like equivalent before then, from third to
fourth generation, in essence making it what its author erroneously
claimed for it in its name.

Hopefully we will have by that time introduced a GUI interface drawing
upon the PM programming instruction we have received from Bob Blair
previously. I do not believe that we can layout a complete lesson plan
at this moment as no one has ever attempted something of this nature
before. Even if we have to modify it as our experience dictates in the
process, it will get easier as we pass milestones like some of those
mentioned here previously.

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