324 The Design of APL

Abstract: This paper discusses the development of APL, emphasizing and illustrating the principles underlying its design. The principle of simplicity appears most strongly in the minimization of rules governing the behavior of APL objects, while the principle of practicali-ty is served by the design process itself, which relies heavily on experimentation. The paper gives the rationale for many specific de-sign choices, including the necessary adjuncts for system management