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authorMarshall Lochbaum <mwlochbaum@gmail.com>2021-07-16 21:49:43 -0400
committerMarshall Lochbaum <mwlochbaum@gmail.com>2021-07-16 21:49:43 -0400
commit4e13412f5c097c7d4b2b163b5229cdd480a637c2 (patch)
treeb7308204560cb056a4666523edbcbb89e8c4fd7a
parentab704db2829eb833a854cd53fb0477917e04e42b (diff)
Update getting started section now that docs are mostly complete
-rw-r--r--README.md6
-rw-r--r--doc/README.md1
2 files changed, 4 insertions, 3 deletions
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index c8441cc9..ea757499 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -70,11 +70,11 @@ BQN has no intention of being the last word in programming, but could be a pract
## How do I get started?
-*Writing good learning material for a programming language is a pretty huge task, so neither the tutorials nor the documentation are complete. With some willingness to experiment and possibly outside knowledge of array programming, it's enough to get by, just not smooth sailing.*
+*The documentation still has some pages missing (not many now), while the tutorials are probably less than half complete. I don't think this is much of an impediment any more. Ask about anything you find confusing on the forums.*
-BQN's [**tutorials**](tutorial/README.md) are intended as an introduction to array programming with BQN. They assume only knowledge of elementary mathematics, but will probably be hard to follow if you have *no* programming experience. BQN has a lot in common with dynamically-typed functional languages like Lisp, Julia, or Javascript, so knowledge of these languages will be particularly helpful. However, there's a significant (but shrinking) gap between the last tutorial and existing documentation. If you're motivated, you may be able to get across by reading material on other array languages like APL, J, NumPy, or Julia.
+BQN's [**tutorials**](tutorial/README.md) are intended as an introduction to array programming with BQN. They assume only knowledge of elementary mathematics, but will probably be hard to follow if you have *no* programming experience. BQN has a lot in common with dynamically-typed functional languages like Lisp, Julia, or Javascript, so knowledge of these languages will be particularly helpful. The tutorials end abruptly right now, so you'll have to switch to the documentation, which is less structured.
-If you're already an array programmer, then you're in better shape: the current [**documentation**](doc/README.md) covers nearly all differences from APL, and the [BQN-Dyalog APL](doc/fromDyalog.md) or [BQN-J](doc/fromJ.md) dictionary might also be a useful resource. However, you should be aware of two key differences between BQN and existing array languages beyond just the changes of [primitives](doc/primitive.md)—if these differences don't seem important to you then you don't understand them! BQN's [based array model](doc/based.md) is different from both a flat array model like J and a nested one like APL2, Dyalog, or GNU APL in that it has true non-array values (plain numbers and characters) that are different from depth-0 scalars. BQN also uses [syntactic roles](doc/context.md) rather than dynamic type to determine how values interact, that is, what's an argument or operand and so on. This system, along with lexical closures, means BQN fully supports Lisp-style [functional programming](doc/functional.md).
+If you're already an array programmer, you might start with the [**documentation**](doc/README.md) right away, using the [BQN-Dyalog APL](doc/fromDyalog.md) or [BQN-J](doc/fromJ.md) dictionary as a quick reference where appropriate. Be aware of two key differences between BQN and existing array languages beyond just the changes of [primitives](doc/primitive.md)—if these differences don't seem important to you then you don't understand them! BQN's [based array model](doc/based.md) is different from both a flat array model like J and a nested one like APL2, Dyalog, or GNU APL in that it has true non-array values (plain numbers and characters) that are different from depth-0 scalars. BQN also uses [syntactic roles](doc/context.md) rather than dynamic type to determine how values interact, that is, what's an argument or operand and so on. This system, along with lexical closures, means BQN fully supports Lisp-style [functional programming](doc/functional.md).
A useful tool for both beginners and experienced users is [**BQNcrate**](https://mlochbaum.github.io/bqncrate/), a searchable collection of BQN snippets to solve particular tasks. If you have a question about how you might approach a problem, give it a try by typing in a relevant keyword or two.
diff --git a/doc/README.md b/doc/README.md
index 19d261ad..7d1c98ba 100644
--- a/doc/README.md
+++ b/doc/README.md
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ Primitives:
- [Assert](assert.md) (`!`)
- [Deshape and Reshape](reshape.md) (`⥊`)
- [Enclose](enclose.md) (`<`)
+- [Find](find.md) (`⍷`)
- [Fold and Insert](fold.md) (`´˝`)
- [Group](group.md) (`⊔`)
- [Identity functions](identity.md) (`⊢⊣`)