Rajeev K. Pandey

Is it easier to write matrix manipulation programs visually or textually? An empirical study

Empirical studies comparing the effectiveness of visual languages versus textual languages have rarely been attempted. We describe an experiment conducted on programmers solving vector and matrix manipulation tasks using the visual language Forms/3, the textual language Pascal, and a textual matrix manipulation language with the capabilities of APL. Our motivation, experimental approach, some of the difficulties experienced in attempting this type of empirical study, and a summary of the experimental results and insights gained are presented.<<ETX>>

FAR: an end-user language to support cottage e-services

E-commerce has begun to evolve beyond simple web pages to more sophisticated ways of conducting e-business transactions, such as through electronic advertising, negotiation, and delivery. However, to participate in these advances requires the skills of professional programmers, and end-user owners of small businesses often cannot justify this expense. In this paper, we present FAR, an end-user language to offer and deliver e-services. The novel aspects of FAR are its support of small e-services and its multiparadigm approach to combining ideas from spreadsheets and rule-based programming with drag-and-drop web page layout devices.

Isomorphism and the N-Queens problem

The N-Queens problem is commonly used to teach the programming technique of backtrack search. The N-Queens problem may also be used to illustrate the important concept of isomorphism. Here we show how the N-Queens problem can be used as a vehicle to teach the concepts of isomorphism, transformation groups or generators, and equivalence classes. We indicate how these ideas can be used in a programming exercise. We include a bibliography of 29 papers.

General-purpose multiparadigm programming languages: an enabling technology for constructing complex systems

Multiparadigm programming languages have been envisioned as a vehicle for constructing large and complex heterogeneous systems, such as a stock market exchange or a telecommunications network. General-purpose multiparadigm languages, as opposed to hybrid multiparadigm languages, embody several prevalent programming paradigms without being motivated by a single problem. One such language is Leda, which embodies the foundational paradigms of imperative, functional, logic, and object-oriented programming. We explore aspects of solving complex problems using Leda, in order to illustrate the benefits of using a multiparadigm language in expressing solutions to complex systems. We claim that general-purpose multiparadigm programming languages like Leda greatly expedite solutions to a variety of complex problems.

Compiling APL for parallel and vector execution

The inherent parallelism of applicative languages such as APL and functional languages such as FP present a little-exploited and somewhat unorthodox means of parallel programming. Here we summarize our investigation of a new approach to compiling such programs for execution on various types of parallel hardware. Our method centers around an intermediate form that is an extension of the lambda calculus. We present evidence that APL programs are easily translated into this intermediate form, and that this intermediate representation lends itself readily to code generation for a variety of parallel hardware.