https://stackoverflow.com/questions/19530804
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RussianI'm afraid because of its open format and the multitude of possible answers you question is not really appropriate for stackoverflow. Googling for "apl use cases" does not return stuff which might answer the question, and this is perhaps something the vendors should address.
I guess one aspect the financial guys like about it is the interactive nature of APL (it's an interpreted language, not compiled), so it is easy to test/modify assumptions/models etc. - i.e. APL is also popular with actuaries in insurances. Another aspect is that APL enables you to focus on the problem and its solution and does not require you to study IT in order to solve a problem (i.e. in other languages you actually have to tell the machine to reserver memory for a variable before you can use that variable). That is also the reason why APL is being marketed as a language for "domain-experts", ppl that work in a specific area and have in-depth knowledge of it - and APL is the tool that enables these experts to develop solution to their actual problems. (i.e. I heard a success-story of a "peer programming" session from an Apl-Guy and and insurance-specialist who were trying to implement a model for various complex tariffs, and after a while, the insurance-person was even able to highlight bugs in the code).
Also, my personal story is an example of something unthinkeable with other languages: I had a background in Basic, Pascal, Assembler etc. when I started working as production planning analyst with a major food-compaany and was responsible for support of their new production planning-system. With my background, I was immediately horrified by APL when I first saw the code! ;) However, I got curious because issues that I thought were immensly complex and would take days to solve were addressed amazingly fast - so I started playing with the interpreter, using te old intro from Gilman/Rose. Finally I started "getting into it" and very quickly was able to extend the functionality of that system and 10 yrs later became the lead-developer etc.
OK, far too lengthy reply - but still the q is interesting and the discussion disserves a wider audience and more replies, although, as I said, it is not a real "SO-format"...
