Kohtans

Kohtans is a programming language created by Kenneth E. Iverson, who also designed APL. Developed in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Kohtans was designed to be a powerful and concise language for symbolic computation and array manipulation. It drew inspiration from mathematical notation and aimed to provide a high level of expressiveness for complex problems.

The language features a rich set of primitive operations, particularly for working with arrays and matrices. Kohtans utilizes a unique set of symbols, similar to APL, to represent these operations, which can lead to very compact code. This symbolic nature, while powerful, can also present a steep learning curve for new programmers. Kohtans was intended to be interactive, facilitating rapid prototyping and exploration of computational ideas.

While Kohtans never achieved widespread commercial adoption, it has maintained a niche following among researchers and enthusiasts who appreciate its mathematical elegance and computational power. Its influence can be seen in other array-oriented languages and in the development of domain-specific languages for scientific computing and data analysis. The design philosophy of Kohtans emphasizes the manipulation of entire data structures rather than individual elements, promoting a more declarative style of programming.