ArrayCast Insights - Community Edition, Community Voices - Talking KDB-X on ArrayCast
Because of a scheduling conflict and the unavailability of Stephen Taylor, panelist of the well-known ArrayCast, I had the privilege of stepping in for my third appearance, this time as a (guest) panelist. Or, as the former ice hockey player in me would say, I got called up as the backup goalie.
In this episode, we welcomed Ashok Reddy, CEO of KX, who shared insights on the newly released KDB-X Community Edition. We covered the motivations behind this move, the current state of the community edition, and what’s coming next on the roadmap.
If you’re curious about KDB/Q, what the new community edition brings to the table, and our broader discussion, I highly recommend tuning in.
What Are Array Programming Languages?
Array programming languages, like APL, J, and K (the foundation of KDB/Q), are designed to operate on entire sets of data, arrays, with a single, concise expression. Unlike traditional languages that loop through elements one by one, array languages apply operations across whole vectors, matrices, or tables at once. This leads to massive gains in performance, readability, and expressiveness. Their power lies in thinking and coding at a higher level of abstraction, closer to how data is naturally structured, making them a perfect choice in fields like quantitative finance, analytics, and high-performance computing. Fewer lines, faster code, smarter execution.
The Array Cast
The Array Cast is a podcast dedicated to the fascinating world of array programming languages, from APL and J to K, Q, and beyond. Hosted by Conor Hoekstra, a well-known voice in the programming language community, the show features an expert panel including Adám Brudzewsky (APL), Stephen Taylor (APL, Q), Marshall Lochbaum (J, APL, BQN), and Bob Therriault (J). Together, they dive deep into the design, philosophy, and power of array-oriented programming, but always in a way that's engaging, insightful, and often entertaining. Even if you’ve never written a line of APL or Q, the Array Cast is worth your time: it offers a fresh perspective on problem solving, language design, and computational thinking that anyone in tech can appreciate.
Panelists
🎙️ Conor Hoekstra
Research Scientist at NVIDIA, Conor works on array programming models and languages. He's the visionary host of Array Cast, co-creator of the “Algorithms + Data Structures = Programs” podcast, and organizer of the Programming Languages Virtual Meetup series
💡 Adám Brudzewsky
Adám is a seasoned APL programmer and teacher, leading language design at Dyalog Ltd. He’s deeply involved in the APL community and continually advances the language and its ecosystem
📚 Stephen Taylor
A developer, technical writer, and educator, Stephen is an advocate for array languages, particularly APL and Q. He’s actively involved in community outreach and array-language education.
🛠️ Marshall Lochbaum
An array-programming language implementer at Dyalog Ltd, Marshall brings deep expertise in J, APL, BQN, and language implementation. With strong academic training (MSc in CS), he focuses on performance tuning and multi-threaded algorithm optimizations
🎧 Bob Therriault
Bob is the driving force behind Array Cast, a veteran TV producer turned podcast entrepreneur based in British Columbia, he brings decades of media production experience to the show.
Alexander Unterrainer
Consultant and thought leader in KDB/Q, a powerful time-series database and programming language used widely in quantitative finance. Alexander runs DefconQ, a blog, community, and learning hub focused on KDB/Q development.
ArrayCast Guest
Ashok Reddy
Ashok Reddy is the Chief Executive Officer of KX. In this role, he is responsible for scaling the company's growth trajectory with a mission to accelerate the speed of data and AI-driven business innovation to enable KX customers to transform into real-time intelligent enterprises.
Together, this group delivers a compelling mix of high-level expertise, language design know-how, and thoughtful programming-podcast production, and they make Array Cast a must-listen for anyone interested in computational thinking, language design, and modern array paradigms.