But that function is precisely what they're writing? Add a "return max;" at the end and you have you function. It will still be longer than |/.

> Maybe terseness just isn't that tremendously valuable to a lot of coders.

That's the thing. The big difference between the APL community and the rest is the value they accord to terness. I'm not saying they are right or wrong, I'm saying that it is what defines them.

Another point that goes with the symbols is that the symbols may not have the baggage that words have. Words can mean a lot of different things.