[mlochbaum]

Readability depends on both the underlying algorithm and its expression in code. Because LINQ has to work in existing languages, it can't express loopless algorithms as well as languages like J that have syntax designed to fit the style. You're probably also putting it at a disadvantage with the automatic translation, as you'll write different and cleaner array code if you approach the problem with array operations in mind.

The author is claiming (and I and many more practical-minded programmers agree) that in J, explicit loops are rarely needed, and usually not even helpful. As the J notation is designed for loopless programming, it has the same kind of bias, against loops. But knowing how J approaches things can be valuable. Most likely, many problems you think are unapproachable with map and reduce can be solved easily by knowing the right techniques.