Concepts, Techniques, and Models of Computer Programming is also a great book.
Perhaps even better than the the other two.
Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?
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Re: Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?
#12I dont know about practicality but Ive read a good amount of SICP and find it very entertaining
Re: Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?
#13There are versions of SICP adapted for Python like this one: https://www-inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs61a/sp12/book/ and https://wizardforcel.gitbooks.io/sicp-in-python/content/.
I can't compare them to SICP, but if your only concern is the relevance of the examples then these may be worth looking into as a supplement or replacement for the original.
Re: Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?
#14Background: SICP was the textbook for my undergrad intro to CS class, though I was already a self-taught programmer at the time. SICP provided a different way of understanding programming. I enjoyed the class, did well, and became a big fan of Scheme for quite some time. But the text was written for a different era, one dominated by C, PASCAL, and COBOL and when parallel programming was rare. In a time where almost a…
Your only critique is that SICP is old. Computing power and performance are irrelevant to SICP.
Re: Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?
#15I'm not convinced that they're worth it for people who know how to program. If you want to write better Python at work, learn how to write better Python at work; don't waste your time on learning how to write a loop in scheme.
Re: Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?
#16The best way to decide if a book is worth reading is to start reading it.
If it isn't stop and set it aside for later. Because your future self might be one of the people who thinks it is worth reading.
If it is, keep reading until it isn't. By "keep reading" I don't necessarily mean reading as if cramming for an exam. It's ok to read books slowly. Just as it is ok to not finish books (sufficiently slow reading is indistinguishable from not finishing a book). Good luck.
Re: Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?
#17Background: SICP was the textbook for my undergrad intro to CS class, though I was already a self-taught programmer at the time. SICP provided a different way of understanding programming. I enjoyed the class, did well, and became a big fan of Scheme for quite some time. But the text was written for a different era, one dominated by C, PASCAL, and COBOL and when parallel programming was rare. In a time where almost a…
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Re: Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?
#18Since, astonishingly, neither full title is mentioned in the post or the comments:
SICP = Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs: https://mitp-content-server.mit.edu/books/content/sectbyfn/b...
HtDP = How to Design Programs: https://htdp.org/
Sometimes I think gratuitous use of acronyms (initialisms for the pedants) has been the biggest impediment to learning throughout my career.
Re: Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?
#19Background: SICP was the textbook for my undergrad intro to CS class, though I was already a self-taught programmer at the time. SICP provided a different way of understanding programming. I enjoyed the class, did well, and became a big fan of Scheme for quite some time. But the text was written for a different era, one dominated by C, PASCAL, and COBOL and when parallel programming was rare. In a time where almost a…
Your only critique is that SICP is old. Computing power and performance are irrelevant to SICP.
Not only that. Now precisely because multicore is the only path to follow when we reach the end of the Moore’s law, we need more than ever functional programming. Is no coincidence that there are so much new languages that are trying to use those concepts, including a big revival of Lisp.
Re: Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?
#20The concepts in SICP are timeless. There's nothing to be lost going through that book. There are video lectures you can use to accompany the book: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLE18841CABEA24090 Also, I highly recommend the courses How to Code: Simple Data amd How to Code: Complex Data on edX that are based on HtDP.
Second that recommendation. Kiczales is a great teacher, IMHO.