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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?

#51

Post by bigfishrunning »

daggersandscars wrote: post #9

Background: 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…

> focus on the goal instead of a million tiny details.

This attitude is why my 16 core machine with 100Gb of ram feels about as fast as my Windows 95 machine felt 25 years ago. It's why software seems to scale with the computers that run it.

GP: Read SICP. even if you don't end up writing any Scheme, you'll be a better programmer for it.

Re: Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?

#53

Post by teh_klev »

parentheses wrote: post #49
omnicognate wrote: post #18

Since, 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.

I'm not saying text should be full of acronyms/initialisms, but they serve a purpose of compressing the content. Maybe the chosen acronyms/initialisms don't work for you and that'd be a fair point.

In good writing you should ideally use the full name of the thing you're going to abbreviate with the acronym in parenthesis after the initial "expanded" version. e.g.

"My article is about How to Design Programs (HtDP)..."

Then later the article: "In the HtDP book it mentions...."

This makes life easier for those less familiar with the subject matter.

Re: Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?

#54

Post by db48x »

jstx1 wrote: post #41
tobinfricke wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As if to prove your point, those video lectures are from 1986 . I took the course in 1999. And yes the material is just as relevant today.

Not necessarily as relevant, programming has changed a lot since SICP came out. Sussman says so himself - https://youtu.be/OgRFOjVzvm0

Did geometry become irrelevant once we stopped caring about field boundaries along the flooding river Nile?

Re: Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?

#55

Post by jonsen »

diarrhea wrote: post #36
omnicognate wrote: post #18

Since, 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.

Yep. I avoid acronyms as much as possible for that reason. They are rarely worth it. An accumulated 20 seconds saved typing is not worth the eventual 3 minute hunt towards deciphering later on.

3 min × n nor (number of readers)

Re: Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?

#56

Post by rsrsrs86 »

I think it won’t ever hurt to know the topics in SICP. The interpreters and other components presented in the book will help the user navigate so many different problems, and the use of Scheme will instruct the reader in functional programming.

The presentation is very gradual and easy to follow (as far as any text in CS can be easy).

If you follow SICP in Racket, you will get know a language that can be used to do anything - Racket has a formidable library.

Re: Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?

#57

Post by JohnFen »

omnicognate wrote: post #18

Since, 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.

Thank you for this. I was wondering.

Re: Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?

#58

Post by bloopernova »

omnicognate wrote: post #18

Since, 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.

thank you

Acronyms and initialisms with no explanation are passive aggressive gatekeeping.

Re: Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?

#59

Post by JohnFen »

brudgers wrote: post #16

The 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 in…

I agree. I'd also add that it's useful to skim through such books as well, maybe casually reading things here and there that catch your attention.

Re: Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?

#60

Post by dreamcompiler »

debaserab2 wrote: post #25
daggersandscars wrote: post #9

Background: 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…

aside from the fact SICP now has a javascript edition, if you pick a book that focuses on whatever random modern javascript/python programming language you're not really studying anything like the material in SICP. SICP is more like studying the actual composition of wood itself than it is about tools. this is still important whether youre using new or old tools.

And because javascript has real lambdas and lexical closures, you probably lose less studying SICP in JS than you would in e.g. Python.
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