Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?

#21

Post by eatonphil » Mon, Nov 22, 2021, 3:53 PM UTC

tephra wrote: post #20

I thought Knuts Literate Programming book ( https://www-cs-faculty.stanford.edu/~knuth/lp.html ) was extremely interesting, the paper "the errors of TeX" which is a part of it is one of the more interesting papers I've read. Joe Armstrong used to recommend Algorithms + Data structures = Programs ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algorithms_%2B_Data_Structures... ) but I haven't read it. Okay I know you said no to the l…

> I thought Knuts Literate Programming book (https://www-cs-faculty.stanford.edu/~knuth/lp.html) was extremely interesting, the paper "the errors of TeX" which is a part of it is one of the more interesting papers I've read.

I haven't read any of Knuth's stuff because doesn't having 7 volumes kinda imply it can't possibly be well edited? Or maybe I really do just need to suck it up and read these books. I know it's not the same exact book but I took his style to be to generate encyclopedic tomes rather than interesting reading.

> Algorithms + Data structures = Programs

Oo a Wirth book. Those are always good.

> I know you said no to the little schemer but you technically didn't mention The Reasoned Schemer

Man you're cutting it close there!

Re: Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?

#22

Post by cloogshicer » Mon, Nov 22, 2021, 3:53 PM UTC

If you're interested in compilers and programming language design, I highly recommend Bob Nystrom's "Crafting Interpreters". One of the best written programming books I've read.

Free to read online:

http://craftinginterpreters.com/contents.html

Re: Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?

#23

Post by ai_ia » Mon, Nov 22, 2021, 4:01 PM UTC

When I was learning Racket, I really liked Beautiful Racket[0] by Mathew Butterick. The book is accessible, well structured and the web design & typography is outstanding (IMHO). The author created a Racket Package (Pollen) and used it to write this book. I have special admiration for craftsmanship and this book is certainly one of them.

[0]: https://beautifulracket.com/

Re: Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?

#24

Post by eatonphil » Mon, Nov 22, 2021, 4:01 PM UTC

cloogshicer wrote: post #22

If you're interested in compilers and programming language design, I highly recommend Bob Nystrom's "Crafting Interpreters". One of the best written programming books I've read. Free to read online: http://craftinginterpreters.com/contents.html

It's been on my list to read for a while! I wonder if it really is one of the best books on interpreters or if it just hit the right spot of being free online and in a mainstream language (i.e. not Haskell, OCaml, or Scheme) and with code you could actually run whereas most PL _textbooks_ stay too abstract and don't walk you through building a working thing.

Re: Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?

#25

Post by jpgvm » Mon, Nov 22, 2021, 4:02 PM UTC

Learn you a Haskell for Great Good.

Not required reading but entertaining and only somewhat practical unless you happen to write Haskell for a living, in which case yeah - too bad.

Re: Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?

#26

Post by tephra » Mon, Nov 22, 2021, 4:02 PM UTC

eatonphil wrote: post #21

tephra wrote: post #20

I thought Knuts Literate Programming book ( https://www-cs-faculty.stanford.edu/~knuth/lp.html ) was extremely interesting, the paper "the errors of TeX" which is a part of it is one of the more interesting papers I've read. Joe Armstrong used to recommend Algorithms + Data structures = Programs ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algorithms_%2B_Data_Structures... ) but I haven't read it. Okay I know you said no to the l…

> I thought Knuts Literate Programming book ( https://www-cs-faculty.stanford.edu/~knuth/lp.html ) was extremely interesting, the paper "the errors of TeX" which is a part of it is one of the more interesting papers I've read. I haven't read any of Knuth's stuff because doesn't having 7 volumes kinda imply it can't possibly be well edited? Or maybe I really do just need to suck it up and read these books. I know it's…

> I haven't read any of Knuth's stuff because doesn't having 7 volumes kinda imply it can't possibly be well edited? Or maybe I really do just need to suck it up and read these books. I know it's not the same exact book but I took his style to be to generate encyclopedic tomes rather than interesting reading.

Of the Knuth I've read (which includes [a tiny] _some_ of AoCP, lets not kid ourselves) I think he is a very good writer with great sense of humour between the academicness of some of his writing. Take the Surreal Numbers book for example.

Re: Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?

#27

Post by eatonphil » Mon, Nov 22, 2021, 4:04 PM UTC

tephra wrote: post #26

eatonphil wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I thought Knuts Literate Programming book ( https://www-cs-faculty.stanford.edu/~knuth/lp.html ) was extremely interesting, the paper "the errors of TeX" which is a part of it is one of the more interesting papers I've read. I haven't read any of Knuth's stuff because doesn't having 7 volumes kinda imply it can't possibly be well edited? Or maybe I really do just need to suck it up and read these books. I know it's…

> I haven't read any of Knuth's stuff because doesn't having 7 volumes kinda imply it can't possibly be well edited? Or maybe I really do just need to suck it up and read these books. I know it's not the same exact book but I took his style to be to generate encyclopedic tomes rather than interesting reading. Of the Knuth I've read (which includes [a tiny] _some_ of AoCP, lets not kid ourselves) I think he is a very…

You've convinced me. I'll have to go for some of his books. Worst case I've got some intelligence-signaling paperweights.

Re: Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?

#28

Post by eatonphil » Mon, Nov 22, 2021, 4:05 PM UTC

ai_ia wrote: post #23

When I was learning Racket, I really liked Beautiful Racket[0] by Mathew Butterick. The book is accessible, well structured and the web design & typography is outstanding (IMHO). The author created a Racket Package (Pollen) and used it to write this book. I have special admiration for craftsmanship and this book is certainly one of them. [0]: https://beautifulracket.com/

Definite props for beauty.

Re: Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?

#29

Post by Jtsummers » Mon, Nov 22, 2021, 4:07 PM UTC

eatonphil wrote: post #21

tephra wrote: post #20

I thought Knuts Literate Programming book ( https://www-cs-faculty.stanford.edu/~knuth/lp.html ) was extremely interesting, the paper "the errors of TeX" which is a part of it is one of the more interesting papers I've read. Joe Armstrong used to recommend Algorithms + Data structures = Programs ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algorithms_%2B_Data_Structures... ) but I haven't read it. Okay I know you said no to the l…

> I thought Knuts Literate Programming book ( https://www-cs-faculty.stanford.edu/~knuth/lp.html ) was extremely interesting, the paper "the errors of TeX" which is a part of it is one of the more interesting papers I've read. I haven't read any of Knuth's stuff because doesn't having 7 volumes kinda imply it can't possibly be well edited? Or maybe I really do just need to suck it up and read these books. I know it's…

> I haven't read any of Knuth's stuff because doesn't having 7 volumes kinda imply it can't possibly be well edited?

That's a very bad assumption in this case. The contents of TAOCP are very well edited, just massive in scope and it's one man putting it all together. However, those aren't his only books. Concrete Mathematics is a completed text that expands on, in particular, the math in Chapter 1 of TAOCP. Literate Programming is a collection of papers on topics in programming, and is the first of eight such books. If you want interesting but mildly impractical, check out his Computers & Typesetting [0] which includes two books which are actually literate programs.

[0] https://www-cs-faculty.stanford.edu/~knuth/abcde.html