Ask HN: Have you read "The Art of Computer Programming"? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: Have you read "The Art of Computer Programming"?

#21

Post by brudgers » Wed, Jul 09, 2014, 9:12 PM UTC

I haven't read TAoCP. I am reading them. I have been for years. Every time I open one up, I learn something. I am also always confused. That's what I love about the work. It reminds me that this stuff is hard - so hard that Knuth hasn't finished learning the subject even after 50 years spent writing a 12 chapter book about compilers.

What makes them great books is Knuth's ability to tackle writing at multiple levels of sophistication. As I learn more maths new portions of each section become accessible. As I learn more about data structures and algorithms a similar thing tends to happen.

I haven't been in a rush to 'finish' them. Neither has Knuth. I read them because I enjoy reading them.

Re: Ask HN: Have you read "The Art of Computer Programming"?

#22

Post by fardoche » Wed, Jul 09, 2014, 9:30 PM UTC

I've read very carefully some parts of it, mostly combinatorial algorithms, because I had a program to write or an algorithm to study. I've also done exercises here and there when they caught my interest (obBrag: and once got a $2.56 check out of it). I'm also using TAOCP as a bedside table book, because Knuth is fun and relaxing to read.

Re: Ask HN: Have you read "The Art of Computer Programming"?

#23

Post by navjot » Fri, Jul 11, 2014, 2:22 AM UTC

PaulHoule wrote: post #15

acuozzo wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> just isn't relevant in a day when your language has a sort() function built in and hashtables You're conflating Computer Science with Computer Programming.

Yes and no. Frankly it irks me that "computer science" is called a "science" rather than a kind of engineering. There's kind of a suggestion here that "engineering" is lower class and that "science" is something more dignified. Today if you want to write efficient sorting and searching code you need to either think about very advanced algorithms or you need to think about how to get the best performance out of the me…

Yes. You are mistaking computer science with computer programming.

Computer science is rarely concerned with a particular implementation in a particular language. It surveys procedures and algorithmic techniques which don't fall into the specificity of any one language, unless you are studying the very nature of programming languages of course.

Computer Science perhaps is a misnomer, but it for sure isn't an engineering study. It's a subcategory of mathematics, such as pure mathematics or combinatorics etc.