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My Top 100 Programming, Computer and Science Books: Part Four

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Re: My Top 100 Programming, Computer and Science Books: Part Four

#4

Post by Hascheme »

nextos wrote: post #3

I really like many of the books he has posted. I'd definitely rate CTM in the top 2 programming books I've ever read. I think it's the modern sequel to SICP and it doesn't get nearly as much love as it deserves (due to the choice of Mozart/Oz I guess).

What are the pros and cons of CTM as compared to SICP? The latter is very "tight"(like most math texts) for lack of a better word. I find programming (even academical ones) books a bit tiring to read because they don't proceed like typical math texts: very concise explanation -> lemma -> theorem -> proof -> corollary -> very concise elaboration. I get lost if a textbook is not written in that "tight" format. Is CTM close in spirit to SICP? Thanks.

Re: My Top 100 Programming, Computer and Science Books: Part Four

#5

Post by nextos »

Hascheme wrote: post #4
nextos wrote: post #3

I really like many of the books he has posted. I'd definitely rate CTM in the top 2 programming books I've ever read. I think it's the modern sequel to SICP and it doesn't get nearly as much love as it deserves (due to the choice of Mozart/Oz I guess).

What are the pros and cons of CTM as compared to SICP? The latter is very "tight"(like most math texts) for lack of a better word. I find programming (even academical ones) books a bit tiring to read because they don't proceed like typical math texts: very concise explanation -> lemma -> theorem -> proof -> corollary -> very concise elaboration. I get lost if a textbook is not written in that "tight" format. Is CTM c…

It's pretty mathematical. In some respects, it contains more CS formalisms than SICP---but it's not too hardcore.

For example, last chapter defines all the operational semantics of their language.

Mind the authors come from the logic programming community, so the book is quite tight.

Re: My Top 100 Programming, Computer and Science Books: Part Four

#6

Post by kzhahou »

nextos wrote: post #3

I really like many of the books he has posted. I'd definitely rate CTM in the top 2 programming books I've ever read. I think it's the modern sequel to SICP and it doesn't get nearly as much love as it deserves (due to the choice of Mozart/Oz I guess).

CTM, since it's not in the referenced article:

http://www.amazon.com/Concepts-Techniques-Models-Computer-Pr...

Re: My Top 100 Programming, Computer and Science Books: Part Four

#8

Post by abecedarius »

Hascheme wrote: post #4
nextos wrote: post #3

I really like many of the books he has posted. I'd definitely rate CTM in the top 2 programming books I've ever read. I think it's the modern sequel to SICP and it doesn't get nearly as much love as it deserves (due to the choice of Mozart/Oz I guess).

What are the pros and cons of CTM as compared to SICP? The latter is very "tight"(like most math texts) for lack of a better word. I find programming (even academical ones) books a bit tiring to read because they don't proceed like typical math texts: very concise explanation -> lemma -> theorem -> proof -> corollary -> very concise elaboration. I get lost if a textbook is not written in that "tight" format. Is CTM c…

You can check out a preprint version free online. (Google suggests http://www.epsa.org/forms/uploadFiles/3B6300000000.filename.... though I can't trivially tell if that's the author's official free version, since the official book site has some https problem Firefox is complaining to me about.)

Re: My Top 100 Programming, Computer and Science Books: Part Four

#9

Post by ghosthamlet »

I am so sorry, but The Little/Seasoned ... books are all bad books, they are repeating all the time, but they are NOT Iliad, NOT Odyssey, NOT HOMER epic at all. The little schemer and and The Seasoned Schemer I have both read two times , but all can't hold to end. I have read SICP, Simply Scheme, the realm of racket，Practical Common lisp, the joy of clojure, they are all the best, i like them and learned many more from them. Yes i also have learned some thing from The little ... books, but very little compared to 600 pages, indeed if the 600 pages three books can compress to a 100 pages book, then it will be good, may be a best book like many best programmer says, but they didn't do that, they will be 600 pages full of stupid stars and senseless talks forever, so i say they are the worst classic programming books i have read. I really don't know why why the adult human will like the little ..., the little ... are not HOMER epic, how did they repeat and repeat and repeat at pains? Beacuse that seems fun? that seems like fairy tales? I think no, i love Narnia series, Andersen storys, BUT i hate all the little ... books. I don't think i am the only one in the world hate them, but love SICP HOMER epic and Narnia. Please tell why you hate or like the little ... books, or if you can change my thought. I want to know.
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