101–110 of 207 posts
Publishing a Python version of SICP would solve the problem. Sure, you can't always translate Scheme to Python with ease, but even a smaller, modern edition of SICP written in a Pythonic way would be extremely beneficial.
My introduction to Scheme, incidentally, came while I was learning JavaScript, and it was through a book that hadn't originally been written in Scheme, either: http://javascript.crockford.com/little.html
So did anyone else look at the challenge problem, see f(n-3), f(n-2), and f(n-1), then immediately think "oh. A three element array would solve that"? Took me less than 60 seconds... I'm a little worried that I'm so good at imperative programming, though, since it might indicate that I'm "crippled" when it comes to functional programming. I bet one of you could code circles around me when it comes to e.g. implementin…
I looked at it and thought, "easy, I'll just rewrite the Scheme function in Mercury and tell the compiler to memoize the function." Of course, obviously the point of the exercise is to encourage thinking about how a computer actually performs computations, which is in a linear, imperative fashion. In that case, why use Scheme in the first place? Its syntax and semantics encourage exactly the opposite style of program…
(define (memoize f)
(let ((table (make-table)))
(lambda (x)
(let ((previously-computed-result (lookup x table)))
(or previously-computed-result
(let ((result (f x)))
(insert! x result table)
result))))))Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Some college freshman haven't taken calculus... Yeah, and that's a serious problem, too -- and one that I'm guilty of! ...that is, if I'd ever gone to college. :-( I am very much not encouraged by a "race to the bottom" when it comes to education. If calculus is too difficult for the student, then perhaps the student should not consider a career in programming. I say that without any malice whatsoever; I'm not symp…
I really don't see what connection calculus has with the vast majority of programming. Calculus, and algebraic manipulation in general, has next to no relationship with programming. I really don't see any reason why someone who has difficulty with calculus would have similar difficulties with programming; for all I know, they missed out on some fundamentals because they were sick in school, or they fell out with thei…
Practical programming should not be the point of early computer science curricula.
It should be if you want more people than CS majors to take it.
Practical programming should not be the point of early computer science curricula.
Whoa, stop. There's a lot of issues in this article. First of all, Berkeley is NOT getting rid of SICP and SICP ideas. This is flat out untrue. I'm a recent instructor for the course, and I've spoken to several TA's about this course. Below is a rough summary of what we've discussed. This should not be construed as the "official line", but take from it what you will. First, Berkeley are not getting rid of SICP. For…
Hi! As a member of the Python community, could you please pick a better textbook than Dive into Python? Think Python is a far better book, off the top of my head, but nearly anything's better than DiP for people not acquainted with the language. ( http://greenteapress.com/thinkpython/ )
This is one of a very very small number of programming-related articles I've ever been glad to read. Programming should be taught as an approach to problem-solving and structured logical thinking, not as an approach to a particular language. If you can understand the core concepts of programming, the individual languages begin to matter a lot less. Python is great. Java is great. C++ is great. But they are just tools…
It's not "what the school wants to teach" but more "what the student needs to know at the end of the semester". I love SICP -- for me it was a revelation which opened a new world, and is still my favorite book -- but not everyone is like that. 90% of my colleague in my university would hate that book.. (As they hated the dragon book and anything less practical). So, as they say, "Hate the game, not the gamers". What…
Whoa, stop. There's a lot of issues in this article. First of all, Berkeley is NOT getting rid of SICP and SICP ideas. This is flat out untrue. I'm a recent instructor for the course, and I've spoken to several TA's about this course. Below is a rough summary of what we've discussed. This should not be construed as the "official line", but take from it what you will. First, Berkeley are not getting rid of SICP. For…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Some college freshman haven't taken calculus... Yeah, and that's a serious problem, too -- and one that I'm guilty of! ...that is, if I'd ever gone to college. :-( I am very much not encouraged by a "race to the bottom" when it comes to education. If calculus is too difficult for the student, then perhaps the student should not consider a career in programming. I say that without any malice whatsoever; I'm not symp…
I really don't see what connection calculus has with the vast majority of programming. Calculus, and algebraic manipulation in general, has next to no relationship with programming. I really don't see any reason why someone who has difficulty with calculus would have similar difficulties with programming; for all I know, they missed out on some fundamentals because they were sick in school, or they fell out with thei…
It's just the question of where do we need universities at all when everything valuable is replaced with ever-easier material? Of course, the marginal number of people who actually want to become academics in CS will be needing universities, but that would amount to 1/10th or likely less of current CS student population.