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Knuth's Art of Computer Programming, V 4B, has gone into print

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Re: Knuth's Art of Computer Programming, V 4B, has gone into print

#111

Post by dyingkneepad »

kragen wrote: post #14
Bayko wrote: post #2

Can someone honestly tell me if they have actually read these books AND found them useful ON TGE JOB? What do you guys do for work? I tried reading part 1?? Like ten years ago and it was pretty much assembly language or something I believe. And gave up since it wasnt something that I needed in academia back then and there were far better ways to learn DSA

TAOCP is not job training now, if it ever was; that is trying to get the cart to pull the horse. The point of a job, unless you're lucky enough to get a job where you can change the world, is to pay your living expenses so that you have the leisure to do things like read TAOCP and write Sudoku solvers. If that's not your idea of an enjoyable vacation, don't read it; you'll regret it.

Writing a decent Sudoku solver takes just a few hours... I did this last year in order to refresh my memory on how Ruby worked. Reading TAOCP would take a few more hours than that.

Re: Knuth's Art of Computer Programming, V 4B, has gone into print

#112

Post by why-el »

dragontamer wrote: post #101
rietta wrote: post #69

Very cool. I own the originals and the 4th but sadly I have to admit that even though I am a reasonably accomplished developer with a couple of CS degrees I have a hard time understanding this work and have not yet really read it. I feel like I am publicly admitting failure just posting this. I still have time to make sure these are not just bookshelf decorations though.

The 1st Chapter is one of the best mathematical discussions I've ever read, bar none. But hardcore math isn't needed for most of us programmers. Knuth knows this. I suggest skipping around on an "as needed" basis. Try Volume 1, Section 2.2 "Linear Lists", as a starting point. I promise you its an easier read than you expect. Despite being relatively easy material, you will probably learn something about arrays with j…

He wrote his "Concrete Mathematics" book specifically to address your first point. I admit its the only book of his I read cover to cover and it wrecked me.

Re: Knuth's Art of Computer Programming, V 4B, has gone into print

#113

Post by pjmorris »

rietta wrote: post #69

Very cool. I own the originals and the 4th but sadly I have to admit that even though I am a reasonably accomplished developer with a couple of CS degrees I have a hard time understanding this work and have not yet really read it. I feel like I am publicly admitting failure just posting this. I still have time to make sure these are not just bookshelf decorations though.

Same here. I was toward the end of an associate's degree in programming and finding Knuth Vol 1 in the library stacks felt like discovering there was a whole continent of intellectual effort where I'd only seen a tiny neighborhood. It helped motivate me to go get a BSCS. But 40 years later, I've still only dipped into it from time to time (I did buy my own copy :))

Re: Knuth's Art of Computer Programming, V 4B, has gone into print

#114

Post by ChicagoBoy11 »

rietta wrote: post #69

Very cool. I own the originals and the 4th but sadly I have to admit that even though I am a reasonably accomplished developer with a couple of CS degrees I have a hard time understanding this work and have not yet really read it. I feel like I am publicly admitting failure just posting this. I still have time to make sure these are not just bookshelf decorations though.

I've felt exactly like this about NKS. I have tried many times to understand it, but I come up empty. Half the time I think "well, maybe IT IS just nonsense?" and half the time I think I'm probably just not mentally sharp enough to get it. But I try every couple years or so, but the activity has yielded little more than being a paperweight in my house and a quiet exercise in looking at pretty pictures for me.

Re: Knuth's Art of Computer Programming, V 4B, has gone into print

#115

Post by c1ccccc1 »

boonsuan wrote: post #31

very amusingly, the entire 700+ page volume covers only Sections 7.2.2.1 and 7.2.2.2 of The Art . The lyf so short, the craft so long to lerne

Reminds me of this story: https://slatestarcodex.com/2017/11/09/ars-longa-vita-brevis/

Re: Knuth's Art of Computer Programming, V 4B, has gone into print

#116

Post by bonzini »

f1shy wrote: post #98
bombcar wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Knuth got annoyed at the state of mathematical publishing decades ago, and in a fit not seen since (maybe Linus and git counts) stopped what he was doing, learned enough about typesetting to become a domain expert, wrote TeX, and then resumed what he was doing. So when he uses typesetting/printing terms, he's using them correctly.

Not only TeX, also Metafont, because we was not satisfied with available computer types.

And designing the Computer Modern font, which is certainly not the most artistic or beautiful but still in use and more than decent.

Re: Knuth's Art of Computer Programming, V 4B, has gone into print

#117

Post by pasquinelli »

rietta wrote: post #69

Very cool. I own the originals and the 4th but sadly I have to admit that even though I am a reasonably accomplished developer with a couple of CS degrees I have a hard time understanding this work and have not yet really read it. I feel like I am publicly admitting failure just posting this. I still have time to make sure these are not just bookshelf decorations though.

the impression i have--i'm not sure where i got it from, could even be from the first book itself--is the art of computer programming's mission is to be a useful resource if, a thousand years from now, computer science finds itself starting from scratch. contemporaries can learn from it, but by even just buying copies you increase the odds that the books can be recovered and used in that hypothetical situation.

Re: Knuth's Art of Computer Programming, V 4B, has gone into print

#118

Post by BeetleB »

Jtsummers wrote: post #107
Q6T46nT668w6i3m wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you’re interested in reading them (and they are extremely readable), you should first know something (not everything) about programming and discrete mathematics. If you watched some YouTube videos on logic, sets, graphs, etc. you’ll be more than equipped. Knuth has even written a book, Concrete Mathematics, that covers these pre-requisites but it might be faster and easier to watch a Khan Academy video!

Does Khan Academy cover the math topics of Concrete Mathematics yet? Looking at their list of math courses I don't see a single discrete math course in the bunch.

Concrete Mathematics has some fairly advanced stuff (e.g. asymptotics) which I doubt Khan Academy covers.

Re: Knuth's Art of Computer Programming, V 4B, has gone into print

#119

Post by jrop »

irrational wrote: post #65
helsinkiandrew wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Each volume is taking longer and longer (4A and 4B and work on 4C have taken over 20 years). Mr Knuth is 84 and if there are 3 more volumes...

Maybe Brandon Sanderson can write the last three books.

Journey before destination

Re: Knuth's Art of Computer Programming, V 4B, has gone into print

#120

Post by nottorp »

Bayko wrote: post #2

Can someone honestly tell me if they have actually read these books AND found them useful ON TGE JOB? What do you guys do for work? I tried reading part 1?? Like ten years ago and it was pretty much assembly language or something I believe. And gave up since it wasnt something that I needed in academia back then and there were far better ways to learn DSA

> found them useful ON TGE JOB?

Algorithm training is useful on most jobs for preventing you from going accidentally quadratic.

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