From: Kai Grossjohann
Subject: Learning CLOS?
Date: 
Message-ID: <vafyaxcmd17.fsf@ramses.cs.uni-dortmund.de>
I'm trying to learn CL by reading CLtL2.  Which is of course the wrong
approach.  I was able to get by, though, until I hit the chapter on
CLOS.  Didn't understand much of this at all.

Now, one choice would be to try it out and learn by doing, but I
thought reading a book would be nice, too.  Can do the reading in bed
and in the restroom where I don't have my computer handy :-)

Do you have any recommendation for a book where CLOS is discussed, and
where they show me the typical uses first rather than talking about
how to change the way methods are combined (whatever that maybe)
first?

kai
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From: Lyman S. Taylor
Subject: Re: Learning CLOS?
Date: 
Message-ID: <6gojr0$6qt@pravda.cc.gatech.edu>
In article <···············@ramses.cs.uni-dortmund.de>,
Kai Grossjohann  <···········@ls6.cs.uni-dortmund.de> wrote:
...
>approach.  I was able to get by, though, until I hit the chapter on
>CLOS.  Didn't understand much of this at all.
....
>Do you have any recommendation for a book where CLOS is discussed, and


  For Common Lisp in general ( contains material 
  on Lisp in general.  Immensely better than slogging through
  Steele... this book is meant to be read. Not a language reference.
  There are two chapters that concern CLOS ).

     Paul Graham's  "ANSI Common Lisp" 

  For CLOS specifically, 

     Sonya E. Keene's "Object-oriented programming in
                       Common LISP : a programmer's guide to CLOS"

      [This book is likely to be a "special order" since most bookstores
         don't keep it in stock. ]

   
  Other alternatives....

  Probably hard to find... and solely about CLOS per se. 

    Object-oriented programming : the CLOS perspective /
                    edited by Andreas Paepcke.

   I haven't read... but from the listing of the table of contents it 
   seems to be a general "intro to lisp" book with some chapters on CLOS...
   depite the title. 

     Stephen Slade's "Object-Oriented Common LISP"

-- 

Lyman S. Taylor			"Because no matter where you go,
(·····@cc.gatech.edu)			there you are."
						Buckaroo Banzai
From: Kelly Murray
Subject: Re: Learning CLOS?
Date: 
Message-ID: <6golt7$j2$1@news2.franz.com>
> Do you have any recommendation for a book where CLOS is discussed, and
> where they show me the typical uses first rather than talking about
> how to change the way methods are combined (whatever that maybe)
> first?

"Object-Oriented Programming in Common Lisp: A Programmers Guide to CLOS",
by Sonya Keene, published by Addison Wesley  ISBN 0-201-17589-4

Written in 1988, it's 10 years old, but nothing has changed since
it was written. I don't know if it's actually still in print.
In my opinion, it's still one of the best books about CLOS.
 
-Kelly Murray  ···@franz.com
From: Paul Dietz
Subject: Re: Learning CLOS?
Date: 
Message-ID: <352FE385.D8062F8A@interaccess.com>
Kelly Murray wrote:

> "Object-Oriented Programming in Common Lisp: A Programmers Guide to CLOS",
> by Sonya Keene, published by Addison Wesley  ISBN 0-201-17589-4
> 
> Written in 1988, it's 10 years old, but nothing has changed since
> it was written. I don't know if it's actually still in print.

According to amazon.com, it is still in print ($37 and change, shipment
within 24 hours.)

	Paul
From: Erik Naggum
Subject: Re: Learning CLOS?
Date: 
Message-ID: <3101324328261855@naggum.no>
* Kelly Murray
| "Object-Oriented Programming in Common Lisp: A Programmers Guide to CLOS",
| by Sonya Keene, published by Addison Wesley  ISBN 0-201-17589-4
| 
| Written in 1988, it's 10 years old, but nothing has changed since it was
| written. I don't know if it's actually still in print.  In my opinion,
| it's still one of the best books about CLOS.

  let me second that.  I'm lucky enough to have a friend who has been
  interested in Common Lisp many years more than I was able to take
  advantage of it, and he had a spare copy of this book when I vented my
  frustration with CLOS some years back.  the problem with the CLOS chapter
  in CLtL2 is that you have to know how it all basically works before it
  makes any sense, and I was unable to understand much from it.  (CLOS felt
  almost like C++.)  Sonya Keene managed in a very nice way to demonstrate
  why the power is needed as well as to show how to command it for simple
  and advanced cases alike.  after reading Keene, CLtL2 made sense and
  actually became readable, although I _much_ prefer the ANSI specification
  these days.  and thanks to the Harlequin Group and Kent Pitman for making
  the HyperSpec� available; programming by specification has never been
  easier.  the standard is usable as introductory material the way it is
  organized, but Keene will guide you the necessary steps to be able to
  fully appreciate the excellent reference materials.

  I wonder what it would take to make this book electronically available.
  Addison-Wesley does not appear to want to reprint it.

  the chapters on CLOS in Paul Graham: ANSI Common Lisp made _me_ feel he
  was brooding on a book dedicated as much to CLOS as On Lisp was dedicated
  to macros and didn't want to tell too much too early.  others have found
  his book as valuable as I found Sonya Keene's, so maybe it's just a
  matter of which book you read first.

#:Erik
-------
� http://www.harlequin.com/books/HyperSpec/
-- 
  religious cult update in light of new scientific discoveries:
  "when we cannot go to the comet, the comet must come to us."
From: Jason Karney
Subject: Re: Learning CLOS?
Date: 
Message-ID: <353366C3.BFF9F9C4@netgenics.com>
> Do you have any recommendation for a book where CLOS is discussed, and
> where they show me the typical uses first rather than talking about
> how to change the way methods are combined (whatever that maybe)
> first?

I liked the recent title, "Object-Oriented Common Lisp" by Stephen Slade.

--
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Jason Karney -- NetGenics Research Team        ·······@netgenics.com