From: Nils M Holm
Subject: Ann: "zen style programming"
Date:
Message-ID: <ga5fip$r83$1@online.de>
I am happy to announce that free pre-release copies of my latest book
"zen style programming"
are now available.
Blurb
The primary purpose of programs is to be understood by fellow human
beings, hence programming languages should have certain properties:
* Small size and uniformity
* Unambiguousness
* A high degree of abstraction
* Achitecture neutrality
The first part of this book introduces the concept of functional
programming and describes a purely symbolic language that fulfills
these requirements. This language is a minimalistic variant of Scheme
whose only data types are symbols and ordered pairs. Nothing else is
required to describe algorithms for solving a variety of different
problems.
The second part of the book shows how to apply the techniques of
symbolic programming to some problems of varying complexity. Topics
discussed in this part range from simple functions for sorting or
permuting lists to ``lazy'' data structures, regular expression
matching, formal language translation, and declarative programming.
The third part, finally, shows how to implement the abstraction layer
that is necessary for solving problems in an abstract way on a concrete
computer. It reproduces the complete and heavily annotated source code
for an interpreter of symbolic LISP and provides an example of clear
and readable C code.
This book contains the full source code to a source-to-source compiler,
a meta-circular interpreter, a logic programming system, and to the
language that is used to implement all of these.
URL: http://www.t3x.org/books/zen.html
--
Nils M Holm <n m h @ t 3 x . o r g> -- http://t3x.org/nmh/
Nils M Holm wrote:
> I am happy to announce that free pre-release copies of my latest book
>
> "zen style programming"
What a coincidence!:
http://smuglispweeny.blogspot.com/2008/09/unread-book-review-zen-style.html
---
http://www.theoryyalgebra.com/
"Kenny" <·········@gmail.com> wrote in message
·····························@cv.net...
> parnell wrote:
>> I'm waiting for your review of this one:
>>
>>
>> http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.functional/browse_frm/thread/a12c6fd095dddf99#
>>
>>
>> parnell
>
> http://smuglispweeny.blogspot.com/2008/09/urbbr-2-how-bad-is-this-book.html
You call that a review ?
Aaron
Aaron Gray wrote:
> "Kenny" <·········@gmail.com> wrote in message
> ·····························@cv.net...
>
>>parnell wrote:
>>
>>>I'm waiting for your review of this one:
>>>
>>>
>>>http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.functional/browse_frm/thread/a12c6fd095dddf99#
>>>
>>>
>>>parnell
>>
>>http://smuglispweeny.blogspot.com/2008/09/urbbr-2-how-bad-is-this-book.html
>
>
> You call that a review ?
You call that a sense of humor? :)
Think of it as a meta-review, the kind of thing people use all the time
to assess the world more efficiently, sometimes (yes) at the cost of
accuracy.
But look at what I wrote. A guy at the company selling the product being
discussed in the book says nothing good about the book. What does that
tell you? Honestly, what does that tell you? You have to understand he
was straining to say the best he could, and he said the book "balances".
And the author could not find anyone to say anything nicer. Good lord.
Mind you, I may have an advantage on you. I read a funny column once by
a successful writer on how they dealt with requests from other authors
for such blurbs. The writer hated to turn them down so some prose
gymnastics resulted.
Somewhat off-tangent, I read another funny column about how to write a
bad review meticulously such that it did not have a sentence or even
phrase that could be taken out of context and splayed across an
advertisement in 144-point type.
Which reminds me of the gold standard I cited, the back cover of this:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0688112730/ref=sib_dp_ptu#reader-link
Larry wrote a lot of other books and for one he asked an old ballplayer
for a quote. The guy was more than willing but shy and said he would not
know what to say so they had a little fun and Larry wrote it for him:
"This is about the best book I have read, and I don't read much."
:)
kenny
Kenny <·········@gmail.com> writes:
> Which reminds me of the gold standard I cited, the back cover of this:
> http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0688112730/ref=sib_dp_ptu#reader-link
Not visible. But a famous "review" (actually blog comment that got
circulated around) of "War and Decision" by Doug Feith went:
Feith's book is perfectly rectangular. Its page numbers progress
in a pleasing upward sequence. Its evident shortcomings in terms
of accuracy are offset by its usefulness in balancing wobbly
furniture.
Paul Rubin wrote:
> Kenny <·········@gmail.com> writes:
>
>>Which reminds me of the gold standard I cited, the back cover of this:
>> http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0688112730/ref=sib_dp_ptu#reader-link
>
>
> Not visible.
Really? Ya do have to look for the "Back Cover" link.
Or llok for: Ritter, Lawrence "The Glory of Their Times"
But a famous "review" (actually blog comment that got
> circulated around) of "War and Decision" by Doug Feith went:
>
> Feith's book is perfectly rectangular. Its page numbers progress
> in a pleasing upward sequence. Its evident shortcomings in terms
> of accuracy are offset by its usefulness in balancing wobbly
> furniture.
Maybe frogster can use that for the second edition.
k
Kenny wrote:
> Aaron Gray wrote:
>> You call that a review ?
>
> You call that a sense of humor? :)
>
> Think of it as a meta-review, the kind of thing people use all the time
> to assess the world more efficiently, sometimes (yes) at the cost of
> accuracy.
In modern day usage, the English word describing this activity
is "journalism".
pt
On Sat, 13 Sep 2008 17:17:03 -0400, Paul Tarvydas wrote:
> In modern day usage, the English word describing this activity is
> "journalism".
When you say it like that, it sounds so 19th century.
Even the use of "modern", really.
Of course Kenny's blog is "journalism". What else could it be?
--
Andrew
Andrew Reilly wrote:
> On Sat, 13 Sep 2008 17:17:03 -0400, Paul Tarvydas wrote:
>
>
>>In modern day usage, the English word describing this activity is
>>"journalism".
>
>
> When you say it like that, it sounds so 19th century.
>
> Even the use of "modern", really.
>
> Of course Kenny's blog is "journalism". What else could it be?
>
Grossly unfair, unreliable, biased, and pretty much delusional rants and
ravings on Lisp from a simple working application programmer?
hth
On Sun, 14 Sep 2008 10:08:53 -0400, Kenny wrote:
> Andrew Reilly wrote:
>> On Sat, 13 Sep 2008 17:17:03 -0400, Paul Tarvydas wrote:
>>
>>
>>>In modern day usage, the English word describing this activity is
>>>"journalism".
>>
>>
>> When you say it like that, it sounds so 19th century.
>>
>> Even the use of "modern", really.
>>
>> Of course Kenny's blog is "journalism". What else could it be?
>>
>>
> Grossly unfair, unreliable, biased, and pretty much delusional rants and
> ravings on Lisp from a simple working application programmer?
Yes, but the rants (sequential and plural) are assembled into a journal.
Seems to be the important distinguishing feature, to me. The rest just
gives flavour.
;-)
Cheers,
--
Andrew
P� Sun, 14 Sep 2008 14:49:16 +0200, skrev Andrew Reilly
<···············@areilly.bpc-users.org>:
> On Sat, 13 Sep 2008 17:17:03 -0400, Paul Tarvydas wrote:
>
>> In modern day usage, the English word describing this activity is
>> "journalism".
>
> When you say it like that, it sounds so 19th century.
>
> Even the use of "modern", really.
>
> Of course Kenny's blog is "journalism". What else could it be?
>
How about: Grossly unfair, unreliable, biased, and pretty much delusional
rants and ravings on Lisp from a simple working application programmer.
(His words, not mine.) :)
--------------
John Thingstad
On Sep 9, 6:26 am, Kenny <·········@gmail.com> wrote:
> NilsM Holm wrote:
> > I am happy to announce that free pre-release copies of my latest book
>
> > "zenstyle programming"
>
> What a coincidence!:
>
> http://smuglispweeny.blogspot.com/2008/09/unread-book-review-zen-styl...
>
> ---http://www.theoryyalgebra.com/
A negative review for a book you haven't read.
It's Kenny Tilton, posting as a parody of Kenny Tilton. How very
lispy sir!
Have you been replaced by a computer version of your self?
Chris Parker wrote:
> On Sep 9, 6:26 am, Kenny <·········@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>NilsM Holm wrote:
>>
>>>I am happy to announce that free pre-release copies of my latest book
>>
>>> "zenstyle programming"
>>
>>What a coincidence!:
>>
>>http://smuglispweeny.blogspot.com/2008/09/unread-book-review-zen-styl...
>>
>>---http://www.theoryyalgebra.com/
>
>
> A negative review for a book you haven't read.
The name of the post is "Unread Book Review"!!! Chosen deliberately so
only a moron would ever think it was a real review... oh. Sorry.
:)
kenny