From 2c01d4daeff989a556083d26b7c6e5cf7f89b472 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: David Thompson Date: Sat, 5 Feb 2022 17:41:36 -0500 Subject: Prefix old post file names with dates. --- posts/little-schemer.md | 57 ------------------------------------------------- 1 file changed, 57 deletions(-) delete mode 100644 posts/little-schemer.md (limited to 'posts/little-schemer.md') diff --git a/posts/little-schemer.md b/posts/little-schemer.md deleted file mode 100644 index d58c96b..0000000 --- a/posts/little-schemer.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,57 +0,0 @@ -title: The Little Schemer -date: 2013-08-11 15:00:00 -tags: scheme, books, wsu -summary: I bought "The Little Schemer" ---- - -Yesterday, I took a trip to the MIT Press Bookstore and picked up a -copy of -[The Little Schemer](http://mitpress.mit.edu/books/little-schemer). I’ve -only spent a few hours reading and coding along with it, but I’ve had -a lot of fun. The following is a mini-review based on my experience -thus far. - -“The Little Schemer” teaches you to think recursively using an -interesting and comedic writing style and the Scheme programming -language. While Scheme is the language of choice, the real goal is to -teach you problem solving rather than the details of a specific -language. The book starts off simple, explaining what atoms, lists, -and S-expressions are. Rather than providing the definition and then -showing examples, it first gives examples in the form of a question -and answer. - -Example: - -> Is it true that this an atom? -> -> **atom** -> -> Yes, because **atom** is a string of characters beginning with a -> letter. - -From the examples given, a definition is created. In later examples, a -Scheme procedure is written that produces the correct answers for all -of the questions stated before it. It’s fun to build the procedure, -verify that it works for all cases, and compare your implementation -with the book’s. - -“The Little Schemer” defines ten commandments that are essential to -correctly solving the problems in the book. Some commandments are -first given in an incomplete form, and expanded later when a greater -level of understanding has been achieved. The problems that you solve -reinforce the commandments. You might notice that you start writing -procedures without thinking much about it, much like the muscle memory -earned from using Emacs a lot. Gerald J. Sussman was right when he -said that this book “can perform the same service that Hanon’s finger -exercises or Czerny’s piano studies perform for the student of the -piano.” I have no idea who Hanon and Czerny are, but I get it. For the -drummers out there, you could liken this book to -[Stick Control](http://www.amazon.com/Stick-Control-For-Snare-Drummer/dp/1892764040). - -The writing style is very informal, comedic, and food themed. Page 13 -has a space reserved for jelly stains, and page 52 tells you to “go -cons a piece of cake onto your mouth.” I have laughed a number of -times while reading. Oh, and let’s not forget about the cute elephant -drawings. This is definitely not your average boring, dry computer -science book. If you are interested in a unique and enjoyable learning -experience, then I highly recommend reading “The Little Schemer”. -- cgit v1.2.3