Programmers Dojo

I had a buddy ask me about learning the Scheme programming language... so I figured I'd write a blog post about it! First a very short history. A long time ago (in 1958) there was born a language called Lisp.  Lisp is actually the second oldest high level language but that's a different post.  Lisp split into two main branches Common Lisp and Scheme. Common Lisp is quite large and has lots of features including a full OO system.  Scheme on the other hand is as stripped down as is practical.  For comparison the Common Lisp spec has ~1100 pages while the Scheme R5RS spec has 50 pages. That being said Scheme has low level primitives which allow you to build high level primitives. There are lots of great resources out there for learning Scheme and I'm going to list a few here. Textbooks: The Scheme Programming Language The Little Schemer The Seasoned Schemer Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs  - AKA: SICP Free textbooks: How...

Found on  Lambda the Ultimate  ( a great programming languages blog btw ) A great article  on programming languages through history and the truth of their claims. From the article: While still a relatively young field, computer science has a vast body of knowledge in the domain of programming languages. When a new language is introduced, its designers make claims which distinguish their language from previous languages. However, it often feels like language designers do not feel a pressing need to back these claims with evidence beyond personal anecdotes. Peer reviewers are likely to agree. In this paper, we present preliminary work which revisits the history of such claims by examining a number of language design papers which span the history of programming language development. We focus on the issue of claim-evidence correspondence, or determining how often claims are or are not backed by evidence. These preliminary results confirm that unsupported claims have been ...

C Craft  is a great article about C including discussion on the good, the bad, and why you can't eat just one. Quote from the preface: Let me open with a disclaimer. What follows is an unabashedly opinionated diatribe certain to offend many programmers. Craftsmen inevitably grow defensive of their favourite tools and practices. Rather than respect this natural sensitivity, I will exploit it, shamelessly intensifying the vitriol for attention. I care little whether one applauds or deplores my views; I mainly want my audience to feel compelled to read on. However, I try to be informative as well as incendiary. Whether one finds my statements profound or unsound, whether one abhors or adores my examples, and whether one is amused or bemused by my observations, I hope one leaves wiser.