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diff --git a/books/Seasoned Schemer b/books/Seasoned Schemer new file mode 100644 index 0000000..0bc6346 --- /dev/null +++ b/books/Seasoned Schemer @@ -0,0 +1,139 @@ +============================ +The Seasoned Schemer +============================ + +:by: Daniel Friedman and Matthias Felleisen +:Edition: First (1st) + +See also `Scheme </k/software/scheme/>`__. This book is a sequel +to `The Little Schemer`_; The Reasoned Schemer is a paralel exploration of +logical programming. + +One of the things I liked about learning a programming language this way, or +maybe just about scheme in general, is the seperation between the specification +and implementations. Usually when I start learning a new language I try to +break it as fast as possible and I am most interested in how certain little +tricky bits are handled (are the file handles cross platform? does it catch +infinite recursion? what kind of errors are thrown when? how big are the +primitives and simple objects/user defined data types?). These are the +imporant day to day issues and are a good basis for choosing a language to get +work done in, but it's kind of like searching for anti-aliasing in digital +photos or scanning the edges of a wall for painting mistakes. Sometimes the +big picture is the whole point and it's worth putting up with small flaws. + +.. _The Little Schemer: /k/books/littleschemer/ + +Issues/Omissions +-------------------------- +The Y combinator function is never defined in this book, I had to copy it out of +`The Little Schemer`_; + + (define Y + (lambda (thing) + ((lambda (le) + ((lambda (f) (f f)) + (lambda (f) (le (lambda (x) ((f f) x)))))) + thing))) + +Also ``eqlist?``:: + + (define eqlist? + (lambda (a b) + (cond + ((and (null? a) (null? b)) #t) + ((or (null? a) (null? b)) #f) + ((and (atom? (car a)) (atom? (car b))) + (and (eqlist? (cdr a) (cdr b)))) + ((or (atom? (car a)) (atom? (car b))) #f) + (else (and (eqlist? (car a) (car b)) (eqlist? (cdr a) (cdr b))))))) + +MIT/GNU Scheme doesn't seem to have ``letcc`` or ``try``; I stuck with +``call-with-current-continuation``: + + (call-with-current-continuation (lambda (hook) ...) + ; is the same as + (letcc hook (...)) + + ; as noted in the book (p. 89) + (try x a b) + ; is the same as + (letcc success + (letcc x + (success a)) + b) + ; is the same as + (call-with-current-continuation + (lambda (success) + (begin + (call-with-current-continuation + (lambda (x) + (success a))) + b))) + +When reimplementing scheme at the end of the book, I'm kind of miffed that the +(letcc ...) definition basically just uses letcc, because magic North Pole +compasses seem like the most interesting part. + +Notes +----------------- +Y-bang is the "applicative-order imperative Y combinator":: + + (define Y-bang + (lambda (f) + (letrec + ((h (f (lambda (arg) (h arg))))) + h))) + +At one point I wondered:: + + Is there any language/interpreter which, when it runs into an undefined + value, lets you define it on the spot? Would be great for learners. + +MIT/GNU Scheme, of course, has this feature in the error REPL. But I never +noticed it. + +The Next 10 Commandments +-------------------------- + +The Eleventh Commandment + Use additional arguments when a function needs to know what other + arguments to the function have been like so far. + +The Twelfth Commandment + Use (letrec ..) to remove arguments that do not change for + recursive applications. + +The Thirteenth Commandment + Use (letrec ...) to hide and protect functions. + +The Fifteenth Commandment + Use (let ...) to name the values of repeated expressions in a function + definition if they may be evaluated twice for one and same use of the + function. And use (let ...) to name the values of expressions (without + set!) that are re-evaluated every time a function is used. + +The Sixteenth Commandment + Use (set! ...) only with names define in (let ...)s + +The Seventeenth Commandment + Use (set! x ...) for (let ((x ..)) ..)) only if there is at least one + (lambda .. between it and the (let ..), or if the new value for x is a + function that refers to x. + +The Eighteenth Commandment + Use (set! x ...) only when the value that x refers to is no longer needed. + +The Nineteenth Commandment + Use (set! ...) to remember valuable things between two distinct uses of a + function. + +The Twentieth Commandment + When thinking about a value created with (letcc ...), write down the + function that is equivalent but does not forget. Then, when you use it, + remember to forget. + +**I love that last sentence!** + + + + |