Xref: utzoo comp.lang.misc:4549 comp.edu:3116
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uwm.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!usc!apple!snorkelwacker!mit-eddie!uw-beaver!zephyr.ens.tek.com!tektronix!sequent!mntgfx!plogan
From: plogan@mentor.com (Patrick Logan)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.misc,comp.edu
Subject: Re: Abelson & Sussman
Message-ID: <1990Mar17.015508.2765@mentor.com>
Date: 17 Mar 90 01:55:08 GMT
References: <3793@tukki.jyu.fi>
Organization: engr
Lines: 72
In-reply-to: sakkinen@tukki.jyu.fi's message of 16 Mar 90 12:09:44 GMT

In article <3793@tukki.jyu.fi> sakkinen@tukki.jyu.fi (Markku Sakkinen) writes:
   There were recently some postings that mentioned the book
   "Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs"
   by Harold Abelson and Gerald Jay Sussman with Julie Sussman
   (whatever the 'with' may mean).
   Someone flatly condemned it, while someone else had a high
   opinion of it.

   I now got my hands on a copy of the book (5. printing, 1987,
   no changes to the original printing from 1985 mentioned).
   The name is misleading: it should be "... of Lisp Programs".

The concepts transcend LISP. They are explained using LISP, but it is
not a "How To LISP" book.

   The book contains a lot of stuff and may be very good in several
   aspects. However, it is a strong entrant in the "most biassed
   programming textbook ever published" competition.

I can see how someone could come to that conclusion. But I don't agree
and I think the book has a lot to offer that will be missed if you let
this be your final conclusion.

   This especially regarding that, according to the Preface, it
   "... is the entry-level subject in computer science at the
   Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It is required of all
   students at MIT who major in electrical engineering or in
   computer science ..."

So?

   Other programming languages than Lisp are mentioned only in short
   footnotes or not at all, and mostly in a negative light.

The book is not a survey of programming languages.

   Here is a short list, with the provision that if something had
   been omitted from the book's index, I would probably not have
   noted it.

This first impression of yours does not appear to come from really
progressing through the book and working on the concepts it is
teaching. Accepting your first impressions, try to go back and spend
some time with the lessons and excercises and see what you learn.

It seems to me you've judged the book based on what you think it is
supposed to teach, but I would suggest you've missed the point
somewhat. The book is about abstractions and implementing
abstractions. It really isn't about LISP being the authors' favorite
language, or at least it is more than that. Much more. It is a very
unique book, from my experience. 

**** MY MAIN POINT:
I wouldn't let it replace any other good book in my library, but it is
a welcome addition.

   None of the object-oriented extensions of Lisp are mentioned in the book
   as far as I could see; of course most of them (except Flavors) did not
   exist or at least were not well known yet in 1985.

Again it is not a survey nor an advertisement of a particular LISP
system. It is a very minimalist LISP system used to illustrate the
concepts of the book.

I would urge people to get a copy of a Scheme system and this book and
have at it. There are several free Scheme systems and there are
several Scheme primers that can be used along with this one.

-- 
Patrick Logan  uunet!mntgfx!plogan | 
Mentor Graphics Corporation        | 
Beaverton, Oregon 97005-7191   	   |