Re:99 questions
by baddox on Monday May 10, 2010 @07:04PM
(#1336207)
One difference is that basic C/C++/Java books are always attempting to teach programming or even discrete/logical thinking at the same time. Most of the basic books I've seen start with some silly over-extended analogy for procedures, loops, etc. along with a few examples of supposed "real-world" problems.
Once you know how to program, learning lesser-known languages like Haskell or Lisp is all about learning how to do basic things differently. For example, The Little Schemer taught me to think of iteration in terms of recursion and vice-versa. Haskell and Lisp books (at least good ones) don't teach you how to make a virtually featureless pizza ordering system or a recipe database, they teach you a new way to think about the building blocks of programs.
These "99 question" lists aren't supposed to be brainteasers or math puzzles like, say, Project Euler, they're supposed to be illustrative of what sets these languages apart from the more commonly-known C-style languages.
Once you know how to program, learning lesser-known languages like Haskell or Lisp is all about learning how to do basic things differently. For example, The Little Schemer taught me to think of iteration in terms of recursion and vice-versa. Haskell and Lisp books (at least good ones) don't teach you how to make a virtually featureless pizza ordering system or a recipe database, they teach you a new way to think about the building blocks of programs.
These "99 question" lists aren't supposed to be brainteasers or math puzzles like, say, Project Euler, they're supposed to be illustrative of what sets these languages apart from the more commonly-known C-style languages.