book

Strange Code

by Ronald T. Kneusel

September 2022

Intermediate to advanced

496 pages

12h 32m

English

No Starch Press

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Programming Language PaleontologyThe First Programming LanguagesALGOLAPLBASICPL/ILogoSimulaPascalPrologSmalltalkStandard MLSummary
Defining Programming LanguageSyntax and SemanticsImplementing Programming LanguagesData TypesData StructuresVariables and ScopeControlling Program FlowProgramming ParadigmsSummary
The Halting ProblemTuring MachinesUniversal Turing MachineTuring CompletenessLet’s Build a Turing MachineSummary
InstallationOrigins and PhilosophyThe LanguageSquare Root ReduxDiscussionSummary
InstallationOrigins and PhilosophyThe LanguageMachine Learning with SNOBOLDiscussionSummary
InstallationOrigins and PhilosophyThe LanguageCLIPS in ActionDiscussionSummary
ABCABC2ABC2 in ActionDiscussionSummary
The FRACTRAN SpecificationA Tale of Two ImplementationsUsing FRACTRANUnderstanding FRACTRANMore FRACTRAN ExamplesDiscussionSummary
InstallationUnderstanding PietPiet in ActionA Tribute to Piet MondrianThe Piet UniverseDiscussionSummary
WTF Is BF?The Two ImplementationsBF in ActionThe BF MultiverseDiscussionSummary
Befunge-93 World TourBefunge in ActionDiscussionSummary
Philosophy and DesignImplementating FilskaSummary
Hello, World!Fibonacci, Anyone?Random NumbersA Simple FractalGetting to the Roots of the ProblemLinear Least-Squares Fit to a LineDiscussionSummary
Philosophy and DesignImplementationConfiguring the Micro:bitSummary
The ProcessFly TimeSpace TrekBeethoven in LightsDance DanceTea TimeDiscussionSummary
The Runners-UpProgramming Language ResourcesPostlude
Introduction to Genetic ProgrammingHow Genetic Programming WorksDefining DisplaysA Tiny Firefly InterpreterThe Genetic AlgorithmPutting It All TogetherEvolving Firefly ProgramsDiscussionFinal Thoughts

Content preview from Strange Code

2THE ESSENTIALS OF PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES

Attempting to compress the essentials of programming languages into a single chapter is an impossible task, but I’ll do my best to convey what is essential about programming languages as background for the rest of the book. In reality though, this chapter should be either a book or a semester-long undergraduate course.

The vignettes of Chapter 1 were meant to give you an introduction to a few programming language concepts, but they left some big questions unanswered. For example, what exactly is a programming language? How are programming languages structured and implemented? What are programming paradigms? ...