Programming in the 1990s

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• agentultra · Nov 17, 2016 · Recommends

  Programming in the 1990s by Edward Cohen is an interesting book for introducing software developers to a method of proof writing by way of predicate calculus. It's a book one can read from cover to cover. The TLA+ book by Leslie…

  on “You Are Not Paid to Write Code” ↗
• agentultra · Jun 5, 2017 · Recommends

  Programming in the 1990s by Edward Cohen. A rather practical introduction to the calculation of programs from their specifications. Plenty of introductions to computer programming involve guessing your program into existence.…

  on “Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?” ↗
• agentultra · Nov 20, 2017 · Recommends

  …Approach to Discrete Mathematics: https://www.amazon.com/Logical-Approach-Discrete-Monographs-... And a more pragmatic approach to the same material (with a lot of cross-over in terms of proof-style, etc): Programming in the 1990s: http://www.springer.com/gp/book/9780387973821 But one I particularly enjoyed early on was written for liberal-arts level students of maths (who might've been traumatized by maths in the past): Introduction…

  on “Ask HN: Resources on how to improve abstract thinking skills?” ↗
• agentultra · Oct 21, 2019 · Recommends

  The Art of Computer Programming Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs Purely Functional Data Structures Programming in the 1990s A Logical Approach to Discrete Math

  on “Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?” ↗
• agentultra · Aug 9, 2016 · Recommends

  …eldritch scrawls of snooty ivory-tower academics. You don't need to spend billions. You can learn TLA+ in a couple of weeks and start writing specifications in a month. There's a fairly slim tome called, Programming in the 1990s that demonstrates a practical technique for proofs that is digestible by programmers. I say, "don't accept 'battle-tested' as the hallmark of a reliable system," because it says nothing about the underlying,…

  on “Notes on Distributed Systems for Young Bloods (2013)” ↗
• agentultra · Mar 27, 2017 · Recommends

  …influenced. I've read so many books and they've all left their impression on me one way or another; even the most boring drivel! If by influenced you mean to imply, as a programmer, then I would say perhaps Programming in the 1990s if that counts as "non-technology." It's a book about maths and using logical proofs as a tool for creating specifications of computer systems. Prior to reading that book I had treated "software specifications,"…

  on “Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?” ↗
• agentultra · Dec 22, 2016 · Mentions

  The Hidden Keys by André Alexis The Nightmare Stacks by Charles Stross The Jungle Books by Rudyard Kipling The Prince by Machiavelli William S Borroughs: A Life by Barry Miles Programming in the 1990s by Edward Cohen On Numbers and Games (again) by John H. Conway

  on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?” ↗
• eesmith · May 9, 2022 · Mentions

  The author points to Microsoft as a typical example of corporate programming in the 1990s. Yet Microsoft wasn't using a (pseudo)waterfall development model. Quoting Steve McConnell in "Rapid Development (1996) Page 271: ] In addition to providing explicit support for morale, Microsoft gladly…

  on “Agile and the long crisis of software” ↗
• agentultra · Jun 30, 2016 · Mentions

  Has anyone here read Programming in the 1990s or A Logical Approach to Discrete Mathematics? Symbolic computing is a powerful concept. How does one model something simple that we take for granted such as assignment? Here's a hint: look to Liebniz…

  on “What is Symbolic Computation?” ↗
• agentultra · Nov 15, 2016 · Mentions

  …will be 72 times longer, or over two full work-day. So we can pick 40 minutes or 2.1 days to resolve an issue to the same level of completeness. You make the call. I'm presently working my way through Programming in the 1990s. In it's controversial premise, it states: Basically we are taught to guess our programs, and then to patch up our guesses. Our errors are given the cute name of "bugs". Fixing them becomes puzzle-solving,…

  on “Do you really want a single-page application framework?” ↗
• agentultra · Apr 5, 2020 · Mentions

  …http://matterhorn.dce.harvard.edu/engage/ui/index.html#/1999... as well as Bartoz's Category Theory courses. I've put that a temporary hold for the last couple of weeks to brush up on algorithms; I'm working through some select chapters of Concrete Mathematics, Programming in the 1990s, How to Solve It, and Algorithms. I find I'm not satisfactory at solving leetcode-style problems in what industry considers a sufficient amount of time so I'm working on improving my skills there. And…

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• agentultra · Jan 27, 2023 · Mentions

  …what I can grok syntax-wise. I spent many years with C++ and I can read TyoeScript… but to me they’re examples of bad syntax, not role models. However if you read A Logical Approach to Discrete Math or Programming in the 1990s you’ll know just how syntax matters… most programming languages can’t even reach this level of which is why I think semantics are more important.

  on “Rust's Ugly Syntax” ↗
• rickydroll · Jan 11, 2026 · Critical

  …pushing me out of the field. I caution others that reading and understanding this book may change your understanding of the software development world enough that you don't want to be part of it either. Programming in the 1990s: An Introduction to the Calculation of Programs | Springer Nature Link (formerly SpringerLink) https://share.google/K81ZlVTbfoR2oeYLh

  on “Code Is Clay” ↗