Elements of ML programming

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1. zelphirkaltNov 2023
   I found the regular expression package as a first thing to make in SML waaay too complex. You already need to have a good understanding of the elements of SML syntax to understand how it works. This is definitely not for SML beginners. I recommend "Elements of ML Programming" by Jeffrey D. Ullman for people starting to learn SML. It too has some corners, that are less great for not so mathematically inclined people, but you will definitely learn the language and have exercises.
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2. zelphirkaltMay 2023
   I found the initial example of a regex package hard to follow. I don't know the language and am confronted with this example, that makes use of many advanced capabilities of the language.

   Instead I looked for a book for beginners in Standard ML and found "Elements of ML Programming" to be quite good.

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3. zelphirkaltMar 2022
   I am learning SML currently (with the book "Elements of ML Programming" by Jeffrey D. Ullman) and I have to say it is quite elegant. I like the pattern matching for functions. Often it is surprising how much shorter functions become, when you pattern match in the signature of the function. Makes me think, that maybe I should think about using pattern matching more in Scheme as well. And that I don't want to miss it in any new language I learn. Of course also the type safety is great. I could imagine writing critical parts of a system using SML.
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4. madhadronNov 2020
   Hmm. My picks would be very different, aside from 'The Pragmatic Programmer', which is worth reading early in your career.

   Leo Brodie, 'Thinking Forth'

   Roland, 'Program Construction'

   Ullman, 'Elements of ML Programming'

   De Marco, 'The Deadline'

   Brooks, 'The Mythical Man-Month'

   Skiena, 'The Algorithm Design Manual'

   Hunt, 'The Pragmatic Programmer'

   Stevens, 'Advanced Programming in the Unix Environment'

   Stevens, 'TCP/IP Illustrated, Vol. 1'

   Ross Anderson, 'Security Engineering'

   Also, the Phoenix Project is a ripoff of Goldratt's 'The Goal.' I suggest reading Goldratt instead, and then think very carefully about what transfers from manufacturing to software.

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5. madhadronMay 2020
   Ullman, 'Elements of ML Programming'. It's where I learned functional programming back in the 1990's, and I still think it's one of the clearest expositions around. Yes, it's the same Ullman who wrote the dragon book.
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6. madhadronAug 2019
   Try Ullman's wonderful 'Elements of ML Programming'. Standard ML is a pretty good place to start because it's a relatively small language with a pretty straightforward semantics, and Ullman did a really good job of getting students into the mindset.
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