The Haskell School of Expression: Learning Functional Programming through Multimedia [Paperback]

Paul Hudak (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0521644089 | ISBN-13: 978-0521644082 | Publication Date: February 28, 2000 | Edition: 1

Functional programming is a style of programming that emphasizes the use of functions (in contrast to object-oriented programming, which emphasizes the use of objects). It has become popular in recent years because of its simplicity, conciseness, and clarity. This book teaches functional programming as a way of thinking and problem solving, using Haskell, the most popular purely functional language. Rather than using the conventional (boring) mathematical examples commonly found in other programming language textbooks, the author uses examples drawn from multimedia applications, including graphics, animation, and computer music, thus rewarding the reader with working programs for inherently more interesting applications. Aimed at both beginning and advanced programmers, this tutorial begins with a gentle introduction to functional programming and moves rapidly on to more advanced topics. Details about progamming in Haskell are presented in boxes throughout the text so they can be easily found and referred to.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...a rather unusual and very interesting book for the functional programming community...The author's style is wonderful, and he is good at explaining the material...This book is unique in the field of functional programming." Computing Reviews

Book Description

Functional programming is a style of programming that emphasizes the use of functions (in contrast to object-oriented programming, which emphasizes the use of objects). It has become popular in recent years because of its simplicity, conciseness, and clarity. This textbook, aimed at beginning and advanced programmers, teaches functional programming as a way of thinking and problem solving, using Haskell, the most popular purely functional language. Rather than using the conventional (boring) mathematical examples commonly found in other programming language textbooks, this text uses examples drawn from multimedia applications, including graphics, animation, and computer music, thus rewarding the student with working programs for inherently more interesting applications.

Product Details

• Paperback: 382 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press; 1 edition (February 28, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521644089
• ISBN-13: 978-0521644082
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #552,225 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #3 in Books > Computers & Technology > Programming > Functional

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Haskell School of Expression, June 28, 2004

By 

George Spencer Young (State College, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Haskell School of Expression: Learning Functional Programming through Multimedia (Paperback)

As an experienced programmer new to Haskell I found this book both enlightening and frustrating. The author does a superb job of teaching you how to think like a functional programmer, his stated goal, but occasionally leaps over too many steps for a beginner to follow his implementations. The book is however quite readable and works well in conjunction with the various on-line tutorials on Haskell syntax. I'd recommend the book for anyone looking to get into serious functional programming.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding book!, April 2, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Haskell School of Expression: Learning Functional Programming through Multimedia (Paperback)

This book takes a nice approach to teaching functional programming. Paul Hudak uses fun examples, with applications to multimedia. Early on you are using the graphics library to make shapes in windows, and by the end there is Haskore, a cool way to compose music. However, these examples are not JUST fun, they also serve as nice examples of how to think about and construct functional programs, in domains where functional programs really excel. If you ever thought about learning what this stuff was about, this book is the right choice!

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspires investigation of Haskell using great examples, November 21, 2005

By 

calvinnme - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Haskell School of Expression: Learning Functional Programming through Multimedia (Paperback)

C, Java, Pascal, Ada, and so on, are all imperative languages. They are "imperative" in the sense that they consist of a sequence of commands, which are executed strictly one after the other. Haskell is a functional language. A functional program is a single expression, which is executed by evaluating the expression. Anyone who has used a spreadsheet has experience of functional programming. In a spreadsheet, one specifies the value of each cell in terms of the values of other cells. The focus is on what is to be computed, not how it should be computed.
This book is a unique attempt to teach the reader the Haskell programming language by demonstrating how to write programs that perform interesting tasks such as animation, graphics, robot control, and functional music composition. The book succeeds at introducing the reader to the Haskell language and the idea of functional programming, and the book is a fascinating read with unique projects performed in the Haskell language. This is particularly true if you are interested in multimedia programming. However, intermediate features of the language are brushed over. If you are already familiar with Haskell, this book will teach you interesting ways to look at functional programming and give you some ideas for some interesting projects. If you are new to Haskell, you are going to find yourself somewhat confused when you get to the more advanced material. I therefore recommend that you read this book along with "Haskell:The Craft of Functional Programming" by Thompson. That book is not nearly as interesting as this book, but it fills in all of the intermediate details that are missing in a very detailed manner.