[Tutor] Misc question about scoping

[Alan Gauld]

"Hugo Arts" <hugo.yoshi at gmail.com> wrote

> [1] http://mitpress.mit.edu/sicp/
> [2] 
> http://groups.csail.mit.edu/mac/classes/6.001/abelson-sussman-lectures/
>

And I'd add the superb How to Design Programs:

http://www.htdp.org/

It teaches Scheme programming using a recipe approach
that creates a standard stricture for a function. It then extends
that structure as the examples build in complexity but always
keeping the basic theme.

This book and SICP are two of the best for making you rethink all
you thought you knew about program structure and design!

If you really want to bend your brain in Lisp (Scheme) try
The Little Schemer and its follow up the Seasoned Schemer
It took me 3 attempts to really get to grips with the first and
I'm on my second attempt at the second!

What all these books will do is give you a rational approach
to problem solving for programming that will often work when
more 'conventional' approaches don't. The performance of the
resulting code may not be optimal but it will often give you
the key breakthrough that you can then rewrite more
conventionally into good and fast code. It also often leads to
much more elegant solutions. Good for when you have
something that works but looks a mess... rethink it for
Lisp and see what's different.

-- 
Alan Gauld
Author of the Learn to Program web site
http://www.alan-g.me.uk/