Ask HN: Lisp in 2018? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Lisp in 2018?

6 pointsZeyad6 comments

I'm thinking of learning Lisp but I don't know if it's the right choice. I'm kind of beginner I have a slight experience with Python. Should I focus on Python or start to learn Lisp?

I'm asking because I read some stuff about unlearning the things you know when you try to learn Lisp. So should I start with Lisp?

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Yes, the earlier you learn it, the more benefit you’ll get from learning it. Now of course, you will get probalbly more jobs knowing python than knowing lisp. But you will have more fun programming in lisp, and you will learn more learning lisp.

http://cliki.net/Getting+Started

http://cliki.net/Online+Tutorial

The unlearning myth is nonsense. Anyone in any sort of state-of-the-art field learns new things constantly, and the more you learn, the broader and better you are. The question isn’t one of order, but of what you should go deep into. With limited time, you can only go deep into two or three things in CS. This is, of course, partly a matter of taste and partly a practical matter, but I don’t believe that python wouldn’t be on anyone’s list for wasting time in depth.

Find a problem to solve before you pick a language to learn. If all you know is 'A little Python' then there's not much value in 'unlearning everything'.

I've been writing software professionally for 20 years and I've changed my 'primary' language 4 times, each time it was because I had a problem to solve that another language was more suitable for in some way.

I know the basics of perhaps two dozen more languages, and have had a stab at writing my own, but my advice would be.. stick at python, master it and then move if you have a need to. Perhaps learn a strongly typed language as well so you understand how they work as well.

There's no reason to start with Python or Lisp, do whatever you want. Personally I found it easier to start with Lisp/Scheme since you aren't thrown into the world of 'everything is an object' and can build toy models yourself of data structures and objects in Lisp, and step through them to help with understanding. The Road to Common Lisp has some advice http://stevelosh.com/blog/2018/08/a-road-to-common-lisp/ note the 'Lisp as a System' section: http://stevelosh.com/blog/2018/08/a-road-to-common-lisp/#lis... where Lisp really shines if you're hacking on cruise control for fun.

If you're interested two really good rigorous beginner's books, designed by educators with data driven results on the effectiveness of their curriculum, is PAPL https://papl.cs.brown.edu/2018/ and HtDP https://htdp.org/2018-01-06/Book/ PAPL is multi semesters of computer science combined into one book (beginner programming, graph theory, introduction to types, ect) and you use 'Pyret' which is essentially typed Racket. When you're done you'll be able to reason about and understand the programs you will be creating, and both those books teach you how to design complete programs. You'll have direct knowledge transfer to any language, even functional languages considering the type annotations PAPL uses look similar to OCaml/SML syntax. One of the author's of the book(s) posts here as well https://news.ycombinator.com/threads?id=shriramkmurthi

Here's Matthias Felleisen (co-author HtDP, Little Schemer books) giving a talk about first year HtDP based Northeastern curriculum https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9REURTUJR_I

try clojure a modren lisp on jvm.

Why not both?

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