/wizard-book-study

Primary LanguageRacket

wizard-book-study

Let's study the Wizard book together.

Wizard book picture

The Wizard book (Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, a.k.a SICP) is the book that is used for teaching CS at Berkeley and Stanford Universities. It's a challenging read, introducing many fundamental concepts, and not for the faint of heart. It's one of these rare books where the reviews on Amazon are either 5 or one star. Love it or hate it.

Here is an excerpt of the preface which I found particularly arresting:

First, we want to establish the idea that a computer language is not just a
way of getting a computer to perform operations but rather that it is a novel formal medium for expressing ideas about methodology. Thus, programs must be written for people to read, and only incidentally for machines to execute. Second, we believe that the essential material to be addressed by a subject at this level is not the syntax of particular programming-language constructs, nor clever algorithms for computing particular functions efficiently, nor even the mathematical analysis of algorithms and the foundations of computing, but rather the techniques used to control the intellectual complexity of large software systems.

I tried to self-study about 5 years ago, but my brain froze around the middle, so this is why I'm organizing a group study, in the hope that peer pressure, and our combined brainpower will help us stay on course.

The excellent website https://teachyourselfcs.com/ suggests using Brian Harvey's SICP lectures and that is what we will follow there. I tried the MIT lectures but found them difficult.

The idea is: we study individually, but on an agreed schedule (i.e. watch Lectures 1,2,3 and do homework XXX), and have a regular online meetup where we exchange our issues and help each other. Provisionally the schedule is every two weeks, but we'll see what pace is comfortable/sustainable.

We will do the exams! (not the official ones)

Reference

(Copied from Federico Gelassi's github repository)

Books

Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, second edition

Abelson, Harold | Sussman, Gerald Jay | Sussman, Julie

free online version:

http://mitpress.mit.edu/sicp/

Buy the hardcopy (recommended)

https://www.buchhaus.ch/de/detail/ISBN-9780262510875/Abelson-Harold/Structure-and-Interpretation-of-Computer-Programs-second-edition?bpmctrl=bpmrownr.1%7Cforeign.490271-1-0-0

The Little Schemer

  • Recommended book to learn lisp/scheme:

https://www.buchhaus.ch/de/detail/ISBN-9780262560993/Friedman-Daniel-P./The-Little-Schemer-fourth-edition?bpmctrl=bpmrownr.1%7Cforeign.490271-1-0-0

Simply Scheme

  • Recommended, written by the professor doing our lectures

https://www.buchhaus.ch/de/buecher/fachbuecher/informatik/programmieren/detail/ISBN-9780262082815/Harvey-Brian-University-of-California-Author/Simply-Scheme

The Lectures

Recordings of the lectures by Brian Harvey

https://archive.org/details/ucberkeley-webcast-PL3E89002AA9B9879E

more convenient: in youtube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4leZ1Ca4f0g&list=PLhMnuBfGeCDNgVzLPxF9o5UNKG1b-LFY9

Homework

https://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu//~cs61a/reader/nodate-hw.pdf

Homework Solutions from Brian Harvey

https://people.eecs.berkeley.edu/~bh/61a-pages/Solutions/

Other good resource: https://evarga.gitbooks.io/solutions-guide-for-the-sicp-book/content/

cs61 library

https://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs61as/library/

Projects

https://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu//~cs61a/reader/vol1.html

Exams

Homepage CS61A

https://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu//~cs61a/sp11/

Software

We are using Racket, a dialect of Scheme. Most of the exercises can be done with the comfortable DrRacket IDE.

Some require https://stklos.net/

Install Racket

https://racket-lang.org/download/

Install the simply-scheme package

#lang racket type (require (planet dyoo/simply-scheme:2:2)) in the interpreter

from: http://planet.racket-lang.org/display.ss?package=simply-scheme.plt&owner=dyoo

Use 'Simply Scheme' as the selected language

Common Racket Errors

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jGtldEcm_qPoHGknJOkWj1D4-doyBjDivaV_Vn7_Hxk/edit#

Syntax highlighting

JetBrains Products have a Racket syntax highlighter!!!

  • Search for Racket in the Plugin Marketplace
  • Preferences/Editor/File Types : add *.scm under the Racket file

Forums and chats

Discord Chat

https://discord.gg/sPTMqH5zYN

subreddit

https://www.reddit.com/r/sicp/

StackOverflow

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/tagged/sicp

Reviews

https://onestepcode.com/sicp-review/

https://www.inchmeal.io/sicp/review.html

Schedule:

Week 1 (Functional Programming)

  • do labs for week 1
  • read the book Section 1.1, pages 1-31
  • watch the lectures 1 & 2
  • read the course notes for week 1
  • do homework for week 1
  • cross-check your homework (reference/berkeley_cs61a_material/solutions/week1.txt)

We review this work on Review Meeting Week 1 on Wednesday 24th March, 18.30 CET

Week 2 (Higher-order procedures)

  • do labs for week 2
  • read the book Section 1.3 - 1.2 skipped for now
  • watch the lectures 3 & 4 & 5 & 6
  • read the course notes for week 2
  • do homework for week 2 including book exercises 1.31(a), 1.32(a), 1.33, 1.40, 1.41, 1.43, 1.46
  • cross-check your homework (reference/berkeley_cs61a_material/solutions/week2.txt)

We review this work on Review Meeting Week 2 on Wednesday 7th April, 18.30 CET

Week 3 (Recursion and iteration)

  • do labs for week 3
  • read the book Section 1.2 through 1.2.4 (pages 31–47)
  • watch the lectures 7 & 8
  • read the course notes for week 3
  • do homework for week 3 including book exercises 1.16, 1.35, 1.37, 1.38
  • cross-check your homework (reference/berkeley_cs61a_material/solutions/week3.txt)
  • do Project 1 - reference/berkeley_cs61a_material/course_reader_vol_1/project_1

We review this work on Review Meeting Week 3 on Wednesday 28th April, 18.30 CET

Week 4 (Data abstraction)

  • do labs for week 4
  • read the book Sections 2.1 and 2.2.1 (pages 79–106)
  • watch the lectures 9 & 10 & 11
  • read the course notes for week 4
  • do homework for week 4 including book exercises 2.7, 2.8, 2.10, 2.12, 2.17, 2.20, 2.22, 2.23
  • cross-check your homework (reference/berkeley_cs61a_material/solutions/week4.txt)

We review this work on Review Meeting Week 4 on Wednesday 19th May, 18.30 CET

Week 5 (Hierarchical data)

  • do labs for week 5 including book exercises 2.25, 2.53, 2.55, 2.27
  • read the book Section 2.2.2–2.2.3, 2.3.1, 2.3.3
  • watch the lectures 12 & 13 & 14
  • read the course notes for week 5
  • do homework for week 5 including book exercises 2.24, 2.26, 2.29, 2.30, 2.31, 2.32, 2.36, 2.37, 2.38, 2.54
  • cross-check your homework (reference/berkeley_cs61a_material/solutions/week5.txt)
  • do First Midterm

We review this work on Review Meeting Week 5 on Wednesday 9th June, 19.00 CET

Week 6 (Generic Operators)

  • do labs for week 6
  • read the book Sections 2.4 through 2.5.2 (pages 169–200)
  • watch the lectures 16 & 17
  • read the course notes for week 6
  • do homework for week 6 including book exercises 2.74, 2.75, 2.76, 2.77, 2.79, 2.80, 2.81, 2.83
  • cross-check your homework (reference/berkeley_cs61a_material/solutions/week6.txt)
  • do Project 2 - section 2.2.4 of the book - all exercises

We review this work on Review Meeting Week 6 on Wednesday 30th June, 19.00 CET

Week 7 (Object-oriented programming)

We review this work on Review Meeting Week 7 on Wednesday 21st July, 19.00 CET

Week 8 (Assignment, state, environments)

We review this work on Review Meeting Week 8 on Wednesday 25th August, 19.00 CET

Week 9 (Mutable data, vectors)

  • do labs for week 9 including book exercises 3.12
  • read the book Section 3.3.1–3
  • watch the lectures 24 & 25 & 26
  • read the course notes for week 9
  • do homework for week 9 including book exercises 3.16, 3.17, 3.21, 3.25, 3.27
  • cross-check your homework (reference/berkeley_cs61a_material/solutions/week9.txt)
  • do Project 3a (with a partner)

We review this work on Review Meeting Week 9 on Wednesday 15th September, 19.00 CET

Week 10 (client/server, concurrency)

  • do labs for week 10
  • read the book Section 3.4
  • watch the lectures 29 & 30 & 31 & 32
  • read the course notes for week 10
  • do homework for week 10 including book exercises 3.38, 3.39, 3.40, 3.41, 3.42, 3.44, 3.46, 3.48, 3.33 to 3.37
  • cross-check your homework (reference/berkeley_cs61a_material/solutions/week10.txt)
  • do Project 3b (with a partner)

We review this work on Review Meeting Week 10 on Wednesday 6th October, 19.00 CET

Week 11 (Streams)

  • do labs for week 11
  • read the book Section 3.5.1–3, 3.5.5
  • watch the lectures 27 & 28 & 33 & 34
  • read the course notes for week 11
  • do homework for week 11 including book exercises 3.50, 3.51, 3.52, 3.53, 3.54, 3.55, 3.56, 3.64, 3.66, 3.68
  • cross-check your homework (reference/berkeley_cs61a_material/solutions/week13.txt)

We review this work on Review Meeting Week 11 on Wednesday 27th October, 19.00 CET

Week 12 (Metacircular evaluator)

  • do labs for week 12 including book exercises 4.1, 4.2, 4.4, 4.5
  • read the book Section 4.1.1–6
  • read Therac paper
  • watch the lectures 35 & 36 & 37
  • read the course notes for week 12
  • do homework for week 12 including book exercises 4.3, 4.6, 4.7, 4.10
  • cross-check your homework (reference/berkeley_cs61a_material/solutions/week12.txt)
  • do Third Midterm

We review this work on Review Meeting Week 12 on Monday 29th November, 19.00 CET

Week 12b (Metacircular evaluator part 2)

  • do labs for week 12b
  • read the book Section 4.1.1–6 and MapReduce paper in course reader.
  • read MapReduce paper
  • watch the lectures 36 & 37
  • read the course notes for week 12b
  • do homework for week 12b including book exercises 4.11, 4.13, 4.14, 4.15
  • cross-check your homework (reference/berkeley_cs61a_material/solutions/week12.txt)

We review this work on Review Meeting Week 12b on Monday 13th December, 19.00 CET

Week 12c (Project 4a - A1 A2 B1 B2)

  • do labs for week 12c
  • read the book logo.txt in reference/berkeley_cs61a_material/course_reader_vol_1/project_4
  • read the course notes for week 12c
  • do homework for week 12c
  • cross-check your homework (no solutions)

We review this work on Review Meeting Week 12c on Monday 10th January 2022, 19.00 CET

Week 13a (Analyzing evaluator, MapReduce)

  • do labs for week 13a
  • read Therac paper
  • watch the lectures 38 & 39
  • read the course notes for week 13a
  • do homework for week 13a including book exercises 4.22, 4.23, 4.24
  • cross-check your homework (no solutions for Mapreduce, exercises reference/berkeley_cs61a_material/solutions/week12.txt)

We review this work on Review Meeting Week 13a on Monday 24th January 2022, 19.00

Week 13b (Project 4 - 3 and 4, A5 and B5)

  • do labs for week 13b
  • read the book logo.txt in reference/berkeley_cs61a_material/course_reader_vol_1/project_4
  • read the course notes for week 13b
  • do homework for week 13b
  • cross-check your homework (no solutions unfortunately)
  • do Project 4 (with a partner)

We review this work on Review Meeting Week 13b on Monday 7th February 2022, 19.00 CET

Week 14a (lazy evaluator, nondeterministic evaluator)

  • do labs for week 14a including book exercises 4.27, 4.29 for the lazy evaluator and 4.35, 4.38 for the nondeterministic evaluator
  • read the book Section 4.2, 4.3
  • watch the lectures 40 & 41
  • read the course notes for week 14a
  • do homework for week 14a including book exercises 4.25, 4.26, 4.28, 4.42, 4.45, 4.49, 4.50, 4.52
  • cross-check your homework (reference/berkeley_cs61a_material/solutions/week14.txt)

We review this work on Review Meeting Week 14a on Monday 7th March 2022, 19.00 CET

Week 14b (lazy evaluator, nondeterministic evaluator)

  • do labs for week 14b
  • read the book Section 4.2, 4.3
  • watch the lectures 40 & 41
  • read the course notes for week 14b
  • do homework for week 14b including book exercises 4.30, 4.32, 4.33, 4.36, 4.47, 4.48
  • cross-check your homework (reference/berkeley_cs61a_material/solutions/week14.txt)
  • do Final Exam

We review this work on Review Meeting Week 14b on Monday 21st March 2022, 19.00 CET

Week 15 (Logic programming)

  • do labs for week 15 including book exercises 4.55, 4.62
  • read the book Section 4.4.1–3
  • watch the lectures 42 & 43 & 44
  • read the course notes for week 15
  • do homework for week 15 including book exercises 4.56, 4.57, 4.58, 4.65
  • cross-check your homework (reference/berkeley_cs61a_material/solutions/week15.txt)

We review this work on Review Meeting Week 15 on Monday 4th April 2022, 19.00 CET

Week 16 (Register Machines)

We review this work on Review Meeting Week 16 on Monday 18th April 2022, 19.00 CET

Week 17 (Explicit-control Evaluator)

We review this work on Review Meeting Week 17 on Monday 9th May 2022, 19.00 CET

Week 18 (Compilation)

We review this work on Review Meeting Week 18 on TBD

Week 19 (Storage Allocation and garbabe collection)

We review this work on Review Meeting Week 19 on TBD