By introducing the principles of programming languages, using the Java language as a support, Gilles Dowek provides the necessary fundamentals of this language as a first objective.
It is important to realise that knowledge of a single programming language is not really enough. To be a good programmer, you should be familiar with several languages and be able to learn new ones. In order to do this, you'll need to understand universal concepts, such as functions or cells, which exist in one form or another in all programming languages. The most effective way to understand these universal concepts is to compare two or more languages. In this book, the author has chosen Caml and C.
To understand the principles of programming languages, it is also important to learn how to precisely define the meaning ofa program, and tools for doing so are discussed. Finally, there is coverage of basic algorithms for lists and trees.

Written for students, this book presents what all scientists and engineers should know about programming languages.

Reviews

From the reviews:

"The primary programming language topics covered are basic imperative constructs, functions, semantics, recursion, data types, exceptions, and objects. It is clear and easy to read, with nice exercises ... . it is written at a good level for undergraduate students." (M. D. Derk, ACM Computing Reviews, June, 2009)

"As stated in the title, this book focuses on the principles of programming languages. ... Numerous exercises are included, ranging from simplistic to relatively complex. ... This book would be of most help to those who already know exactly what they are looking for and would like to see an example of that construct. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students through professionals/practitioners." (M. B. DuBois, Choice, Vol. 47 (6), February, 2010)



Book Information
ISBN 9781848820319
Author Gilles Dowek
Format Paperback
Page Count 159
Imprint Springer London Ltd
Publisher Springer London Ltd