Types and Programming Languages


Benjamin C. Pierce - 2002
    The study of type systems--and of programming languages from a type-theoretic perspective--has important applications in software engineering, language design, high-performance compilers, and security.This text provides a comprehensive introduction both to type systems in computer science and to the basic theory of programming languages. The approach is pragmatic and operational; each new concept is motivated by programming examples and the more theoretical sections are driven by the needs of implementations. Each chapter is accompanied by numerous exercises and solutions, as well as a running implementation, available via the Web. Dependencies between chapters are explicitly identified, allowing readers to choose a variety of paths through the material.The core topics include the untyped lambda-calculus, simple type systems, type reconstruction, universal and existential polymorphism, subtyping, bounded quantification, recursive types, kinds, and type operators. Extended case studies develop a variety of approaches to modeling the features of object-oriented languages.

Python Testing with Pytest: Simple, Rapid, Effective, and Scalable


Brian Okken - 2017
    The pytest testing framework helps you write tests quickly and keep them readable and maintainable - with no boilerplate code. Using a robust yet simple fixture model, it's just as easy to write small tests with pytest as it is to scale up to complex functional testing for applications, packages, and libraries. This book shows you how.For Python-based projects, pytest is the undeniable choice to test your code if you're looking for a full-featured, API-independent, flexible, and extensible testing framework. With a full-bodied fixture model that is unmatched in any other tool, the pytest framework gives you powerful features such as assert rewriting and plug-in capability - with no boilerplate code.With simple step-by-step instructions and sample code, this book gets you up to speed quickly on this easy-to-learn and robust tool. Write short, maintainable tests that elegantly express what you're testing. Add powerful testing features and still speed up test times by distributing tests across multiple processors and running tests in parallel. Use the built-in assert statements to reduce false test failures by separating setup and test failures. Test error conditions and corner cases with expected exception testing, and use one test to run many test cases with parameterized testing. Extend pytest with plugins, connect it to continuous integration systems, and use it in tandem with tox, mock, coverage, unittest, and doctest.Write simple, maintainable tests that elegantly express what you're testing and why.What You Need: The examples in this book are written using Python 3.6 and pytest 3.0. However, pytest 3.0 supports Python 2.6, 2.7, and Python 3.3-3.6.

Learning From Data: A Short Course


Yaser S. Abu-Mostafa - 2012
    Its techniques are widely applied in engineering, science, finance, and commerce. This book is designed for a short course on machine learning. It is a short course, not a hurried course. From over a decade of teaching this material, we have distilled what we believe to be the core topics that every student of the subject should know. We chose the title `learning from data' that faithfully describes what the subject is about, and made it a point to cover the topics in a story-like fashion. Our hope is that the reader can learn all the fundamentals of the subject by reading the book cover to cover. ---- Learning from data has distinct theoretical and practical tracks. In this book, we balance the theoretical and the practical, the mathematical and the heuristic. Our criterion for inclusion is relevance. Theory that establishes the conceptual framework for learning is included, and so are heuristics that impact the performance of real learning systems. ---- Learning from data is a very dynamic field. Some of the hot techniques and theories at times become just fads, and others gain traction and become part of the field. What we have emphasized in this book are the necessary fundamentals that give any student of learning from data a solid foundation, and enable him or her to venture out and explore further techniques and theories, or perhaps to contribute their own. ---- The authors are professors at California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), and National Taiwan University (NTU), where this book is the main text for their popular courses on machine learning. The authors also consult extensively with financial and commercial companies on machine learning applications, and have led winning teams in machine learning competitions.

Machine Learning for Absolute Beginners


Oliver Theobald - 2017
    The manner in which computers are now able to mimic human thinking is rapidly exceeding human capabilities in everything from chess to picking the winner of a song contest. In the age of machine learning, computers do not strictly need to receive an ‘input command’ to perform a task, but rather ‘input data’. From the input of data they are able to form their own decisions and take actions virtually as a human would. But as a machine, can consider many more scenarios and execute calculations to solve complex problems. This is the element that excites companies and budding machine learning engineers the most. The ability to solve complex problems never before attempted. This is also perhaps one reason why you are looking at purchasing this book, to gain a beginner's introduction to machine learning. This book provides a plain English introduction to the following topics: - Artificial Intelligence - Big Data - Downloading Free Datasets - Regression - Support Vector Machine Algorithms - Deep Learning/Neural Networks - Data Reduction - Clustering - Association Analysis - Decision Trees - Recommenders - Machine Learning Careers This book has recently been updated following feedback from readers. Version II now includes: - New Chapter: Decision Trees - Cleanup of minor errors

Seven Languages in Seven Weeks


Bruce A. Tate - 2010
    But if one per year is good, how about Seven Languages in Seven Weeks? In this book you'll get a hands-on tour of Clojure, Haskell, Io, Prolog, Scala, Erlang, and Ruby. Whether or not your favorite language is on that list, you'll broaden your perspective of programming by examining these languages side-by-side. You'll learn something new from each, and best of all, you'll learn how to learn a language quickly. Ruby, Io, Prolog, Scala, Erlang, Clojure, Haskell. With Seven Languages in Seven Weeks, by Bruce A. Tate, you'll go beyond the syntax-and beyond the 20-minute tutorial you'll find someplace online. This book has an audacious goal: to present a meaningful exploration of seven languages within a single book. Rather than serve as a complete reference or installation guide, Seven Languages hits what's essential and unique about each language. Moreover, this approach will help teach you how to grok new languages. For each language, you'll solve a nontrivial problem, using techniques that show off the language's most important features. As the book proceeds, you'll discover the strengths and weaknesses of the languages, while dissecting the process of learning languages quickly--for example, finding the typing and programming models, decision structures, and how you interact with them. Among this group of seven, you'll explore the most critical programming models of our time. Learn the dynamic typing that makes Ruby, Python, and Perl so flexible and compelling. Understand the underlying prototype system that's at the heart of JavaScript. See how pattern matching in Prolog shaped the development of Scala and Erlang. Discover how pure functional programming in Haskell is different from the Lisp family of languages, including Clojure. Explore the concurrency techniques that are quickly becoming the backbone of a new generation of Internet applications. Find out how to use Erlang's let-it-crash philosophy for building fault-tolerant systems. Understand the actor model that drives concurrency design in Io and Scala. Learn how Clojure uses versioning to solve some of the most difficult concurrency problems. It's all here, all in one place. Use the concepts from one language to find creative solutions in another-or discover a language that may become one of your favorites.

Learning PHP, MySQL, and JavaScript: A Step-By-Step Guide to Creating Dynamic Websites


Robin Nixon - 2009
    You'll learn how to create responsive, data-driven websites with PHP, MySQL, and JavaScript, regardless of whether you already know how to program. Discover how the powerful combination of PHP and MySQL provides an easy way to build modern websites complete with dynamic data and user interaction. You'll also learn how to add JavaScript to create rich Internet applications and websites.Learning PHP, MySQL, and JavaScript explains each technology separately, shows you how to combine them, and introduces valuable web programming concepts, including objects, XHTML, cookies, and session management. You'll practice what you've learned with review questions in each chapter, and find a sample social networking platform built with the elements introduced in this book. This book will help you:-Understand PHP essentials and the basics of object-oriented programming-Master MySQL, from database structure to complex queries-Create web pages with PHP and MySQL by integrating forms and other HTML features-Learn about JavaScript, from functions and event handling to accessing the Document Object Model-Use libraries and packages, including the Smarty web template system, PEAR program repository, and the Yahoo! User Interface Library -Make Ajax calls and turn your website into a highly dynamic environment-Upload and manipulate files and images, validate user input, and secure your applications

How to Design Programs: An Introduction to Programming and Computing


Matthias Felleisen - 2001
    Unlike other introductory books, it focuses on the program design process. This approach fosters a variety of skills--critical reading, analytical thinking, creative synthesis, and attention to detail--that are important for everyone, not just future computer programmers. The book exposes readers to two fundamentally new ideas. First, it presents program design guidelines that show the reader how to analyze a problem statement; how to formulate concise goals; how to make up examples; how to develop an outline of the solution, based on the analysis; how to finish the program; and how to test. Each step produces a well-defined intermediate product. Second, the book comes with a novel programming environment, the first one explicitly designed for beginners. The environment grows with the readers as they master the material in the book until it supports a full-fledged language for the whole spectrum of programming tasks.All the book's support materials are available for free on the Web. The Web site includes the environment, teacher guides, exercises for all levels, solutions, and additional projects.A second edition is now available.

The Developer's Code: What Real Programmers Do


Ka Wai Cheung - 2012
    There are no trite superlatives here. Packed with lessons learned from more than a decade of software development experience, author Ka Wai Cheung takes you through the programming profession from nearly every angle to uncover ways of sustaining a healthy connection with your work. You'll see how to stay productive even on the longest projects. You'll create a workflow that works with you, not against you. And you'll learn how to deal with clients whose goals don't align with your own. If you don't handle them just right, issues such as these can crush even the most seasoned, motivated developer. But with the right approach, you can transcend these common problems and become the professional developer you want to be. In more than 50 nuggets of wisdom, you'll learn: Why many traditional approaches to process and development roles in this industry are wrong - and how to sniff them out. Why you must always say "no" to the software pet project and open-ended timelines. How to incorporate code generation into your development process, and why its benefits go far beyond just faster code output. What to do when your client or end user disagrees with an approach you believe in. How to pay your knowledge forward to future generations of programmers through teaching and evangelism. If you're in this industry for the long run, you'll be coming back to this book again and again.

Writing Idiomatic Python 2.7.3


Jeff Knupp - 2013
    Each idiom comes with a detailed description, example code showing the "wrong" way to do it, and code for the idiomatic, "Pythonic" alternative. *This version of the book is for Python 2.7.3+. There is also a Python 3.3+ version available.* "Writing Idiomatic Python" contains the most common and important Python idioms in a format that maximizes identification and understanding. Each idiom is presented as a recommendation to write some commonly used piece of code. It is followed by an explanation of why the idiom is important. It also contains two code samples: the "Harmful" way to write it and the "Idiomatic" way. * The "Harmful" way helps you identify the idiom in your own code. * The "Idiomatic" way shows you how to easily translate that code into idiomatic Python. This book is perfect for you: * If you're coming to Python from another programming language * If you're learning Python as a first programming language * If you're looking to increase the readability, maintainability, and correctness of your Python code What is "Idiomatic" Python? Every programming language has its own idioms. Programming language idioms are nothing more than the generally accepted way of writing a certain piece of code. Consistently writing idiomatic code has a number of important benefits: * Others can read and understand your code easily * Others can maintain and enhance your code with minimal effort * Your code will contain fewer bugs * Your code will teach others to write correct code without any effort on your part

A Practical Guide to Linux Commands, Editors, and Shell Programming


Mark G. Sobell - 2005
    The book is a complete revision of the commands section of Sobell's Practical Guide to Linux - a proven best-seller. The book is Linux distribution and release agnostic. It will appeal to users of ALL Linux distributions. Superior examples make this book the the best option on the market! System administrators, software developers, quality assurance engineers and others working on a Linux system need to work from the command line in order to be effective. Linux is famous for its huge number of command line utility programs, and the programs themselves are famous for their large numbers of options, switches, and configuration files. But the truth is that users will only use a limited (but still significant) number of these utilities on a recurring basis, and then only with a subset of the most important and useful options, switches and configuration files. This book cuts through all the noise and shows them which utilities are most useful, and which options most important. And it contains examples, lot's and lot's of examples. programmability. Utilities are designed, by default, to work wtih other utilities within shell programs as a way of automating system tasks. This book contains a superb introduction to Linux shell programming. And since shell programmers need to write their programs in text editors, this book covers the two most popular ones: vi and emacs.

Computer Science Illuminated


Nell B. Dale - 2002
    Written By Two Of Today'S Most Respected Computer Science Educators, Nell Dale And John Lewis, The Text Provides A Broad Overview Of The Many Aspects Of The Discipline From A Generic View Point. Separate Program Language Chapters Are Available As Bundle Items For Those Instructors Who Would Like To Explore A Particular Programming Language With Their Students. The Many Layers Of Computing Are Thoroughly Explained Beginning With The Information Layer, Working Through The Hardware, Programming, Operating Systems, Application, And Communication Layers, And Ending With A Discussion On The Limitations Of Computing. Perfect For Introductory Computing And Computer Science Courses, Computer Science Illuminated, Third Edition's Thorough Presentation Of Computing Systems Provides Computer Science Majors With A Solid Foundation For Further Study, And Offers Non-Majors A Comprehensive And Complete Introduction To Computing.

PHP Objects, Patterns, and Practice


Matt Zandstra - 2007
    Borne from a contract developer's pet project, these days you'll find PHP powering many of the world's largest web sites, including Yahoo!, Digg, EA Games, and Lycos.PHP Objects, Patterns, and Practice, Second Edition shows you how to meld the power of PHP with the sound enterprise development techniques embraced by professional programmers. Going well beyond the basics of objectoriented development, you'll learn about advanced topics such as working with static methods and properties, abstract classes, interfaces, design patterns, exception handling, and more. You'll also be exposed to key tools such as PEAR, CVS, Phing, and phpDocumentor. What you'll learn Write solid, maintainable code by embracing objectoriented techniques and design patterns Create detailed, versatile documentation using the powerful phpDocumentor automated documentation system Gain new flexibility during the development process by managing your code within a CVS repository and using the Phing build system Capitalize upon the quality code of others by using the PEAR package management solution Who this book is forPHP developers seeking to embrace sound development techniques such as objectorientation, design patterns, testing, and documentation. "

RESTful Web Services


Leonard Richardson - 2007
    But can you also build web sites that are usable by machines? That's where the future lies, and that's what RESTful Web Services shows you how to do. The World Wide Web is the most popular distributed application in history, and Web services and mashups have turned it into a powerful distributed computing platform. But today's web service technologies have lost sight of the simplicity that made the Web successful. They don't work like the Web, and they're missing out on its advantages. This book puts the "Web" back into web services. It shows how you can connect to the programmable web with the technologies you already use every day. The key is REST, the architectural style that drives the Web. This book:Emphasizes the power of basic Web technologies -- the HTTP application protocol, the URI naming standard, and the XML markup language Introduces the Resource-Oriented Architecture (ROA), a common-sense set of rules for designing RESTful web services Shows how a RESTful design is simpler, more versatile, and more scalable than a design based on Remote Procedure Calls (RPC) Includes real-world examples of RESTful web services, like Amazon's Simple Storage Service and the Atom Publishing Protocol Discusses web service clients for popular programming languages Shows how to implement RESTful services in three popular frameworks -- Ruby on Rails, Restlet (for Java), and Django (for Python) Focuses on practical issues: how to design and implement RESTful web services and clients This is the first book that applies the REST design philosophy to real web services. It sets down the best practices you need to make your design a success, and the techniques you need to turn your design into working code. You can harness the power of the Web for programmable applications: you just have to work with the Web instead of against it. This book shows you how.

Head First Object-Oriented Analysis and Design: A Brain Friendly Guide to OOA&D


Brett McLaughlin - 2006
    What sets this book apart is its focus on learning. The authors have made the content of OOAD accessible, usable for the practitioner." Ivar Jacobson, Ivar Jacobson Consulting"I just finished reading HF OOA&D and I loved it! The thing I liked most about this book was its focus on why we do OOA&D-to write great software!" Kyle Brown, Distinguished Engineer, IBM"Hidden behind the funny pictures and crazy fonts is a serious, intelligent, extremely well-crafted presentation of OO Analysis and Design. As I read the book, I felt like I was looking over the shoulder of an expert designer who was explaining to me what issues were important at each step, and why." Edward Sciore, Associate Professor, Computer Science Department, Boston College Tired of reading Object Oriented Analysis and Design books that only makes sense after you're an expert? You've heard OOA&D can help you write great software every time-software that makes your boss happy, your customers satisfied and gives you more time to do what makes you happy.But how?Head First Object-Oriented Analysis & Design shows you how to analyze, design, and write serious object-oriented software: software that's easy to reuse, maintain, and extend; software that doesn't hurt your head; software that lets you add new features without breaking the old ones. Inside you will learn how to:Use OO principles like encapsulation and delegation to build applications that are flexible Apply the Open-Closed Principle (OCP) and the Single Responsibility Principle (SRP) to promote reuse of your code Leverage the power of design patterns to solve your problems more efficiently Use UML, use cases, and diagrams to ensure that all stakeholders are communicating clearly to help you deliver the right software that meets everyone's needs.By exploiting how your brain works, Head First Object-Oriented Analysis & Design compresses the time it takes to learn and retain complex information. Expect to have fun, expect to learn, expect to be writing great software consistently by the time you're finished reading this!

Mastering Emacs


Mickey Petersen - 2015
    In the Mastering Emacs ebook you will learn the answers to all the concepts that take weeks, months or even years to truly learn, all in one place.“Emacs is such a hard editor to learn”But why is it so hard to learn? As it turns out, it's almost always the same handful of issues that everyone faces.If you have tried to learn Emacs you will have struggled with the same problems everyone faces, and few tutorials to see you through it.I have dedicated the first half of the book to explaining the essence of Emacs — and in doing so, how to overcome these issues:Memorizing Emacs’s keys: You will learn Emacs one key at a time, starting with the arrow keys. To feel productive in Emacs, it’s important you start on an equal footing — without too many new concepts and keys to memorize. Each chapter will introduce more keys and concepts so you can learn at your own pace. Discovering new modes and features: Emacs is a self-documenting editor, and I will teach you how to use the apropos, info, and describe system to discover new modes and features, or help you find things you forgot! Customizing Emacs: You don’t have to learn Emacs Lisp to alter a lot of Emacs’s functionality. Most changes you want to make are possible using Emacs’s Customize interface and I will show you how to use it efficiently. Understanding the terminology: Emacs is so old it predates almost every other editor and all modern user interfaces. I have an entire chapter dedicated to the unique terminology in Emacs; how it is different from other editors, and what that means to you.