Programming in the 1990s - An Introduction to the Calculation of Programs -

Cohen, Edward

ISBN 10: 3540973826 / ISBN 13: 9783540973829

Published by Springer Verlag Berlin, 1990

About this Item

Sprache: englisch, Ex-Bbiliotheksausgabe, 265 Seiten. Seller Inventory # 100078

Bibliographic Details

Title: Programming in the 1990s - An Introduction ...

Publisher: Springer Verlag Berlin

Publication Date: 1990

Binding: Softcover

Condition: Sehr gut

Edition: 1. Auflage

About this title

Synopsis:

Programming is a fascinating and challenging subject. Unfortunately, it is rarely presented as such. Most often it is taught by "induction": features of some famous programming languages are given operational meaning (e.g. a loop "goes round and round"), a number of examples are shown, and by induction, we are asked to develop other programs, often radically different from the ones we've seen. Basically we are taught to guess our programs, and then to patch up our guesses. Our errors are given the cute name of "bugs". Fixing them becomes puzzle-solving, as does finding tricks that exploit or avoid poorly designed features of the programming language. The entire process is time-consuming and expensive. And even so, we are never quite sure if our programs really work in all cases. When approached in this way, programming is indeed a dull activity. There is, however, another approach to programming, an approach in which programs can be developed reliably, with attention to the real issues. It is a practical approach based on methodically developing programs from their specifications. Besides being practical, it is exciting. Many programs can be developed with relative ease. Problems which once were difficult can now be solved by beginners. Elegant solutions bring great satisfaction. This is our subject. We are interested in making programming an exciting topic!