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#programming-beginners2018-03-14
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agigao21:03:38

One suggestion for beginners, Mr. Michael Sperber provided this resource at ClojureD 2018 as one of the best for beginners, it’s also available for free - http://www.htdp.org/2018-01-06/Book/

felipebarros21:03:11

I've seen here and there people mentioning SICP classes. I've just started reading the book so I wondered: should I use some other material alongside the book in order to digest it better, like some class that is available online or tutorial? Any other tips?

arrdem21:03:59

@anantpaatra I’d suggest that if you’re gonna work through SICP in Clojure you keep some Clojure material close to hand. I think there’s an attempt to “port” SICP’s exercises to Clojure, but the book itself uses mutability in ways which are idiomatic Scheme and poor Clojure. The book itself is a really great text on computing tho and it was definitely one of the highlights of my education.

bronsa21:03:27

I advise following SICP in racket rather than clojure

felipebarros21:03:29

Yeah, I guess it will be better if I follow it using Guile or something. I want to read it to get deeper into computing, not necessarily because of Clojure.

felipebarros21:03:12

Oh, OK. I intend to go on a really slow pace so not to get too confused. Racket seems nice.

agigao21:03:00

I’m not a big fan of idealization. Started SICP but never finished. I’d advise a bit more pragmatic approach.

felipebarros21:03:07

Sorry, I don't understand what you mean by idealization. Can you explain a bit more? I want to be as pragmatic as possible about this book.

agigao21:03:23

In this case - idealization of SICP.

agigao21:03:53

Regarding a bit more pragmatic approach here’s my suggestion: if you’re beginner then start with How to Design Programs (2nd edition) > Programming Clojure 3rd Edition > Clojure Applied: From Practice to Practitioner

seancorfield23:03:12

I'd say Living Clojure is more approachable for beginners than Programming Clojure so maybe tackle that first (after HtDP2) /cc @anantpaatra

felipebarros22:03:34

I'll meditate on that. Thank you a lot for the tip. I really need to work on my general computing knowledge and I hear so much about SICP that I thought it would be a logical next step.

agigao22:03:14

You’re most welcome. I’ve just shared my experience with SICP.

felipebarros22:03:41

As someone with a background in design and front-end who really likes the design-first approach, the preface of HTDP seems to talk my language. But I confess I also loved the foreword and prefaces of SICP. I'll slowly consider both "approaches" over the coming days before I decide which path to take.

agigao22:03:23

Sure, try both see which one works for you. work hard and do it consistently.