

Ask HN: Has anyone read "How to create your own freaking programming language"? - octopus

Hello,<p>Has anyone read "How to create your own freaking programming language" ? I'm curious if from a 77 pages book someone could learn how to implement a programming language.<p>At first, the webpage of the book looked like a scam to me, but I see this book was used to implement the first version of CoffeeScript. Also, the book seems to be recommended by Matz.
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plinkplonk
Previous HN discussion (from when the sales text on the page was way more
"scammy") <http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=813133>

My personal opinion is that this is a "Learn compilers in 21 days" type
borderline scammy book, in that it promises a result that sounds great, but is
undeliverable. YMMV, and I am fairly demanding about technical/programming
books, online courses etc.

Is there a market for this kind of pitch? Certainly. Is there value in the
book? Opinions differ. Hear all sides, make your choice. As always, Caveat
Emptor.

Note: "scammy" is my _personal_ opinion, and my advice, which is worth
precisely what you paid for it, is "If you want to learn how compilers work,
go buy a _good_ book on the topic". "Essentials of Programming Languages", for
example, would teach you a _much_ more, while still being very beginner
friendly.

Other people have different opinions and think this book has merit. More power
to them.

~~~
octopus
I read the book and your guess was right, it is one of those "Learn X in 21
days" books. I'll ask for a refund.

A much better book seems to be Language Implementation Patterns by Terence
Parr.

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goatslacker
I can understand why it may 'look like a scam' to you.

The sales tactics on that page are also used by people trying to scam you into
buying their product. It's almost like "it's too good to be true" -- but no,
it's true and the book is quality. Buy it, you won't regret it.

Marc-André Cournoyer, the author of the book, also writes about his sales
tactics if you're interested -- you should go buy that book too.

~~~
ahoyhere
"The sales tactics on that page are also used by people trying to scam you"

Who are these alleged people, where have you met them, how do you know they're
scammers, and more importantly, have you _ever_ met one doing this alleged
scamming with _programming books_?

"Offering a full refund is something scammers do. Then they give you your
money back. Run away!"

If you are so afraid of being scammed that you think a refund offer makes
something suspicious, it's probably a good time to evaluate your buying
habits…

~~~
goatslacker
Do you never watch TV past 3am?

The page just makes it sound too good to be true and that makes some people
skeptical.

~~~
ahoyhere
Do you think that when a person you've been dating for a year says "I love
you" and when a random stranger on the street says "I love you," that both are
equally suspicious?

Logic. I like to see it on HN. It is missing from this conversation.

~~~
goatslacker
Now you're just trolling me.

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hopeless
I bought it, read it and it gave me huge insights into our own product which
contains a scripting language (not an area I usually work on). My degree
didn't include a compiler course (or perhaps it was optional and I did NLP
instead).

The book is short but I didn't find it lacking. If I have a need to create my
own language, I'll have no fear about the task. It was also a fun diversion
during a slow week :-)

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ricny046
Dude, it cost only $39.99. Just buy the freaking book.

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chc
Like Amy said, it's got at least mild approval from the creators of two
popular programming languages. I don't know what I could say that would be
worth as much, but for whatever it is worth, I bought it and it does exactly
what it says on the tin.

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octopus
I bought the book, looks good for now.

First impression: The book was last updated last year but the movie provided
with the book is from 2009.

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ahoyhere
What exactly are you expecting to hear? If the authors of CoffeeScript and
Ruby recommend it, do you think a random HNer is going to be more persuasive?

I honestly can't imagine how you figure it "looks like a scam." It looks no
more like a scam than Basecamp.

~~~
octopus
This paragraph:

 _Most books on compiler are priced at more than $100 and are long and boring.
My system, which contains a book (fun and to the point), exercises &
solutions, three languages you can use however you want and a screencast, is
only $39.99. And I even give it to you for free if you're not happy._

~~~
ahoyhere
What part of that, exactly?

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chc
I guess the part where it emphasizes how cheap it is compared to comparable
resources (which is true mainly because the others are school textbooks) and
then throws in the "free" word. That could set off too-good-to-be-true alarms.

~~~
ahoyhere
No, it should set off "this guy knows how to run a business and market things
properly" alarms. In short: this guy knows what he's doing!

1\. The price comparison? It's called anchoring. And you're supposed to do it.
Moreover, it works, both for the customer and the seller.

2\. You're really saying that offering to _refund your money_ if you don't
like it actually _makes it suspicious_?? The logical contortions here make my
brain hurt…

~~~
chc
Those are precisely the alarms I suspect it sets off. Some people are more
averse to marketing than you or I — it makes them uncomfortable, because they
associate it with a certain kind of marketer that is very common on the
Internet. (Like I said in my other comment, I bought it and thought it was
quite good.)

