Types are the central organizing principle of the theory of programming languages. In this invative book, Professor Robert Harper offers a fresh perspective on the fundamentals of these languages through the use of type theory. Whereas most textbooks on the subject emphasize taxomy, Harper instead emphasizes genetics, examining the building blocks from which all programming languages are constructed. Language features are manifestations of type structure. The syntax of a language is governed by the constructs that define its types, and its semantics is determined by the interactions among those constructs. The soundness of a language design - the absence of ill-defined programs - follows naturally. Professor Harper's presentation is simultaneously rigorous and intuitive, relying on elementary mathematics. The framework he outlines scales easily to a rich variety of language concepts and is directly applicable to their implementation. The result is a lucid introduction to programming theory that is both accessible and practical.
Product Identifiers
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
ISBN-10
1107029570
ISBN-13
9781107029576
eBay Product ID (ePID)
129168692
Product Key Features
Author
Robert Harper
Format
Hardback
Language
English
Subject
Computing: Professional & Programming
Type
Textbook
Dimensions
Weight
1000g
Height
253mm
Width
177mm
Additional Product Features
Place of Publication
Cambridge
Spine
30mm
Content Note
Illustrations
Author Biography
Robert Harper has been a member of the faculty of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University since 1988. His main research interest is in the application of type theory to the design and implementation of programming languages and to the development of systems for mechanization of mathematics. Professor Harper is a recipient of the Allen Newell Medal for Research Excellence and the Herbert A. Simon Award for Teaching Excellence at Carnegie Mellon and is a Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery.