Practical Foundations for Programming Languages

Harper, Robert

ISBN 10: 1107029570 / ISBN 13: 9781107029576

Published by Cambridge University Press, Cambridge / New York, 2013

About this Item

10 1/4" x 7?, xviii, 471 pages, bibliography. Types are the central organizing principle of the theory of programming languages. In this innovative 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 taxonomy, 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 only 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. Hb, now dw, as issued, virtually as new.

Seller Inventory # 007365

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Practical Foundations for Programming Languages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press, Cambridge / New York
• Publication Date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1107029570
• ISBN 13: 9781107029576
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Printing: 1st Printing
• Condition: As New
• Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket

About this title

Synopsis

Types are the central organizing principle of the theory of programming languages. In this innovative 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 taxonomy, 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 only 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.

About the Author

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.