I have written software professionally in perhaps a dozen programming languages, and the hardest language for me to learn has been R. The language is actually fairly simple, but it is unconventional. These notes are intended to make the language easier to learn for someone used to more commonly used languages such as C++, Java, Perl, etc.

CHICKEN is a compiler for the Scheme programming language. CHICKEN produces portable, efficient C, supports almost all of the R5RS Scheme language standard, and includes many enhancements and extensions. CHICKEN runs on Linux, MacOS X, Windows, and many Unix flavours.

VIM with cocoa.

Came for the splashpage, stayed for the good times.

When we created mozilla.org and released (most of) the source code to Netscape Confusicator 4.x, Netscape's lawyers made us go through a big "sanitization" process on the source code. Largely this consisted of making sure we had the legal rights to all the code we were releasing, and making sure every file had proper and accurate copyright statements; but they also made us take out all the dirty words. Specifically, "any text containing vulgar or offensive words or expressions; any text that might be slanderous or libelous to individuals and/or institutions."

This page summarizes the major defects of the C++ programming language (listing all minor quirks would take eternity). To be fair, some of the items by themselves could be design choices, not bugs. For example, a programming language doesn't have to provide garbage collection. It's the combination of the things that makes them all problematic. For example, the lack of garbage collection makes C++ exceptions and operator overloading inherently defective. Therefore, the problems are not listed in the order of "importance" (which is subjective anyway - different people are hit the hardest by different problems). Instead, most defects are followed by one of their complementary defects, so that when a defect causes a problem, the next defect in the list makes it worse.

Some of these supplemental notes are good, others only rough drafts or half-completed. Because they are designed only to provide additional examples, summaries, or explanations where the textbook is weak, they do not cover many obviously important topics. You can download a zipped version: notes-cpp-2004-12-19.zip [less than 400 KB]. -- Fred

A total reference of the C++ standard template library.

This book will help you to learn the Python programming language, whether you are new to computers or an experienced programmer. let's begin!

SciPy (pronounced "Sigh Pie") is open-source software for mathematics, science, and engineering. It is also the name of a very popular conference on scientific programming with Python.

Notes and samples of parsing CSV files in perl.

How to think and act like a Unix god.

A fantastic recount of the greatest software ever written. Number 1? BSD 4.3 building off the philosophies of Unix.