[ANN] Steps in Scala: Introduction to Object-Functional Programming

I would be happy to be a proofreader for it. I'm a native English
speaker who knows how to use apostrophes, and a near-native Scala
programmer.

2009/3/17 Christos KK Loverdos :
> Hi all,
> I am very pleased to announce a forthcoming book by myself and my colleague
> Apostolos Syropoulos, entitled:
> Steps in Scala: Introduction to Object-Functional Programming.
> Object-functional programming is a programming philosophy that is
> continuously gaining momentum since the introduction of Scala. This book
> book aims at providing a lucid, application-oriented presentation of Scala's
> pure object-oriented (in the sense that
> everything is an object) and functional natures, using carefully chosen
> examples and design challenges.
> The book is to be published by Cambridge University Press (expected by the
> end of 2009). I attach a draft cover as well.
> Also note our use of the term "object-functional" which we strongly
> advocate. I believe we are experiencing a truly new way to model our
> software and the time is mature enough to place it on par with
> "object-oriented" and "functional" programming. Object-functional is a
> remarkable blend that is now transforming into a practical and highly
> expressive reality with Scala; I am certain that most of us have already
> experienced this reality.
> Best Regards,
> Christos KK Loverdos
> --
>  __~O
> -\ <,       Christos KK Loverdos
> (*)/ (*)      http://ckkloverdos.com
>

I would be happy to be a proofreader for it. I'm a native English
speaker who knows how to use apostrophes, and a near-native Scala
programmer.

2009/3/17 Christos KK Loverdos :
> Hi all,
> I am very pleased to announce a forthcoming book by myself and my colleague
> Apostolos Syropoulos, entitled:
> Steps in Scala: Introduction to Object-Functional Programming.
> Object-functional programming is a programming philosophy that is
> continuously gaining momentum since the introduction of Scala. This book
> book aims at providing a lucid, application-oriented presentation of Scala's
> pure object-oriented (in the sense that
> everything is an object) and functional natures, using carefully chosen
> examples and design challenges.
> The book is to be published by Cambridge University Press (expected by the
> end of 2009). I attach a draft cover as well.
> Also note our use of the term "object-functional" which we strongly
> advocate. I believe we are experiencing a truly new way to model our
> software and the time is mature enough to place it on par with
> "object-oriented" and "functional" programming. Object-functional is a
> remarkable blend that is now transforming into a practical and highly
> expressive reality with Scala; I am certain that most of us have already
> experienced this reality.
> Best Regards,
> Christos KK Loverdos
> --
>  __~O
> -\ <,       Christos KK Loverdos
> (*)/ (*)      http://ckkloverdos.com
>

Hi all,
I am very pleased to announce a forthcoming book by myself and my colleague Apostolos Syropoulos, entitled:
Steps in Scala: Introduction to Object-Functional Programming.
Object-functional programming is a programming philosophy that is continuously gaining momentum since the introduction of Scala. This book book aims at providing a lucid, application-oriented presentation of Scala's pure object-oriented (in the sense that  everything is an object) and functional natures, using carefully chosen examples and design challenges.
The book is to be published by Cambridge University Press (expected by the end of 2009). I attach a draft cover as well.
Also note our use of the term "object-functional" which we strongly advocate. I believe we are experiencing a truly new way to model our software and the time is mature enough to place it on par with "object-oriented" and "functional" programming. Object-functional is a remarkable blend that is now transforming into a practical and highly expressive reality with Scala; I am certain that most of us have already experienced this reality.
Best Regards,Christos KK Loverdos
--
 __~O
-\ <,       Christos KK Loverdos
(*)/ (*)      http://ckkloverdos.com

On Tuesday March 17 2009, Christos KK Loverdos wrote:
> Hi all,
> I am very pleased to announce a forthcoming book by myself and my
> colleague Apostolos Syropoulos, entitled:
>
> Steps in Scala: Introduction to Object-Functional Programming.
>
> ...

Does CUP have an early-access e-book program?

> Best Regards,
> Christos KK Loverdos

Randall Schulz

Hi all,
I am very pleased to announce a forthcoming book by myself and my colleague Apostolos Syropoulos, entitled:
Steps in Scala: Introduction to Object-Functional Programming.
Object-functional programming is a programming philosophy that is continuously gaining momentum since the introduction of Scala. This book book aims at providing a lucid, application-oriented presentation of Scala's pure object-oriented (in the sense that  everything is an object) and functional natures, using carefully chosen examples and design challenges.
The book is to be published by Cambridge University Press (expected by the end of 2009). I attach a draft cover as well.
Also note our use of the term "object-functional" which we strongly advocate. I believe we are experiencing a truly new way to model our software and the time is mature enough to place it on par with "object-oriented" and "functional" programming. Object-functional is a remarkable blend that is now transforming into a practical and highly expressive reality with Scala; I am certain that most of us have already experienced this reality.
Best Regards,Christos KK Loverdos
--
 __~O
-\ <,       Christos KK Loverdos
(*)/ (*)      http://ckkloverdos.com

Hi all,
I am very pleased to announce a forthcoming book by myself and my colleague Apostolos Syropoulos, entitled:
Steps in Scala: Introduction to Object-Functional Programming.
Object-functional programming is a programming philosophy that is continuously gaining momentum since the introduction of Scala. This book book aims at providing a lucid, application-oriented presentation of Scala's pure object-oriented (in the sense that  everything is an object) and functional natures, using carefully chosen examples and design challenges.
The book is to be published by Cambridge University Press (expected by the end of 2009). I attach a draft cover as well.
Also note our use of the term "object-functional" which we strongly advocate. I believe we are experiencing a truly new way to model our software and the time is mature enough to place it on par with "object-oriented" and "functional" programming. Object-functional is a remarkable blend that is now transforming into a practical and highly expressive reality with Scala; I am certain that most of us have already experienced this reality.
Best Regards,Christos KK Loverdos
--
 __~O
-\ <,       Christos KK Loverdos
(*)/ (*)      http://ckkloverdos.com

Hi all,
I am very pleased to announce a forthcoming book by myself and my colleague Apostolos Syropoulos, entitled:
Steps in Scala: Introduction to Object-Functional Programming.
Object-functional programming is a programming philosophy that is continuously gaining momentum since the introduction of Scala. This book book aims at providing a lucid, application-oriented presentation of Scala's pure object-oriented (in the sense that  everything is an object) and functional natures, using carefully chosen examples and design challenges.
The book is to be published by Cambridge University Press (expected by the end of 2009). I attach a draft cover as well.
Also note our use of the term "object-functional" which we strongly advocate. I believe we are experiencing a truly new way to model our software and the time is mature enough to place it on par with "object-oriented" and "functional" programming. Object-functional is a remarkable blend that is now transforming into a practical and highly expressive reality with Scala; I am certain that most of us have already experienced this reality.
Best Regards,Christos KK Loverdos
--
 __~O
-\ <,       Christos KK Loverdos
(*)/ (*)      http://ckkloverdos.com

Totally awesome!  Congratulations!

On Tue, Mar 17, 2009 at 2:06 AM, Christos KK Loverdos <loverdos@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi all,
I am very pleased to announce a forthcoming book by myself and my colleague Apostolos Syropoulos, entitled:
Steps in Scala: Introduction to Object-Functional Programming.
Object-functional programming is a programming philosophy that is continuously gaining momentum since the introduction of Scala. This book book aims at providing a lucid, application-oriented presentation of Scala's pure object-oriented (in the sense that  everything is an object) and functional natures, using carefully chosen examples and design challenges.
The book is to be published by Cambridge University Press (expected by the end of 2009). I attach a draft cover as well.
Also note our use of the term "object-functional" which we strongly advocate. I believe we are experiencing a truly new way to model our software and the time is mature enough to place it on par with "object-oriented" and "functional" programming. Object-functional is a remarkable blend that is now transforming into a practical and highly expressive reality with Scala; I am certain that most of us have already experienced this reality.
Best Regards,Christos KK Loverdos
--
 __~O
-\ <,       Christos KK Loverdos
(*)/ (*)      http://ckkloverdos.com

--
Lift, the simply functional web framework http://liftweb.net
Beginning Scala http://www.apress.com/book/view/1430219890
Follow me: http://twitter.com/dpp
Git some: http://github.com/dpp

On Tuesday March 17 2009, Christos KK Loverdos wrote:
> Hi all,
> I am very pleased to announce a forthcoming book by myself and my
> colleague Apostolos Syropoulos, entitled:
>
> Steps in Scala: Introduction to Object-Functional Programming.
>
> ...

Does CUP have an early-access e-book program?


> Best Regards,
> Christos KK Loverdos


Randall Schulz

Totally awesome!  Congratulations!

On Tue, Mar 17, 2009 at 2:06 AM, Christos KK Loverdos <loverdos@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi all,
I am very pleased to announce a forthcoming book by myself and my colleague Apostolos Syropoulos, entitled:
Steps in Scala: Introduction to Object-Functional Programming.
Object-functional programming is a programming philosophy that is continuously gaining momentum since the introduction of Scala. This book book aims at providing a lucid, application-oriented presentation of Scala's pure object-oriented (in the sense that  everything is an object) and functional natures, using carefully chosen examples and design challenges.
The book is to be published by Cambridge University Press (expected by the end of 2009). I attach a draft cover as well.
Also note our use of the term "object-functional" which we strongly advocate. I believe we are experiencing a truly new way to model our software and the time is mature enough to place it on par with "object-oriented" and "functional" programming. Object-functional is a remarkable blend that is now transforming into a practical and highly expressive reality with Scala; I am certain that most of us have already experienced this reality.
Best Regards,Christos KK Loverdos
--
 __~O
-\ <,       Christos KK Loverdos
(*)/ (*)      http://ckkloverdos.com

--
Lift, the simply functional web framework http://liftweb.net
Beginning Scala http://www.apress.com/book/view/1430219890
Follow me: http://twitter.com/dpp
Git some: http://github.com/dpp

Christos KK Loverdos wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I am very pleased to announce a forthcoming book by myself and my
> colleague Apostolos Syropoulos, entitled:
>
> Steps in Scala: Introduction to Object-Functional Programming.

Very cool! Looking forward to seeing it!

Derek

Christos KK Loverdos wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I am very pleased to announce a forthcoming book by myself and my
> colleague Apostolos Syropoulos, entitled:
>
> Steps in Scala: Introduction to Object-Functional Programming.

Very cool! Looking forward to seeing it!

Derek

On Tue, Mar 17, 2009 at 10:06 AM, Christos KK Loverdos
wrote:
> Hi all,
> I am very pleased to announce a forthcoming book by myself and my colleague
> Apostolos Syropoulos, entitled:
> Steps in Scala: Introduction to Object-Functional Programming.

Hmm. Is this style of programming mature enough to actually write a book about?

Assuming that the book is about patterns and idioms that build on the
object-functional to provide some benefits. Is it realy possible to
say that there are benefits, and what they are, at this point?

A question in all honesty. I really have no idea.

BR,
John

On Tue, Mar 17, 2009 at 10:06 AM, Christos KK Loverdos
wrote:
> Hi all,
> I am very pleased to announce a forthcoming book by myself and my colleague
> Apostolos Syropoulos, entitled:
> Steps in Scala: Introduction to Object-Functional Programming.

Hmm. Is this style of programming mature enough to actually write a book about?

Assuming that the book is about patterns and idioms that build on the
object-functional to provide some benefits. Is it realy possible to
say that there are benefits, and what they are, at this point?

A question in all honesty. I really have no idea.

BR,
John

Perhaps its enough to show how the approach can be used in different
contexts and let the reader see how the approaches work for them.

I'd be cautious about saying there could be best practices or even a
selection of "most useful" patterns. I guess its down to the wording
:-)

Either way I'm more than happy about increased general exposure to
Scala, can't help but increase possibility of enterprise use.

On Tue, Mar 17, 2009 at 8:43 PM, John Nilsson wrote:
> On Tue, Mar 17, 2009 at 10:06 AM, Christos KK Loverdos
> wrote:
>> Hi all,
>> I am very pleased to announce a forthcoming book by myself and my colleague
>> Apostolos Syropoulos, entitled:
>> Steps in Scala: Introduction to Object-Functional Programming.
>
> Hmm. Is this style of programming mature enough to actually write a book about?
>
> Assuming that the book is about patterns and idioms that build on the
> object-functional to provide some benefits. Is it realy possible to
> say that there are benefits, and what they are, at this point?
>
> A question in all honesty. I really have no idea.
>
> BR,
> John
>

Perhaps its enough to show how the approach can be used in different
contexts and let the reader see how the approaches work for them.

I'd be cautious about saying there could be best practices or even a
selection of "most useful" patterns. I guess its down to the wording
:-)

Either way I'm more than happy about increased general exposure to
Scala, can't help but increase possibility of enterprise use.

On Tue, Mar 17, 2009 at 8:43 PM, John Nilsson wrote:
> On Tue, Mar 17, 2009 at 10:06 AM, Christos KK Loverdos
> wrote:
>> Hi all,
>> I am very pleased to announce a forthcoming book by myself and my colleague
>> Apostolos Syropoulos, entitled:
>> Steps in Scala: Introduction to Object-Functional Programming.
>
> Hmm. Is this style of programming mature enough to actually write a book about?
>
> Assuming that the book is about patterns and idioms that build on the
> object-functional to provide some benefits. Is it realy possible to
> say that there are benefits, and what they are, at this point?
>
> A question in all honesty. I really have no idea.
>
> BR,
> John
>

Hi Christos & Apostolos,

Congrats on your book. It is great to see so many books by so many
publishers starting to pop up. It adds a lot of credibility to Scala
to have so many different publishers giving it a chance.

Bill

On Tue, Mar 17, 2009 at 2:06 AM, Christos KK Loverdos
wrote:
> Hi all,
> I am very pleased to announce a forthcoming book by myself and my colleague
> Apostolos Syropoulos, entitled:
> Steps in Scala: Introduction to Object-Functional Programming.
> Object-functional programming is a programming philosophy that is
> continuously gaining momentum since the introduction of Scala. This book
> book aims at providing a lucid, application-oriented presentation of Scala's
> pure object-oriented (in the sense that
> everything is an object) and functional natures, using carefully chosen
> examples and design challenges.
> The book is to be published by Cambridge University Press (expected by the
> end of 2009). I attach a draft cover as well.
> Also note our use of the term "object-functional" which we strongly
> advocate. I believe we are experiencing a truly new way to model our
> software and the time is mature enough to place it on par with
> "object-oriented" and "functional" programming. Object-functional is a
> remarkable blend that is now transforming into a practical and highly
> expressive reality with Scala; I am certain that most of us have already
> experienced this reality.
> Best Regards,
> Christos KK Loverdos
> --
>  __~O
> -\ <,       Christos KK Loverdos
> (*)/ (*)      http://ckkloverdos.com
>

Hi Christos & Apostolos,

Congrats on your book. It is great to see so many books by so many
publishers starting to pop up. It adds a lot of credibility to Scala
to have so many different publishers giving it a chance.

Bill

On Tue, Mar 17, 2009 at 2:06 AM, Christos KK Loverdos
wrote:
> Hi all,
> I am very pleased to announce a forthcoming book by myself and my colleague
> Apostolos Syropoulos, entitled:
> Steps in Scala: Introduction to Object-Functional Programming.
> Object-functional programming is a programming philosophy that is
> continuously gaining momentum since the introduction of Scala. This book
> book aims at providing a lucid, application-oriented presentation of Scala's
> pure object-oriented (in the sense that
> everything is an object) and functional natures, using carefully chosen
> examples and design challenges.
> The book is to be published by Cambridge University Press (expected by the
> end of 2009). I attach a draft cover as well.
> Also note our use of the term "object-functional" which we strongly
> advocate. I believe we are experiencing a truly new way to model our
> software and the time is mature enough to place it on par with
> "object-oriented" and "functional" programming. Object-functional is a
> remarkable blend that is now transforming into a practical and highly
> expressive reality with Scala; I am certain that most of us have already
> experienced this reality.
> Best Regards,
> Christos KK Loverdos
> --
>  __~O
> -\ <,       Christos KK Loverdos
> (*)/ (*)      http://ckkloverdos.com
>

Christos,

Do you plan on offering an electronic preprint and accepting feedback
via that channel, as Artima did with "Programming in Scala"?
If so, any idea on when the first electronic preprint would be
available?

--
Jim

On Tue, Mar 17, 2009 at 11:06:40AM +0200, Christos KK Loverdos wrote:
> Date: Tue, 17 Mar 2009 11:06:40 +0200
> From: Christos KK Loverdos
> To: Scala list ,
> Scala User List
> Cc: Apostolos Syropoulos
> Subject: [scala] [ANN] Steps in Scala: Introduction to Object-Functional Programming
>
> Hi all,
>
> I am very pleased to announce a forthcoming book by myself and my
> colleague Apostolos Syropoulos, entitled:
>
> Steps in Scala: Introduction to Object-Functional Programming.
>
> Object-functional programming is a programming philosophy that is
> continuously gaining momentum since the introduction of Scala. This
> book book aims at providing a lucid, application-oriented presentation
> of Scala's pure object-oriented (in the sense thatÂ
> everything is an object) and functional natures, using carefully chosen
> examples and design challenges.
> The book is to be published by Cambridge University Press (expected by
> the end of 2009). I attach a draft cover as well.
> Also note our use of the term "object-functional" which we strongly
> advocate. I believe we are experiencing a truly new way to model our
> software and the time is mature enough to place it on par with
> "object-oriented" and "functional" programming. Object-functional is a
> remarkable blend that is now transforming into a practical and highly
> expressive reality with Scala; I am certain that most of us have
> already experienced this reality.
> Best Regards,
>
> Christos KK Loverdos
> --
> Â __~O
> -\ <, Â Â Â Christos KK Loverdos
> (*)/ (*) Â Â Â http://ckkloverdos.com

Hi all,
I am very pleased to announce a forthcoming book by myself and my colleague Apostolos Syropoulos, entitled:
Steps in Scala: Introduction to Object-Functional Programming.
Object-functional programming is a programming philosophy that is continuously gaining momentum since the introduction of Scala. This book book aims at providing a lucid, application-oriented presentation of Scala's pure object-oriented (in the sense that  everything is an object) and functional natures, using carefully chosen examples and design challenges.
The book is to be published by Cambridge University Press (expected by the end of 2009). I attach a draft cover as well.
Also note our use of the term "object-functional" which we strongly advocate. I believe we are experiencing a truly new way to model our software and the time is mature enough to place it on par with "object-oriented" and "functional" programming. Object-functional is a remarkable blend that is now transforming into a practical and highly expressive reality with Scala; I am certain that most of us have already experienced this reality.
Best Regards,Christos KK Loverdos
--
 __~O
-\ <,       Christos KK Loverdos
(*)/ (*)      http://ckkloverdos.com

Hi all,
I am very pleased to announce a forthcoming book by myself and my colleague Apostolos Syropoulos, entitled:
Steps in Scala: Introduction to Object-Functional Programming.
Object-functional programming is a programming philosophy that is continuously gaining momentum since the introduction of Scala. This book book aims at providing a lucid, application-oriented presentation of Scala's pure object-oriented (in the sense that  everything is an object) and functional natures, using carefully chosen examples and design challenges.
The book is to be published by Cambridge University Press (expected by the end of 2009). I attach a draft cover as well.
Also note our use of the term "object-functional" which we strongly advocate. I believe we are experiencing a truly new way to model our software and the time is mature enough to place it on par with "object-oriented" and "functional" programming. Object-functional is a remarkable blend that is now transforming into a practical and highly expressive reality with Scala; I am certain that most of us have already experienced this reality.
Best Regards,Christos KK Loverdos
--
 __~O
-\ <,       Christos KK Loverdos
(*)/ (*)      http://ckkloverdos.com

On Tue, Mar 17, 2009 at 10:06 AM, Christos KK Loverdos
<loverdos@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi all,
> I am very pleased to announce a forthcoming book by myself and my colleague
> Apostolos Syropoulos, entitled:
> Steps in Scala: Introduction to Object-Functional Programming.

Hmm. Is this style of programming mature enough to actually write a book about?

Assuming that the book is about patterns and idioms that build on the
object-functional to provide some benefits. Is it realy possible to
say that there are benefits, and what they are, at this point?

A question in all honesty. I really have no idea.

BR,
John

On Tue, Mar 17, 2009 at 10:06 AM, Christos KK Loverdos
<loverdos@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi all,
> I am very pleased to announce a forthcoming book by myself and my colleague
> Apostolos Syropoulos, entitled:
> Steps in Scala: Introduction to Object-Functional Programming.

Hmm. Is this style of programming mature enough to actually write a book about?

Assuming that the book is about patterns and idioms that build on the
object-functional to provide some benefits. Is it realy possible to
say that there are benefits, and what they are, at this point?

A question in all honesty. I really have no idea.

BR,
John

On Thu, Mar 19, 2009 at 9:18 AM, Christos KK Loverdos
wrote:
> Hi John,
> Object-functional programming/style is not an invention of the book. It is
> in our opinion the inherent style put forth by the language itself.

Spot on! The fusion of OOP and FP really permeates all of Scala. The
fact that it's not rubbed into programmers eyes it is a point in its
favor, IMO. There are a few other efforts in this domain, most
notably PLT Scheme and F#. But most FP communities have a strong
aversion against OOP. I can't really explain why.

Cheers

On Thu, Mar 19, 2009 at 9:18 AM, Christos KK Loverdos
wrote:
> Hi John,
> Object-functional programming/style is not an invention of the book. It is
> in our opinion the inherent style put forth by the language itself.

Spot on! The fusion of OOP and FP really permeates all of Scala. The
fact that it's not rubbed into programmers eyes it is a point in its
favor, IMO. There are a few other efforts in this domain, most
notably PLT Scheme and F#. But most FP communities have a strong
aversion against OOP. I can't really explain why.

Cheers

On Thu, 2009-03-19 at 10:39 +0100, martin odersky wrote:
[ . . . ]
> Spot on! The fusion of OOP and FP really permeates all of Scala. The
> fact that it's not rubbed into programmers eyes it is a point in its
> favor, IMO. There are a few other efforts in this domain, most
> notably PLT Scheme and F#. But most FP communities have a strong
> aversion against OOP. I can't really explain why.

From an historical, social psychology, and philosophy of science (based
on Kuhn) base I think it is quite easy to explain why many elements of
"The FP Community" are blinkered to the benefits of OO when used
appropriately. (And, we should note, vice versa as well.)

FP and OO were touted in the late 1980s early 1990 as opponents -- one
had to be right and had to win. Of course there is no outright
technical superiority of one or the other, but the social groupings were
enforced and the mind sets fixed. It didn't help that there was an
association of FP with theory and OO with pragmatism. This enabled
people to align FP with navel gazer, and OO with people who achieved the
creation of useful software.

I think the turning point really came when it was realized that C++
templates were a functional Turing complete language in their own right
and that the STL introduced functional programming mind set to C++. C++
was seen as the bastion of the "one true OO way" (even though Java was a
serious challenger) and for it to be infiltrated by FP was the chink
needed to break the closed battle groups.

I think that what is labelled "The OO Community" is rapidly becoming
wise to the benefits of FP thinking in a OO context. C++, Scala, and to
a lesser extent OCaml, are showing that integration of the ideas leads
to better software. Indeed some of the battles are being fought out in
microcosm in Python.

The problem is that what is labelled "The FP Community" is being left
out a bit -- caveat the deserved success of Erlang. The enemy ("The OO
Community") are taking the FP ideas and using them, leaving "The FP
Community" with no ground to stand on. This inexorably leads to forms
of fanaticism. Sadly.

Whilst there are bits of Scala I find crufty and awkward, the goal of
integrating seamlessly OO and FP on the JVM is a hugely laudable goal.
As long as Scala looks outward towards making good software easier to
write and doesn't start looking inwards at theoretical purity, then it
will ease its way in to wider and wider use.

An interesting example for me is that the Fortress implementation now
requires Scala and Java mixed interworking.

martin odersky wrote:
> On Thu, Mar 19, 2009 at 9:18 AM, Christos KK Loverdos
> wrote:
>> Hi John,
>> Object-functional programming/style is not an invention of the book. It is
>> in our opinion the inherent style put forth by the language itself.
>
> Spot on! The fusion of OOP and FP really permeates all of Scala. The
> fact that it's not rubbed into programmers eyes it is a point in its
> favor, IMO. There are a few other efforts in this domain, most
> notably PLT Scheme and F#. But most FP communities have a strong
> aversion against OOP. I can't really explain why.

I think this opinion has a basis in experiences with languages that have
a poor implementation of OOP, like C++ and to some extent Java. Scala is
the first language that I've come in contact with, except for Smalltalk,
that makes it easy to utilize the full power of OOP (encapsulation,
objects and interfaces), and also merges in some of the best parts of
FP. Now, all we need is some common idioms/patterns that can be used to
harness this power in the best way. Hopefully this book will be step in
the right direction.

/Jesper Nordenberg

Although c++ has had some major drawbacks (ABI in particular), I
always approached development from an oo/functional perspective
looking to leverage stls algorithm and functors as much as possible.
I may be in a limited number but I that found FC++ to be beautiful
code (pretty much Haskell prelude in templates).

I found java a huge step backwards in that regard, scala brings pretty
much all of that flexibility to the jvm. I just wish it could make
more inroads into the enterprise.

It should be noted that the difference in compiler support caused huge
grief with this approach, vc++ often being a terrible offender
(particularly with functors and stl).

On Thu, Mar 19, 2009 at 11:08 AM, Jesper Nordenberg wrote:
> martin odersky wrote:
>>
>> On Thu, Mar 19, 2009 at 9:18 AM, Christos KK Loverdos
>> wrote:
>>>
>>> Hi John,
>>> Object-functional programming/style is not an invention of the book. It
>>> is
>>> in our opinion the inherent style put forth by the language itself.
>>
>> Spot on! The fusion of OOP and FP really permeates all of Scala. The
>> fact that it's not rubbed into programmers eyes it is a point in its
>> favor, IMO.  There are a few other efforts in this domain, most
>> notably PLT Scheme and F#. But most FP communities have a strong
>> aversion against OOP. I can't really explain why.
>
> I think this opinion has a basis in experiences with languages that have a
> poor implementation of OOP, like C++ and to some extent Java. Scala is the
> first language that I've come in contact with, except for Smalltalk, that
> makes it easy to utilize the full power of OOP (encapsulation, objects and
> interfaces), and also merges in some of the best parts of FP. Now, all we
> need is some common idioms/patterns that can be used to harness this power
> in the best way. Hopefully this book will be step in the right direction.
>
> /Jesper Nordenberg
>
>

Although c++ has had some major drawbacks (ABI in particular), I
always approached development from an oo/functional perspective
looking to leverage stls algorithm and functors as much as possible.
I may be in a limited number but I that found FC++ to be beautiful
code (pretty much Haskell prelude in templates).

I found java a huge step backwards in that regard, scala brings pretty
much all of that flexibility to the jvm. I just wish it could make
more inroads into the enterprise.

It should be noted that the difference in compiler support caused huge
grief with this approach, vc++ often being a terrible offender
(particularly with functors and stl).

On Thu, Mar 19, 2009 at 11:08 AM, Jesper Nordenberg wrote:
> martin odersky wrote:
>>
>> On Thu, Mar 19, 2009 at 9:18 AM, Christos KK Loverdos
>> wrote:
>>>
>>> Hi John,
>>> Object-functional programming/style is not an invention of the book. It
>>> is
>>> in our opinion the inherent style put forth by the language itself.
>>
>> Spot on! The fusion of OOP and FP really permeates all of Scala. The
>> fact that it's not rubbed into programmers eyes it is a point in its
>> favor, IMO.  There are a few other efforts in this domain, most
>> notably PLT Scheme and F#. But most FP communities have a strong
>> aversion against OOP. I can't really explain why.
>
> I think this opinion has a basis in experiences with languages that have a
> poor implementation of OOP, like C++ and to some extent Java. Scala is the
> first language that I've come in contact with, except for Smalltalk, that
> makes it easy to utilize the full power of OOP (encapsulation, objects and
> interfaces), and also merges in some of the best parts of FP. Now, all we
> need is some common idioms/patterns that can be used to harness this power
> in the best way. Hopefully this book will be step in the right direction.
>
> /Jesper Nordenberg
>
>

Chris Twiner wrote:
> Although c++ has had some major drawbacks (ABI in particular), I
> always approached development from an oo/functional perspective
> looking to leverage stls algorithm and functors as much as possible.
> I may be in a limited number but I that found FC++ to be beautiful
> code (pretty much Haskell prelude in templates).

This is getting a bit off topic, but calling FP in C++ beautiful is a
stretch of the imagination (though I admit STL has some good design
properties). No support for closures/lambda expressions, no type
inference and no GC makes it a PITA. C++0x will alleviate some of the
problems, but still there are plenty of more modern languages I would
choose over C++ if given the option (Scala, Haskell, F#, C# etc.).

/Jesper Nordenberg

re beauty I think you have either misunderstood or taken out of
context or I didn't do a good job of brain dumping (most likely the
latter). I meant in contrast to using fully imperative syntaxes in
c++. fc++ provided lambdas (with limited 'capturing'), infix notation
and full composition oppurtunity. The resulting boost libraries
providing much of the same functionality.

No c++ job I have worked at would have allowed their usage, hell you
had to fight to use shared_ptr (ref counted destruction). Its good
that there are other options now, ocaml i guess being the best general
alternative at the time. But you still have to work within the
constraints of you job. Out of your list only c# seems to be accepted
in corp. circles.

For many of the banks c++ is still the default choice for server side
dev. In quant circles this seems to be moving to python, and I know
that most "new" non "performance critical" apps are being accepted in
java now.

"new" as banks move slowly
"performance critical" as often the decision was made before anyone
actually found if java/jvm was fast enough.

On Thu, Mar 19, 2009 at 1:52 PM, Jesper Nordenberg wrote:
> Chris Twiner wrote:
>>
>> Although c++ has had some major drawbacks (ABI in particular), I
>> always approached development from an oo/functional perspective
>> looking to leverage stls algorithm and functors as much as possible.
>> I may be in a limited number but I that found FC++ to be beautiful
>> code (pretty much Haskell prelude in templates).
>
> This is getting a bit off topic, but calling FP in C++ beautiful is a
> stretch of the imagination (though I admit STL has some good design
> properties). No support for closures/lambda expressions, no type inference
> and no GC makes it a PITA. C++0x will alleviate some of the problems, but
> still there are plenty of more modern languages I would choose over C++ if
> given the option (Scala, Haskell, F#, C# etc.).
>
> /Jesper Nordenberg
>
>

re beauty I think you have either misunderstood or taken out of
context or I didn't do a good job of brain dumping (most likely the
latter). I meant in contrast to using fully imperative syntaxes in
c++. fc++ provided lambdas (with limited 'capturing'), infix notation
and full composition oppurtunity. The resulting boost libraries
providing much of the same functionality.

No c++ job I have worked at would have allowed their usage, hell you
had to fight to use shared_ptr (ref counted destruction). Its good
that there are other options now, ocaml i guess being the best general
alternative at the time. But you still have to work within the
constraints of you job. Out of your list only c# seems to be accepted
in corp. circles.

For many of the banks c++ is still the default choice for server side
dev. In quant circles this seems to be moving to python, and I know
that most "new" non "performance critical" apps are being accepted in
java now.

"new" as banks move slowly
"performance critical" as often the decision was made before anyone
actually found if java/jvm was fast enough.

On Thu, Mar 19, 2009 at 1:52 PM, Jesper Nordenberg wrote:
> Chris Twiner wrote:
>>
>> Although c++ has had some major drawbacks (ABI in particular), I
>> always approached development from an oo/functional perspective
>> looking to leverage stls algorithm and functors as much as possible.
>> I may be in a limited number but I that found FC++ to be beautiful
>> code (pretty much Haskell prelude in templates).
>
> This is getting a bit off topic, but calling FP in C++ beautiful is a
> stretch of the imagination (though I admit STL has some good design
> properties). No support for closures/lambda expressions, no type inference
> and no GC makes it a PITA. C++0x will alleviate some of the problems, but
> still there are plenty of more modern languages I would choose over C++ if
> given the option (Scala, Haskell, F#, C# etc.).
>
> /Jesper Nordenberg
>
>

Jesper,

On Thu, 2009-03-19 at 13:52 +0100, Jesper Nordenberg wrote:

> This is getting a bit off topic, but calling FP in C++ beautiful is a
> stretch of the imagination (though I admit STL has some good design
> properties). No support for closures/lambda expressions, no type
> inference and no GC makes it a PITA. C++0x will alleviate some of the
> problems, but still there are plenty of more modern languages I would
> choose over C++ if given the option (Scala, Haskell, F#, C# etc.).

Lambda expressions are in C++0x as you hint at, but using the Boost
library they have been available for a while.

A measure of type inference will arrive with C++0x as well.

GC can be (and many people do) built for C++ since you can override new
and delete. However there is an issue of area of application which
makes the statement "no GC makes it a PITA" not generally applicable.
There are many embedded system application areas where GC is forbidden
(mostly safety critical) and many where you don't actually want it (hard
read time).

As you say though this is diverging from the original topic.

You can forget new C++'s closure support. It is a very half-hearted
attempt, just adding one more awkward quirk to an already screwed up
language. (Of course it won't include full lexical closure support,
which is needed for reasonable FP)

BTW, have ever tried to use the lambda-expressions of Boost? I am sad
to say: I did. I wish I had not wasted my time on it.

On 3/19/09, Russel Winder wrote:
> Jesper,
>
>
> On Thu, 2009-03-19 at 13:52 +0100, Jesper Nordenberg wrote:
>
> > This is getting a bit off topic, but calling FP in C++ beautiful is a
> > stretch of the imagination (though I admit STL has some good design
> > properties). No support for closures/lambda expressions, no type
> > inference and no GC makes it a PITA. C++0x will alleviate some of the
> > problems, but still there are plenty of more modern languages I would
> > choose over C++ if given the option (Scala, Haskell, F#, C# etc.).
>
>
> Lambda expressions are in C++0x as you hint at, but using the Boost
> library they have been available for a while.
>
> A measure of type inference will arrive with C++0x as well.
>
> GC can be (and many people do) built for C++ since you can override new
> and delete. However there is an issue of area of application which
> makes the statement "no GC makes it a PITA" not generally applicable.
> There are many embedded system application areas where GC is forbidden
> (mostly safety critical) and many where you don't actually want it (hard
> read time).
>
> As you say though this is diverging from the original topic.
>
>
> --
> Russel.
> ============================================================
> Dr Russel Winder Partner
>
> Concertant LLP t: +44 20 7585 2200, +44 20 7193 9203
> 41 Buckmaster Road, f: +44 8700 516 084 voip: sip:russel.winder@ekiga.net
> London SW11 1EN, UK. m: +44 7770 465 077 xmpp: russel@russel.org.uk
>
>

Well, actually..

You can do a lot of FP without lexical closure. See "combinators".

2009/3/19 Christian Szegedy :
> You can forget new C++'s closure support. It is a very half-hearted
> attempt, just adding one more awkward quirk to an already screwed up
> language. (Of course it won't include full lexical closure support,
> which is needed for reasonable FP)
>
> BTW, have ever tried to use the lambda-expressions of Boost? I am sad
> to say: I did. I wish I had not wasted my time on it.
>
> On 3/19/09, Russel Winder wrote:
>> Jesper,
>>
>>
>>  On Thu, 2009-03-19 at 13:52 +0100, Jesper Nordenberg wrote:
>>
>>  > This is getting a bit off topic, but calling FP in C++ beautiful is a
>>  > stretch of the imagination (though I admit STL has some good design
>>  > properties). No support for closures/lambda expressions, no type
>>  > inference and no GC makes it a PITA. C++0x will alleviate some of the
>>  > problems, but still there are plenty of more modern languages I would
>>  > choose over C++ if given the option (Scala, Haskell, F#, C# etc.).
>>
>>
>> Lambda expressions are in C++0x as you hint at, but using the Boost
>>  library they have been available for a while.
>>
>>  A measure of type inference will arrive with C++0x as well.
>>
>>  GC can be (and many people do) built for C++ since you can override new
>>  and delete.  However there is an issue of area of application which
>>  makes the statement "no GC makes it a PITA" not generally applicable.
>>  There are many embedded system application areas where GC is forbidden
>>  (mostly safety critical) and many where you don't actually want it (hard
>>  read time).
>>
>>  As you say though this is diverging from the original topic.
>>
>>
>>  --
>>  Russel.
>>  ============================================================
>>  Dr Russel Winder                 Partner
>>
>>  Concertant LLP          t: +44 20 7585 2200, +44 20 7193 9203
>>  41 Buckmaster Road,     f: +44 8700 516 084    voip:  sip:russel.winder@ekiga.net
>>  London SW11 1EN, UK.    m: +44 7770 465 077    xmpp: russel@russel.org.uk
>>
>>
>

Well, actually..

You can do a lot of FP without lexical closure. See "combinators".

2009/3/19 Christian Szegedy :
> You can forget new C++'s closure support. It is a very half-hearted
> attempt, just adding one more awkward quirk to an already screwed up
> language. (Of course it won't include full lexical closure support,
> which is needed for reasonable FP)
>
> BTW, have ever tried to use the lambda-expressions of Boost? I am sad
> to say: I did. I wish I had not wasted my time on it.
>
> On 3/19/09, Russel Winder wrote:
>> Jesper,
>>
>>
>>  On Thu, 2009-03-19 at 13:52 +0100, Jesper Nordenberg wrote:
>>
>>  > This is getting a bit off topic, but calling FP in C++ beautiful is a
>>  > stretch of the imagination (though I admit STL has some good design
>>  > properties). No support for closures/lambda expressions, no type
>>  > inference and no GC makes it a PITA. C++0x will alleviate some of the
>>  > problems, but still there are plenty of more modern languages I would
>>  > choose over C++ if given the option (Scala, Haskell, F#, C# etc.).
>>
>>
>> Lambda expressions are in C++0x as you hint at, but using the Boost
>>  library they have been available for a while.
>>
>>  A measure of type inference will arrive with C++0x as well.
>>
>>  GC can be (and many people do) built for C++ since you can override new
>>  and delete.  However there is an issue of area of application which
>>  makes the statement "no GC makes it a PITA" not generally applicable.
>>  There are many embedded system application areas where GC is forbidden
>>  (mostly safety critical) and many where you don't actually want it (hard
>>  read time).
>>
>>  As you say though this is diverging from the original topic.
>>
>>
>>  --
>>  Russel.
>>  ============================================================
>>  Dr Russel Winder                 Partner
>>
>>  Concertant LLP          t: +44 20 7585 2200, +44 20 7193 9203
>>  41 Buckmaster Road,     f: +44 8700 516 084    voip:  sip:russel.winder@ekiga.net
>>  London SW11 1EN, UK.    m: +44 7770 465 077    xmpp: russel@russel.org.uk
>>
>>
>

Christos,

Do you plan on offering an electronic preprint and accepting feedback
via that channel, as Artima did with "Programming in Scala"?
If so, any idea on when the first electronic preprint would be
available?

--
Jim

On Tue, Mar 17, 2009 at 11:06:40AM +0200, Christos KK Loverdos wrote:
> Date: Tue, 17 Mar 2009 11:06:40 +0200
> From: Christos KK Loverdos <loverdos@gmail.com>
> To: Scala list <scala@listes.epfl.ch>,
>       Scala User List <scala-user@listes.epfl.ch>
> Cc: Apostolos Syropoulos <asyropoulos@gmail.com>
> Subject: [scala] [ANN] Steps in Scala: Introduction to Object-Functional Programming
>
>    Hi all,
>
>    I am very pleased to announce a forthcoming book by myself and my
>    colleague Apostolos Syropoulos, entitled:
>
>    Steps in Scala: Introduction to Object-Functional Programming.
>
>    Object-functional programming is a programming philosophy that is
>    continuously gaining momentum since the introduction of Scala. This
>    book book aims at providing a lucid, application-oriented presentation
>    of Scala's pure object-oriented (in the sense thatÂ
>    everything is an object) and functional natures, using carefully chosen
>    examples and design challenges.
>    The book is to be published by Cambridge University Press (expected by
>    the end of 2009). I attach a draft cover as well.
>    Also note our use of the term "object-functional" which we strongly
>    advocate. I believe we are experiencing a truly new way to model our
>    software and the time is mature enough to place it on par with
>    "object-oriented" and "functional" programming. Object-functional is a
>    remarkable blend that is now transforming into a practical and highly
>    expressive reality with Scala; I am certain that most of us have
>    already experienced this reality.
>    Best Regards,
>
>    Christos KK Loverdos
>    --
>    Â __~O
>    -\ <, Â  Â  Â  Christos KK Loverdos
>    (*)/ (*) Â  Â  Â http://ckkloverdos.com

Christos,

Do you plan on offering an electronic preprint and accepting feedback
via that channel, as Artima did with "Programming in Scala"?
If so, any idea on when the first electronic preprint would be
available?

--
Jim

On Tue, Mar 17, 2009 at 11:06:40AM +0200, Christos KK Loverdos wrote:
> Date: Tue, 17 Mar 2009 11:06:40 +0200
> From: Christos KK Loverdos <loverdos@gmail.com>
> To: Scala list <scala@listes.epfl.ch>,
>       Scala User List <scala-user@listes.epfl.ch>
> Cc: Apostolos Syropoulos <asyropoulos@gmail.com>
> Subject: [scala] [ANN] Steps in Scala: Introduction to Object-Functional Programming
>
>    Hi all,
>
>    I am very pleased to announce a forthcoming book by myself and my
>    colleague Apostolos Syropoulos, entitled:
>
>    Steps in Scala: Introduction to Object-Functional Programming.
>
>    Object-functional programming is a programming philosophy that is
>    continuously gaining momentum since the introduction of Scala. This
>    book book aims at providing a lucid, application-oriented presentation
>    of Scala's pure object-oriented (in the sense thatÂ
>    everything is an object) and functional natures, using carefully chosen
>    examples and design challenges.
>    The book is to be published by Cambridge University Press (expected by
>    the end of 2009). I attach a draft cover as well.
>    Also note our use of the term "object-functional" which we strongly
>    advocate. I believe we are experiencing a truly new way to model our
>    software and the time is mature enough to place it on par with
>    "object-oriented" and "functional" programming. Object-functional is a
>    remarkable blend that is now transforming into a practical and highly
>    expressive reality with Scala; I am certain that most of us have
>    already experienced this reality.
>    Best Regards,
>
>    Christos KK Loverdos
>    --
>    Â __~O
>    -\ <, Â  Â  Â  Christos KK Loverdos
>    (*)/ (*) Â  Â  Â http://ckkloverdos.com

Christos KK Loverdos wrote:
> Hi Jim,
>
> Regarding the general question of whether the publishing firm has some
> PDF early-access program, the answer is no (at least not now).
>
> Nevertheless, we are working on this and I find it quite probable that
> Apostolos and I will provide PDF versions for public review to one of
> our web-sites. In any case we will notify the community for such a move.

If I can make a wish, the "Real World Haskell" book is available online
and has an integrated commenting system which is really great. Not only
does this improve the quality of the book text substantially, but it
also provides deeper/alternative insights to the text. I also don't
think that making a book available online necessarily decreases the
number of sold paper copies.

I understand that not all publishers accepts such a system though.

/Jesper Nordenberg

On Fri, Mar 20, 2009 at 5:41 AM, Jesper Nordenberg wrote:
> If I can make a wish, the "Real World Haskell" book is available online and
> has an integrated commenting system which is really great.

I'm not sure publishers like Cambridge University Press are hip enough for this.

Warren

Christos KK Loverdos wrote:

Hi Jim,

Regarding the general question of whether the publishing firm has some PDF early-access program, the answer is no (at least not now).

Nevertheless, we are working on this and I find it quite probable that Apostolos and I will provide PDF versions for public review to one of our web-sites. In any case we will notify the community for such a move.

If I can make a wish, the "Real World Haskell" book is available online and has an integrated commenting system which is really great. Not only does this improve the quality of the book text substantially, but it also provides deeper/alternative insights to the text. I also don't think that making a book available online necessarily decreases the number of sold paper copies.

I understand that not all publishers accepts such a system though.

/Jesper Nordenberg

Christos KK Loverdos wrote:

Hi Jim,

Regarding the general question of whether the publishing firm has some PDF early-access program, the answer is no (at least not now).

Nevertheless, we are working on this and I find it quite probable that Apostolos and I will provide PDF versions for public review to one of our web-sites. In any case we will notify the community for such a move.

If I can make a wish, the "Real World Haskell" book is available online and has an integrated commenting system which is really great. Not only does this improve the quality of the book text substantially, but it also provides deeper/alternative insights to the text. I also don't think that making a book available online necessarily decreases the number of sold paper copies.

I understand that not all publishers accepts such a system though.

/Jesper Nordenberg

And may I add that (for me) it would be lovely if "some kind of
e-book" includes Amazon's Kindle?

I am absolutely all for authors, editors, etc. being paid for their
valuable contributions. I also like carrying those valuable
contributions in the form of bits, which I'll gladly pay for.

-jn-

On Fri, Mar 20, 2009 at 2:43 PM, Robert Kosara wrote:
> Even if there is no preview, I hope your book will be released as some kind
> of e-book. I've bought a bunch of programming books as PDFs over the last
> year, and I use those a lot more than the books that are gathering dust on
> my bookshelf.
>
> On Fri, Mar 20, 2009 at 8:41 AM, Jesper Nordenberg
> wrote:
>>
>> Christos KK Loverdos wrote:
>>>
>>> Hi Jim,
>>>
>>> Regarding the general question of whether the publishing firm has some
>>> PDF early-access program, the answer is no (at least not now).
>>>
>>> Nevertheless, we are working on this and I find it quite probable that
>>> Apostolos and I will provide PDF versions for public review to one of our
>>> web-sites. In any case we will notify the community for such a move.
>>
>> If I can make a wish, the "Real World Haskell" book is available online
>> and has an integrated commenting system which is really great. Not only does
>> this improve the quality of the book text substantially, but it also
>> provides deeper/alternative insights to the text. I also don't think that
>> making a book available online necessarily decreases the number of sold
>> paper copies.
>>
>> I understand that not all publishers accepts such a system though.
>>
>> /Jesper Nordenberg
>>
>
>

And may I add that (for me) it would be lovely if "some kind of
e-book" includes Amazon's Kindle?

I am absolutely all for authors, editors, etc. being paid for their
valuable contributions. I also like carrying those valuable
contributions in the form of bits, which I'll gladly pay for.

-jn-

On Fri, Mar 20, 2009 at 2:43 PM, Robert Kosara wrote:
> Even if there is no preview, I hope your book will be released as some kind
> of e-book. I've bought a bunch of programming books as PDFs over the last
> year, and I use those a lot more than the books that are gathering dust on
> my bookshelf.
>
> On Fri, Mar 20, 2009 at 8:41 AM, Jesper Nordenberg
> wrote:
>>
>> Christos KK Loverdos wrote:
>>>
>>> Hi Jim,
>>>
>>> Regarding the general question of whether the publishing firm has some
>>> PDF early-access program, the answer is no (at least not now).
>>>
>>> Nevertheless, we are working on this and I find it quite probable that
>>> Apostolos and I will provide PDF versions for public review to one of our
>>> web-sites. In any case we will notify the community for such a move.
>>
>> If I can make a wish, the "Real World Haskell" book is available online
>> and has an integrated commenting system which is really great. Not only does
>> this improve the quality of the book text substantially, but it also
>> provides deeper/alternative insights to the text. I also don't think that
>> making a book available online necessarily decreases the number of sold
>> paper copies.
>>
>> I understand that not all publishers accepts such a system though.
>>
>> /Jesper Nordenberg
>>
>
>

Hi all,
I am very pleased to announce a forthcoming book by myself and my colleague Apostolos Syropoulos, entitled:
Steps in Scala: Introduction to Object-Functional Programming.
Object-functional programming is a programming philosophy that is continuously gaining momentum since the introduction of Scala. This book book aims at providing a lucid, application-oriented presentation of Scala's pure object-oriented (in the sense that  everything is an object) and functional natures, using carefully chosen examples and design challenges.
The book is to be published by Cambridge University Press (expected by the end of 2009). I attach a draft cover as well.
Also note our use of the term "object-functional" which we strongly advocate. I believe we are experiencing a truly new way to model our software and the time is mature enough to place it on par with "object-oriented" and "functional" programming. Object-functional is a remarkable blend that is now transforming into a practical and highly expressive reality with Scala; I am certain that most of us have already experienced this reality.
Best Regards,Christos KK Loverdos
--
 __~O
-\ <,       Christos KK Loverdos
(*)/ (*)      http://ckkloverdos.com