The post author does not mention it, but there is also Haskell Programming From First Principles which she co-authored along with Chris Allen. Many beginner learners say good things about the book. Some, like me, who appreciate concise writing found it lacking. In the end, whatever book you use - you won’t make much inroads into Haskell (or any radically new tech for that matter) without actually trying to develop projects in it. That’s how we learn. Hands-on work.
There is also Real World Haskell. Although it is a bit outdated (but being revived by volunteers), it contains great practical recipes.
Totally agree with your point about actually getting your hands dirty. Haskell is no different from any other language in that regard. You’ll get nowhere simply flirting with the language and pondering poor monad analogies.
The post author does not mention it
I think there’s a reason for that, though I hope this thread doesn’t descend into an argument about that bit of history.
Huh, did the two coauthors of that book have a falling out after it was published? I read it myself and liked it well enough, although I found it aimed at a level of Haskell understanding a little more basic than my own at the time I read it.
Yes, though as I said I hope this thread doesn’t turn into all of us discussing it. There are statements from the authors and other discussions elsewhere, but let’s all leave it at that.
Instead, we can talk about Julie’s subsequent work.
I bought an early access copy of Finding Failure (and Success) in Haskell and I thought it was really good, especially for people new to the language. The exercises are practical, and help you understand the why behind the what. Motivating examples are so important. Otherwise, I think most people who see a tutorial like “Here’s how monad transformers work” would be like “Ok? But so what?”
Chris Allen (the other co-author) has branched off on his own as well, looking to publish the “next in series” book titled Haskell Almanac. Sadly, however, there has been no update on this book, just as there is none on the much anticipated Intermediate Haskell. Though luckily there is Thinking in Types by the author of polysemy.
As I see it, Haskell lacks intermediate level books more than beginners books.
The final release of Haskell Programming from First Principles now has the OK. I’m releasing it by the end of this month. I’ll work on the print version after that. I have a printer that can do an offset print run ready to go. Just a matter of figuring out how many I should run and how to finance it. I have a climate controlled storage unit ready for the books. I never found a suitable solution for third party logistics so my wife and I will be shipping all the print books.
As I see it, Haskell lacks intermediate level books more than beginners books.
You’re right that this is the more immediate problem now. Over 5 years ago when I started on HPFFP making sure no beginner was left behind was the more pressing issue.
I have work to do on https://lorepub.com before it’s ready to sell print books (~1-3 days of coding and ops work from seeing the deployment for digital sales). Once the HPFFP print version is available for sale and that situation is stable, I’ll get back to the Almanac. After the Almanac, I’ll be seeing if I can be more productively employed as a publisher than an author. I believe the process we hammered out for HPFFP can be well applied to other topics and educational goals.
Speaking of getting your hands dirty… There is the https://github.com/qfpl/applied-fp-course/ where you actually build a small REST backend with Haskell. Sort of a fill in the blanks style, independent levels of increasing complexity thing. :)
The post author does not mention it, but there is also Haskell Programming From First Principles which she co-authored along with Chris Allen. Many beginner learners say good things about the book. Some, like me, who appreciate concise writing found it lacking. In the end, whatever book you use - you won’t make much inroads into Haskell (or any radically new tech for that matter) without actually trying to develop projects in it. That’s how we learn. Hands-on work.
There is also Real World Haskell. Although it is a bit outdated (but being revived by volunteers), it contains great practical recipes.
Totally agree with your point about actually getting your hands dirty. Haskell is no different from any other language in that regard. You’ll get nowhere simply flirting with the language and pondering poor monad analogies.
I think there’s a reason for that, though I hope this thread doesn’t descend into an argument about that bit of history.
Huh, did the two coauthors of that book have a falling out after it was published? I read it myself and liked it well enough, although I found it aimed at a level of Haskell understanding a little more basic than my own at the time I read it.
Yes, though as I said I hope this thread doesn’t turn into all of us discussing it. There are statements from the authors and other discussions elsewhere, but let’s all leave it at that.
Instead, we can talk about Julie’s subsequent work.
I bought an early access copy of Finding Failure (and Success) in Haskell and I thought it was really good, especially for people new to the language. The exercises are practical, and help you understand the why behind the what. Motivating examples are so important. Otherwise, I think most people who see a tutorial like “Here’s how monad transformers work” would be like “Ok? But so what?”
Chris Allen (the other co-author) has branched off on his own as well, looking to publish the “next in series” book titled Haskell Almanac. Sadly, however, there has been no update on this book, just as there is none on the much anticipated Intermediate Haskell. Though luckily there is Thinking in Types by the author of polysemy.
As I see it, Haskell lacks intermediate level books more than beginners books.
The final release of Haskell Programming from First Principles now has the OK. I’m releasing it by the end of this month. I’ll work on the print version after that. I have a printer that can do an offset print run ready to go. Just a matter of figuring out how many I should run and how to finance it. I have a climate controlled storage unit ready for the books. I never found a suitable solution for third party logistics so my wife and I will be shipping all the print books.
You’re right that this is the more immediate problem now. Over 5 years ago when I started on HPFFP making sure no beginner was left behind was the more pressing issue.
I have work to do on https://lorepub.com before it’s ready to sell print books (~1-3 days of coding and ops work from seeing the deployment for digital sales). Once the HPFFP print version is available for sale and that situation is stable, I’ll get back to the Almanac. After the Almanac, I’ll be seeing if I can be more productively employed as a publisher than an author. I believe the process we hammered out for HPFFP can be well applied to other topics and educational goals.
Speaking of getting your hands dirty… There is the https://github.com/qfpl/applied-fp-course/ where you actually build a small REST backend with Haskell. Sort of a fill in the blanks style, independent levels of increasing complexity thing. :)
Disclaimer: I’m biased, I wrote it.
I must admit I find it surprising there is no mention of Programming in Haskell by Graham Hutton for me this was the best way to learn Haskell.
Yea, that book along with Richard Bird’s book would be my goto choice for a concise beginner Haskell book.
I’m not familiar with books mentioned in the article, but personally I find http://learnyouahaskell.com easy and funny to use.