CSC 8310

Linguistics ofProgramming Languages

Purposes of CSC 8310

• Main purposes:– Introduce you to a broad range of programming

paradigms– Prepare you to learn new languages as needed

• Additional purposes:– Gain a deeper understanding of conventional

languages– Learn how to choose an appropriate language

Two aspects of CSC 8310

• Theoretical– Learn more about how programming languages

actually work– Learn some of the variations in languages

• Practical– Get a “feel” for some different programming

paradigms

Languages

• Languages to be covered (probably) include:– Prolog (a logic language)– Java (an object-oriented language)– Lisp (a functional language)– Objective Caml (a purely functional language)– Perl (a scripting language with regular

expressions)

Materials

• Essential Java 2 Fast is the Java book that I recommend for experienced programmers

• The BURKS 5 CD set contains compilers, tutorials, and manuals for all the languages we will be using (and then some!)– BURKS 5 is also available on the web, but you

may have trouble downloading some large files

Assignments

• One Prolog program, worth 100 points• Two Java programs, worth 50 and 100 points• One Lisp program, worth 100 points• One Ocaml program, worth 100 points

• Late program penalty: 10 points/week• Extra credit may be earned on most programs

– No extra credit if program is late

Grades

• There will be a single Final Exam; it will cover everything in the course

• Weighting: 1/2 programs, 1/2 final exam

• Grades will be curved

Contact information

• http://www.csc.vill.edu/~dmatusze/8310summer2001/index.html

• dave@acm.org

The End