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For anyone not in the loop, Norvig was the author of Paradigms of Artificial Intelligence Programming. This was a substantial contribution to the field of educa

For anyone not in the loop, Norvig was the author of Paradigms of Artificial Intelligence Programming. This was a substantial contribution to the field of educational computer science literature, and helped to kickstart the idea that the way to learn is to read, not just write. It's also one of the few AI books that isn't rooted squarely in Algol. It's written with fairly decent though not always portable Common Lisp, just like most Common Lisp books of the era. It can be read here, in mobi or zipped HTML format: https://github.com/norvig/paip-lisp/releases/tag/1.1 https://github.com/norvig/paip-lisp/releases/tag/1.1 Or here, in PDF: https://github.com/norvig/paip-lisp/releases/tag/v1.0 https://github.com/norvig/paip-lisp/releases/tag/v1.0 For a native web copy, abuse Safari Online's free trial. It's what I assume everyone else does when they want to read a niche technical book that O'Reilly put out but doesn't print another run of. Depending on the day, the book ranges anywhere from $2 to $60 on Amazon, used, if you want a hard copy. (Edited to fix the very butchered title that I wrote in error initially.)

deleted 5y ago
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joshuamorton 5y ago
Also one of the two authors of Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach, which is probably the most commonly used intro AI textbook.
- metagame 5y ago
  I would have mentioned that, but it's mentioned in the Stanford post and is also less interesting from a "You Should Know" standpoint on a website built on a Common Lisp-inspired Lisp. Not to mention that the book isn't as good as PAIP.
  - avmich 5y ago
    > Not to mention that the book isn't as good as PAIP. Norvig would disagree - http://www.norvig.com/Lisp-retro.html http://www.norvig.com/Lisp-retro.html - ----- As an AI text, PAIP does not fare as well. It never attempted to be a comprehensive AI text, stressing the "Paradigms" or "Classics" of the field rather than the most current programs and theories. Happily, the classics are beginning to look obsolete now (the field would be in sorry shape if that didn't happen eventually). For a more modern approach to AI, forget PAIP and look at Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach. ----- But I would highly recommend reading PAIP. I felt that some important examples of classic AI (like SHRDLU, not to mention Eurisko) could be included, but it's still really good.
    - metagame 5y ago
      I'm aware of what he said on it, and I don't disagree with what he said, but you're misrepresenting him by leaving the preceding two lines out. «As an advanced Lisp text, PAIP stands up very well. There are still very few other places to get a thorough treatment of efficiency issues, Lisp design issues, and uses of macros and compilers. (For macros, Paul Graham's books have done an especially excellent job.) As an AI programming text, PAIP does well. The only real competing text to emerge recently is Forbus and de Kleer, and they have a more limited (and thus more focused and integrated) approach, concentrating on inference systems. (The Charniak, Riesbeck, and McDermott book is also still worth looking at.) One change over the last six years is that AI programming has begun to look more like "regular" programming, because (a) AI programs, like "regular" programs, are increasingly concerned with large data bases, and (b) "regular" programmers have begun to address things such as searching the internet and recognizing handwriting and speech. An AI programming text today would have to cover data base interfaces, http and other network protocols, threading, graphical interfaces, and other issues.» While yes, it aged poorly as an AI text, and excellently as a Lisp & AI programming text, it's a better book than AI:AMA, even if ignoring that it's based around a better language.
      - abecedarius 5y ago
        I don't disagree with his assessment, exactly, but it leaves out that PAIP is just great as a look at the craft of programming, by example, even if old-school AI is not your main interest. See how he breaks down problems, develops solutions incrementally, expresses them in code, suggests further work. It offers another look at themes from SICP.
      - avmich 5y ago
        > but you're misrepresenting him by leaving the preceding two lines out. That was the only place where he compared PAIP and AIMA. I guess he considers these books serving purposes different enough so comparisons in other areas have less sense. Back to where we started, PAIP isn't universally considered a better book, even though it's good.
    - jhgb 5y ago
kortilla 5y ago
> and helped to kickstart the idea that the way to learn is to read, not just write. Can you expand on this? Nearly every field is learned with extensive reading.
- zerocount 5y ago
  Norvig presents complete programs for the reader to read and make changes to, instead of small snippets to practice with. You read more trying to comprehind the program.
- metagame 5y ago
  Computer science, historically, has been a field filled with books that encourage you to write code while not particularly having you read much of it. K&R is a good example of this. PAIP went against this notion, and has you spend much of the book reading code. Yes, this is taking the way learning is done in almost every case and field and applying it to programming. No, it still hasn't really caught on universally in computer science.
  - hyperpallium2 5y ago
    Seems related to Alan Kay calling it a "pop culture". Or perhaps even "punk", meaning it's not learnt from the classics, or some "Elements" text, you just do it.
  - throwawaylinux 5y ago
    I assure you he did not kick start that idea in computer science.
    - nuclearnice1 5y ago
      Who did? (If anyone)
      - zvr 5y ago
        "When was the last time you spent a pleasant evening in a comfortable chair, reading a good program?" -- the famous opening sentence of the column on Literate Programming by Jon Bentley with guest Don Knuth. Communications of the ACM, Volume 29, Issue 5, May 1986 pp 384-369 https://doi.org/10.1145/5689.315644 https://doi.org/10.1145/5689.315644
pronoiac 5y ago
Hey there! I'm one of the folks who's worked / working on making PAIP readable online. The Safari version is captured in the epub version, so no trial is needed.
- metagame 5y ago
  Yes, I know. That's why I pointed out that zipped HTML was available, but that's not quite a native web copy! Especially given how the zipped HTML in the epub format is usually presented (a million tiny HTML files in a single directory).
rags2riches 5y ago
Norvig is also the guy in a colorful shirt you can spot in many Google TechTalks!
nothrowaways 5y ago
Artificial Intelligence modern approach is also a great book.
- geokon 5y ago
  It's ~500 pages vs. ~2.5k pages... the former already seems like a big project - the latter sounds impossible. (I'm assuming you're not skimming and actually doing the problem sets) Is that in rambling prose? Dense math?

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

joshuamorton 5y ago

Also one of the two authors of Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach, which is probably the most commonly used intro AI textbook.

metagame 5y ago
I would have mentioned that, but it's mentioned in the Stanford post and is also less interesting from a "You Should Know" standpoint on a website built on a Common Lisp-inspired Lisp. Not to mention that the book isn't as good as PAIP.
- avmich 5y ago
  > Not to mention that the book isn't as good as PAIP. Norvig would disagree - http://www.norvig.com/Lisp-retro.html http://www.norvig.com/Lisp-retro.html - ----- As an AI text, PAIP does not fare as well. It never attempted to be a comprehensive AI text, stressing the "Paradigms" or "Classics" of the field rather than the most current programs and theories. Happily, the classics are beginning to look obsolete now (the field would be in sorry shape if that didn't happen eventually). For a more modern approach to AI, forget PAIP and look at Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach. ----- But I would highly recommend reading PAIP. I felt that some important examples of classic AI (like SHRDLU, not to mention Eurisko) could be included, but it's still really good.
  - metagame 5y ago
    I'm aware of what he said on it, and I don't disagree with what he said, but you're misrepresenting him by leaving the preceding two lines out. «As an advanced Lisp text, PAIP stands up very well. There are still very few other places to get a thorough treatment of efficiency issues, Lisp design issues, and uses of macros and compilers. (For macros, Paul Graham's books have done an especially excellent job.) As an AI programming text, PAIP does well. The only real competing text to emerge recently is Forbus and de Kleer, and they have a more limited (and thus more focused and integrated) approach, concentrating on inference systems. (The Charniak, Riesbeck, and McDermott book is also still worth looking at.) One change over the last six years is that AI programming has begun to look more like "regular" programming, because (a) AI programs, like "regular" programs, are increasingly concerned with large data bases, and (b) "regular" programmers have begun to address things such as searching the internet and recognizing handwriting and speech. An AI programming text today would have to cover data base interfaces, http and other network protocols, threading, graphical interfaces, and other issues.» While yes, it aged poorly as an AI text, and excellently as a Lisp & AI programming text, it's a better book than AI:AMA, even if ignoring that it's based around a better language.
    - abecedarius 5y ago
      I don't disagree with his assessment, exactly, but it leaves out that PAIP is just great as a look at the craft of programming, by example, even if old-school AI is not your main interest. See how he breaks down problems, develops solutions incrementally, expresses them in code, suggests further work. It offers another look at themes from SICP.
    - avmich 5y ago
      > but you're misrepresenting him by leaving the preceding two lines out. That was the only place where he compared PAIP and AIMA. I guess he considers these books serving purposes different enough so comparisons in other areas have less sense. Back to where we started, PAIP isn't universally considered a better book, even though it's good.
  - jhgb 5y ago

kortilla 5y ago

> and helped to kickstart the idea that the way to learn is to read, not just write. Can you expand on this? Nearly every field is learned with extensive reading.

zerocount 5y ago
Norvig presents complete programs for the reader to read and make changes to, instead of small snippets to practice with. You read more trying to comprehind the program.
metagame 5y ago
Computer science, historically, has been a field filled with books that encourage you to write code while not particularly having you read much of it. K&R is a good example of this. PAIP went against this notion, and has you spend much of the book reading code. Yes, this is taking the way learning is done in almost every case and field and applying it to programming. No, it still hasn't really caught on universally in computer science.
- hyperpallium2 5y ago
  Seems related to Alan Kay calling it a "pop culture". Or perhaps even "punk", meaning it's not learnt from the classics, or some "Elements" text, you just do it.
- throwawaylinux 5y ago
  I assure you he did not kick start that idea in computer science.
  - nuclearnice1 5y ago
    Who did? (If anyone)
    - zvr 5y ago
      "When was the last time you spent a pleasant evening in a comfortable chair, reading a good program?" -- the famous opening sentence of the column on Literate Programming by Jon Bentley with guest Don Knuth. Communications of the ACM, Volume 29, Issue 5, May 1986 pp 384-369 https://doi.org/10.1145/5689.315644 https://doi.org/10.1145/5689.315644

pronoiac 5y ago

Hey there! I'm one of the folks who's worked / working on making PAIP readable online. The Safari version is captured in the epub version, so no trial is needed.

metagame 5y ago
Yes, I know. That's why I pointed out that zipped HTML was available, but that's not quite a native web copy! Especially given how the zipped HTML in the epub format is usually presented (a million tiny HTML files in a single directory).

rags2riches 5y ago

Norvig is also the guy in a colorful shirt you can spot in many Google TechTalks!

nothrowaways 5y ago

Artificial Intelligence modern approach is also a great book.

geokon 5y ago
It's ~500 pages vs. ~2.5k pages... the former already seems like a big project - the latter sounds impossible. (I'm assuming you're not skimming and actually doing the problem sets) Is that in rambling prose? Dense math?