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{{Short description|Computer science textbook}}

{{Redirect|SICP}}

{{Infobox book

| italic title = force

| name = Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs (SICP)

| image = SICP cover.jpg

| caption = Cover of the second edition

| author = [[Harold Abelson]], [[Gerald Jay Sussman]], Julie Sussman

| cover_artist =

| country =

| series =

| subject = [[Computer science]]

| genre = [[Textbook]]

| publisher = [[MIT Press]]

| pub_date = 19851984 (1st ed.), 1996 (2nd ed.), 2022 ([[Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, JavaScript Edition|JavaScript ed.]])

| media_type =

| pages = 657

| isbn = 0-262-51087-1

| isbn_note = (2nd ed.)

| oclc =

| dewey =

| congress = QA76.6 .A255 1996

| website = {{URL|mitpress.mit.edu/sicp}}

}}

'''''Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs''''' ('''''SICP''''') is a [[computer science]] textbook by [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] (MIT) professors [[Harold Abelson]] and [[Gerald Jay Sussman]] with Julie Sussman. It is known as the '''''"Wizard Book'''''" in [[hacker culture]].<ref>{{CitationCite |contribution=Wizard Bookbook |titlelast1=The New Hacker's DictionaryRaymond |editionfirst1=2ndEric |year=1993S. |contribution-url=http://mitpress.mitarchive.eduorg/sicpdetails/}}.</ref>newhackersdictio00raym in|title=The New [[hacker's culture]].<ref>{{citationdictionary |urllast2=http://grokcode.com/11/the-top-9-in-a-hackers-bookshelf/Steele |titlefirst2=GrokGuy code|date=1991 |contribution___location=TheCambridge, Top 9{{fracMassachusetts|1|2}} Bookspublisher in= aMIT Hacker'sPress Bookshelf|others=Internet Archive |access-dateisbn=2010978-100-23262-68069-1}}</ref> It teaches fundamental principles of [[computer programming]], including [[recursion]], [[Abstraction (computer science)|abstraction]], [[Modular programming|modularity]], and [[programming language]] [[Metalinguistic abstraction|design]] and [[Programming language implementation|implementation]].

The [[MIT Press]] published the first edition in 19851984, and the second edition in 1996. It was formerly used as the textbook for MIT's introductory course in [[electricalcomputer engineeringscience]] andfrom computer1984 scienceto 2007. SICP focuses on discovering general [[Pattern|patterns]] for solving specific problems, and building [[Software system|software systems]] that make use of those patterns.<ref>{{Citation |last=Harvey |first=B |year=2011 |contribution-url=http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/~bh/sicp.html |contribution=Why SICP matters? |title=The 150th anniversary of MIT |publisher=[[Boston Globe]]}}.</ref>

MIT Press published a [[JavaScript]] version of the book in 2022.<ref>{{Cite book |publisher=MIT Press |year=2022 |url=https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/structure-and-interpretation-computer-programs-1 |title=Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs: JavaScript Edition |isbn=9780262543231}}</ref>

==Content==

The book describes computer science concepts using [[Scheme (programming language)|Scheme]], a dialect of [[Lisp (programming language)|Lisp]]. It also uses a [[virtual machine|virtual]] [[register machine]] and [[Assembly language#Assember|assembler]] to implement Lisp [[Interpreter (computing)|interpreter]]s and [[compiler]]s.

==Characters Content ==

The book describes computer science concepts using [[Scheme (programming language)|Scheme]], a dialect of [[Lisp (programming language)|Lisp]]. It also uses a [[virtual machine|virtual]] [[register machine]] and [[Assembly language#AssemberAssembler|assembler]] to implement Lisp [[Interpreter (computing)|interpreterinterpreters]]s and [[compiler]]s.

Several fictional characters appear in the book:

Topics in the books are:

=== Chapter 1: Building [[Abstraction (computer science)|Abstractions]] with [[Function (computer programming)|Procedures]] ===

# The Elements of Programming

# Procedures and the [[Process (computing)|Processes]] They Generate

# Formulating Abstractions with Higher-Order Procedures

=== Chapter 2: Building Abstractions with [[Data]] ===

# Introduction to Data Abstraction

# Hierarchical Data and the [[Closure (mathematics)|Closure Property]]

# Symbolic Data

# Multiple Representations for Abstract Data

# Systems with Generic Operations

=== Chapter 3: Modularity, [[Object (computer science)|Objects]], and [[State (computer science)|State]] ===

# [[Assignment (computer science)|Assignment]] and [[Local variable|Local State]]

# The Environment Model of Evaluation

# Modeling with Mutable Data

# [[Concurrency (computer science)|Concurrency]]: Time Is of the Essence

# Streams

=== Chapter 4: [[Metalinguistics|Metalinguistic]] Abstraction ===

# The [[Meta-circular evaluator|Metacircular Evaluator]]

# Variations on a Scheme – [[Lazy evaluation|Lazy Evaluation]]

# Variations on a Scheme – [[Nondeterministic algorithm|Nondeterministic Computing]]

# [[Logic programming|Logic Programming]]

=== Chapter 5: Computing with [[Register machine|Register Machines]] ===

# Designing [[Register machine|Register Machines]]

# A Register-Machine Simulator

# [[Register allocation|Storage Allocation]] and [[Garbage collection (computer science)|Garbage Collection]]

# The Explicit-Control Evaluator

# Compilation

== Characters ==

Several humorously-named fictional characters appear in the book:

* Alyssa P. Hacker, a Lisp [[hacker]]

* Ben Bitdiddle, a hardware expert

* [[Side effect (computer science)|Cy D. Fect]], a "reformed C programmer"

* [[Evaluator|Eva Lu Ator, an evaluator]]

* Lem E. Tweakit, an irate user

* Louis Reasoner, a "loose reasoner"

== License ==

The book is licensed under a [[Creative Commons]] Attribution -ShareAlike 4.0 LicenseInternational (CC BY-SA 4.0) license.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://mitpress.mit.edu/sicp/ |title=SICP |publisher=MIT Press |access-date=2007-11-11 |archive-date=2017-12-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171226134539/http://mitpress.mit.edu/sicp/ |url-status=dead }}.</ref>

==License Coursework ==

The book was used as the textbook for MIT's former introductory programming course, 6.001.,<ref>{{cite web |url=httphttps://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWebcourses/Electricalelectrical-Engineeringengineering-and-Computercomputer-Sciencescience/6-001Spring001-structure-and-interpretation-of-computer-programs-spring-2005/CourseHome/ |title=Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; 6.001 Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs |date=Spring 2005 |website=OpenCourseWare |publisher=MIT |access-date=20112020-06-2821}}</ref> Thatfrom coursefall was1984 replacedthrough byits 6.0001last semester,<ref>{{Citation |title=Catalogin |url=http://student.mit.edu/catalog/search.cgi?search=6.0001fall |contribution=6.0001 |publisher=MIT}}.</ref> which uses [[Python (programming language)|Python]]2007.<ref>{{Citation |first=Donald |last=Guy |quote=I talked to Professor Sussman on the phone... He said that he'd actually been trying to have 6.001 replaced for the last ten years (and I read somewhere that Professor Abelson was behind the move too). Understanding the principles is not essential for an introduction to the subject matter anymore. He sees 6.001 as obsolete. |url=http://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/the_end_of_an_era_1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180821202714/http://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/the_end_of_an_era_1 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2018-08-21 |title=MIT Admissions |type=blog comment |contribution=The End of an Era |access-date=2008-08-05}}.</ref> Other schools also made use of the book as a course textbook.<ref>{{cite web |first=Edward C. |last=Martin |url=httphttps://wwwmitpress.schemersmit.comedu/schoolssites/default/files/sicp/adopt-list.html |title=SchoolsUniversities and Colleges Using SICP |publisher=SchemersMIT Press |access-date=20092022-0703-2030 |accessarchive-date=20112022-0604-28}}</ref> It is used as the textbook for MIT's Large Scale Symbolic Systems class, 6.945.<ref>{{cite web23 |archive-url=httphttps://eduappsweb.archive.org/web/20220423072605/https://mitpress.mit.edu/textbooksites/booksdefault/files/sicp/adopt-list.html?Term=2016SP&Subject=6.945 |title=Large Scale Symbolic Systems class, 6.945 |website=MIT Touchstone |accessurl-datestatus=2019-06-16<!--Pagedead does not display-->}}</ref>

The book is licensed under a [[Creative Commons]] Attribution ShareAlike 4.0 License.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://mitpress.mit.edu/sicp/ |title=SICP |publisher=MIT Press}}.</ref>

==Coursework Reception ==

''[[Byte (magazine)|Byte]]'' recommended SICP in 1986 "for professional programmers who are really interested in their profession". The magazine said that the book was not easy to read, but that it would expose experienced programmers to both old and new topics.<ref name="kilov198611">{{cite news book|lasturl=Kilov https://archive.org/details/byte-magazine-1986-11/page/n83/mode/1up|firsttitle=HaimByte Magazine Volume 11 Number 12: Knowledge Representation|date=November 1986|language=English |titlepage=Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs70 |worklast=ByteKilov |pagefirst=70Haim}}</ref>

The book was used as the textbook for MIT's former introductory programming course, 6.001.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Electrical-Engineering-and-Computer-Science/6-001Spring-2005/CourseHome/ |title=Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; 6.001 Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs |date=Spring 2005 |website=OpenCourseWare |publisher=MIT |access-date=2011-06-28}}</ref> That course was replaced by 6.0001,<ref>{{Citation |title=Catalog |url=http://student.mit.edu/catalog/search.cgi?search=6.0001 |contribution=6.0001 |publisher=MIT}}.</ref> which uses [[Python (programming language)|Python]].<ref>{{Citation |first=Donald |last=Guy |quote=I talked to Professor Sussman on the phone... He said that he'd actually been trying to have 6.001 replaced for the last ten years (and I read somewhere that Professor Abelson was behind the move too). Understanding the principles is not essential for an introduction to the subject matter anymore. He sees 6.001 as obsolete. |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180821202714/http://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/the_end_of_an_era_1 |title=MIT Admissions |type=blog comment |contribution=The End of an Era |access-date=2008-08-05}}.</ref> Other schools also made use of the book as a course textbook.<ref>{{cite web |first=Edward C. |last=Martin |url=http://www.schemers.com/schools.html |title=Schools |publisher=Schemers |date=2009-07-20 |access-date=2011-06-28}}</ref> It is used as the textbook for MIT's Large Scale Symbolic Systems class, 6.945.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://eduapps.mit.edu/textbook/books.html?Term=2016SP&Subject=6.945 |title=Large Scale Symbolic Systems class, 6.945 |website=MIT Touchstone |access-date=2019-06-16<!--Page does not display-->}}</ref>

A review of SICP as an undergraduate textbook by [[Philip Wadler]] noted the weaknesses of the Scheme language as an introductory language for a computer science course.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Wadler |first=P |date=1987-03-01 |title=A critique of Abelson and Sussman or why calculating is better than scheming |url=https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/24697.24706 |journal= ACM SIGPLAN Notices|volume=22 |issue=3 |pages=83–94 |doi=10.1145/24697.24706 |issn=0362-1340}}</ref> Wadler criticized in particular the lack of [[pattern matching]], obscuring [[equational reasoning]] and making the teaching of proofs harder; the lack of [[Algebraic data type|algebraic data types]] in Scheme and the over-reliance on [[cons]] pairs for both code and data representation, which can confuse beginning students; and the choice of [[Strict evaluation|strict]] instead of [[lazy evaluation]] as the standard evaluation strategy.

==Reception==

''[[Byte (magazine)|Byte]]'' recommended SICP "for professional programmers who are really interested in their profession". The magazine said that the book was not easy to read, but that it would expose experienced programmers to both old and new topics.<ref name="kilov198611">{{cite news |last=Kilov |first=Haim |date=November 1986 |title=Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs |work=Byte |page=70}}</ref>

== Influence ==

SICP has been influential in computer science education, and several later books have been inspired by its style.

* ''[[Structure and Interpretation of Classical Mechanics]] (SICM)'', another book that uses Scheme as an instructional element, by Gerald Jay Sussman thatand usesJack SchemeWisdom

* ''[[Software Design for Flexibility]]'', by Chris Hanson and Gerald Jay Sussman
* ''[[How to Design Programs]] (HtDP)'', which intends to be a more accessible book for introductory Computer Science, and to address perceived incongruitiesdeficiencies in SICP

* ''[[Essentials of Programming Languages]] (EoPL)'', a book for Programming Languages courses

== See also ==

* ''[[Compilers: Principles, Techniques, and Tools]]''{{snd}} also known as ''The Dragon Book''

* [[Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, JavaScript Adaptation]]

== References ==

{{Reflist}}

== External links ==

* {{Official website|mitpress.mit.edu/sicp}}

* [httphttps://groups.csailocw.mit.edu/mac/classescourses/6.-001/abelson-sussmanstructure-and-interpretation-of-computer-programs-spring-2005/video_galleries/video-lectures/ Video lectures]

* [https://githubmedia.githubusercontent.com/media/sarabander/sicp-pdf/master/sicp.pdf Book compiled from TeX source]

* [[https://xuanji.appspot.com/isicp/ Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs,. JavaScriptInteractive Adaptation]Version]

{{Lisp programming language}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:19851984 non-fiction books]]

[[Category:1996 non-fiction books]]

[[Category:Computer science books]]