Al__Dante

If you want to learn a functional language, Lisp is a good choice. It has been around a long, time, so it is stable and well supported, and it is also the basis for many other languages. Haskell, while also an excellent language, is more niche.

Deciding whether to learn a language or learn how to write a compiler is more difficult. If you are struggling with the Dragon book, have you condidered "Modern Compiler Implementation in ML"? Although ML is even more niche than Haskell, it is a functional language and the book takes you step-by-step through the process of writing a compiler for (a subset of) it.

Great quote: "Danish computer scientist Bjarne Stroustrup invented the C++ programming language in 1978, taking the C language invented by the late Dennis Ritchie and adding new features that made it more usable by the masses. “

Yeah, right. :-)

If you don't need Windows or the mobility, a Raspberry PI 2 may be an alternative. They are about $35 plus tax and the model 2 is as capable as a five year old Laptop.

Thanks for the catch.

The first use I know of that gained wide recognition was in Kernighan and Ritchie's "The C Programming Language" from 1978.

"1.1 Getting Started The only way to learn a new programming language is by writing programs in it. The first program to write is the same for all languages: Print the words hello, world"

I find it interesting, because K&R seem to assume that this was already a standard approach, and also because of the comma after hello. In my first attempt in a new language, I don't think I would be paying that much attention to grammar...

It can definitely be greater, because a table tennis ball with backspin follows an upward trajectory.

First and foremost, congratulations on a wonderful piece of art. The realities of accounting should not distract you from the fact that the project was a success and enriched people's lives.

Although you paint a pretty bleak picture of the finances, as others have pointed out above, this does not reflect the economic reality.

The typo impacted your profit margin significantly - without it, you would have had an additional $7k and a margin of 19%.

But this is only a side show. Even if you had made 0% on the posters shipped to the Kickstarter backers, the 800 posters remaining represent a book value of $96k. (Less a few hundred dollars for storage).

Assuming you can sell at this price, your three years work will be amply remunerated for a part-time project.

In the end, Kickstarter functioned as it should. It reduced your risk by providing a pool of known buyers and left you with the infrastructure for approaching your market. That market is your final reward.

And not mine either :-)

Also because spelling is apparently not one of MIT's 50 achievments...

And Lisp :-)

It would have been interesting to see the power consumption compared. The Raspberry PI model A can be operated below 0.5A, in some cases 0.25A, which makes it attractive for mobile installations. How do the other two boards compare, do you know?