Top "Theory" questions

Programming-language-agnostic Questions that focus on the theoretical aspects rather than the actual implementations.

What is SAT and what it is good for?

Recently I saw a Reddit article on using SAT for solving a puzzle [1]. This got me very curios about this "…

algorithm theory solver
How would you code an anti plagiarism site?

First, please note, that I am interested in how something like this would work, and am not intending to build …

php theory
In terms of programming, what do semantics mean?

This is a sentence from Eric Lippert's blog: Given that unfortunate situation, it makes sense to emphasize the storage mechanism …

compiler-construction theory
Text editor theory

As I'm always dissatisfied with existing editors, a project I always wanted to start is my own text editor. However …

data-structures editor text-editor theory
"Flat is better than nested" - for data as well as code?

This question got me thinking: should we apply the principle that "flat is better than nested" to data as well …

python theory
Database Internals - Where to Begin?

So lets say that you want to learn some stuff about database internals. What's the best source code to look …

database theory internals
Bootstrapping a compiler: why?

I understand how a language can bootstrap itself, but I haven't been able to find much reference on why you …

compiler-construction theory bootstrapping
How to convert a DFA to a Turing machine?

Having the diagram of a DFA, how can I convert it to a Turing Machine? Do I have to find …

theory dfa turing-machines
Exactly what is the difference between a "closure" and a "block"?

I've found that lots of people use the words closure and block interchangeably. Most of these people can't explain what …

programming-languages computer-science theory language-theory
Relational Databases and Mathematics?

Can anyone suggest resources that take a mathematical approach to relational databases? Essentially relational algebra I'd guess. I have a …

database math relational-database theory relational-algebra