Spencer Janssen
Please do not use the PLEAC Haskell cookbook for learning Haskell. The author redefined many of the standard operators to produce code that isn't standard Haskell.
Here are some choice snippets from the first chapter:
Now, we all know that the (.) operator is function composition, right? Not in this example! The author has silently defined "(.) = flip ($)" -- a sort of reverse function application.
cut2fmt xs = xs.foldl aux (1,[]).snd.(GrabAll:).reverse
Ah yes, (^) is surely exponent here? Nope, it's some kind of unholy combination of show and (++).
s9 = "I have "^10+1^" guanacos."
More of the same:
piece = s!![-8 .. -5]
Complaining aside, I do agree with you: we need more example-style documentation. Rewriting the PLEAC cookbook might be a good start.
i agree. A friend of mine did this haskell PLEAC version, and i would really like to have a /standard/ haskell one. (alas i've no more time to do it myself...)