# Software Foundations by Benjamin Pierce et al.

5 Hacker News commenters recommended Software Foundations by Benjamin Pierce et al. and 0 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 4 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Recommended as a friendly introduction to proof assistants and Rocq, and as one of the best resources for learning Rocq. Its coverage of intuitionistic logic is also praised.

## Why people recommend it

- Good introduction to proof assistants (3 comments): "doubles as an introduction to Rocq and also an introduction to intuitionistic logic" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49941757)) "If you want to get in to proof assistants Software Foundations is great" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50315623)) "one of the best resources to learn Rocq" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47674863))
- Praised as a top learning resource (2 comments): "An absolutely amazing tutorial and probably the best resource out there." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47354894)) "one of the best resources to learn Rocq" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47674863))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs by Abelson and Sussman](https://hackerapproved.com/p/structure-and-interpretation-of-computer-programs.md): 55 recommend
- [The Art of Computer Programming by Donald E. Knuth](https://hackerapproved.com/p/art-of-computer-programming.md): 28 recommend
- [Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs by Abelson and Sussman](https://hackerapproved.com/p/sicp.md): 12 recommend
- [Quantum Computation and Quantum Information by Nielsen and Chuang](https://hackerapproved.com/p/quantum-computation-and-quantum-information.md): 12 recommend
- [Digital Design and Computer Architecture by Harris and Harris](https://hackerapproved.com/p/digital-design-and-computer-architecture.md): 8 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Software+Foundations+by+Pierce+et+al.+%28Lean+translation%29&tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Software Foundations by Benjamin Pierce et al.", https://hackerapproved.com/p/software-foundations/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).