The short version
David MacKay's approachable textbook connecting information theory, inference, and learning.
From the HackerLinks archive
Information Theory, Inference, and Learning Algorithms
David MacKay's approachable textbook connecting information theory, inference, and learning.
At a glance:
First seen:2026-09-23
Last seen:2026-09-23
Times seen:1
Website:inference.org.uk
Why it caught our attention
A commenter recommended it as an introductory treatment of the thread's core ideas.
Where it surfaced on Hacker News
2026-09-23
“For anyone wanting an introductory text for information theory & that explores some of these connections & applications, it's worth checking out the late David MacKay's 2003 textbook Information Theory, Inference & Learning Algorithms”
shoo · recommendation
Direct HN comment
Can gzip be a language model?
Also surfaced in this discussion
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