SVM (support vector machines) is an application of curve fitting related to discriminate analysis in classic multi-variate statistics.  The connections with trees are likely much as in the Breiman, <i>et al.,</i> <i>Classification and Regression Trees</i> (CART), a classic in applied statistics.  Breiman was a good mathematician, probabilist, and applied statistician.<p><i>Machine Learning</i> is nothing like <i>learning</i> in humans or psychology.<p>The course looks like it <i>stole</i> the word <i>learning</i> from psychology and <i>stole</i> nearly all the rest from classic statistics and looks like stolen content relabeled.<p>To me, that the content of the course and text, and I have to conclude that I am quite familiar with nearly all of it, uses the word <i>learning</i> is inappropriate hype.<p>I object to the hype.<p>Students be warned:  As I wrote, essentially all of that material is from statistics and nearly all from classic statistics and has essentially nothing to do with <i>learning</i> in any reasonable meaning of that word.<p>For computer science to make what is now broad misuse of the word <i>learning</i> is a big step up in hype and a big step down in academic quality and responsibility.<p>Ah, a controversial view for HN!