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General IT Books?
Torulf would like to start an ongoing discussion on books that anyone in the IT field would benefit in having in their library: "Here's a topic that might generate some interesting discussions. I'm a student trying to get general knowledge of the IT business. The question here is about what is regarded 'basic knowledge' and where to find it. As we all know (I hope), a lot of knowledge can really only be learned through experience. In many cases, however, a read through the theory will save you a lot of time. As books are also easier to look up than experience, below is a suggestion of a reading list that might give a decent general knowledge in the field. Please fill out the gaps with what you think is required
knowledge for anyone working in the industry. Mostly this is about a general overview of the
different areas of the IT industry, but if you have suggestions of good material for becoming an expert in some particular field, by all means, share your knowledge." Torulf has compiled a fairly long list of books, below, however your own suggestions are always welcome.
For any non-trivial task, it is suggested that you design before you code. User Interfaces:
A lot of programmers are more than clueless in this area. These at least won't hurt: Graphics:
Some general knowledge about graphics. Business/Management:
Here's something about management and financing. I don't really know about a good reference for marketing applied to the IT industry. This is the area where the average geek is even more ignorant than concerning UI. Security:
Alright, this list should be a lot longer. Misc.
And last some stuff that didn't fit in any of the categories above.
"To start off the discussion, here are a few suggestions as to likely candidates. The
books are linked to Amazon since they can provide a fairly quick and complete description of the books online.
Programming:
Learning a few languages certainly won't hurt. Here are some suggestions:
- The C programming language
- The C++ programming language
- Programming Perl
- Programming Python
- A Book about Java
- A Book on SQL
- A Book about Functional languages (LISP, ML, etc.)
For any non-trivial task, it is suggested that you design before you code. User Interfaces:
A lot of programmers are more than clueless in this area. These at least won't hurt: Graphics:
Some general knowledge about graphics. Business/Management:
Here's something about management and financing. I don't really know about a good reference for marketing applied to the IT industry. This is the area where the average geek is even more ignorant than concerning UI. Security:
Alright, this list should be a lot longer. Misc.
And last some stuff that didn't fit in any of the categories above.
- Modern Operating Systems
- Computer Networks
- A few operating systems
- A book about markup languages, ie HTML, XML, DHTML, etc
- A book about Algorithms and Data Structures in general
- At least some basic knowledge about Hardware
- Wireless systems seem to be growing. It might pay off to learn something about Symbian, J2ME etc."
Now that's a start to a comprehensive IT Library if I've ever seen one. How do you all feel about this list (if not the specific selections, then at least the material being covered)? If you were to make changes or additions, what would they be?
Knuth's "The Art of Computer Programming" is an absolute essential. Read it. Then read it again. Do what he says.
This book gives the basic foundation of how to program instead of teaching you how to operate the latest GUI or how to generate the latest buzz-language. It should not be optional for any computer science curriculum.
These are the guide to proper systems administration.
But seriously, I cannot immagine anyone learning the "basics" better than fiddling around with things, and learning how they work (by breaking them more likely than not).
For the Java book, I recommend Thinking in Java
She came sliding down the alleyway like butter dripping off of a hot biscuit.
and
The Practice of System and Network Administration
Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana.
Seems like you would want at least a few books that are more, well, abstract / philosophical? I would recommend Godel, Escher, Bach or Metamagical Themas both by Hofstadter. Man can't live by tech alone.
Best Windows Freeware
This is from memory, so it's a little rough.
:-)
Unix Books
----------
*The Unix Programming Environment - Ker./Pike (Great book on the Tao of Unix)
*The Design of the Unix Operating System - ? (Good book on design and internals)
*The Design of the 4.4BSD Operating System - (The book the BSD folks rave about)
Hardware Books
--------------
*Upgrading and Repairing PCs - Scott Mueler (While kinda Windows centric, the PC Hardware bible)
Fun
---
*Mr. Bunny books - Some Guy III (Funny books make fun of Java and ActiveX)
*Programming Linux Games - Jon Hall (Good intro to Linux gaming, another fav)
Security - My specialty
--------
*Hackers Beware - a great book of stories from the trenches
*Hacking Exposed series - Great, up-to-date references on many platforms.
*Security Engeneering - The best book on comprehensive security design
*Know Your Enemy - The Honeynet Project (Great book on real hacking)
*Computer Security Basics (outdated, but still relivent. Not basic, though, by any measure)
*Applied Cryptography - Bruce Schiener (_The_ book about crypto)
*Secrets and Lies - Bruce Schiener (A management type book, but good)
Programming
-----------
*{Beginning, Professional} Linux Programming - Stones & Neal Somebody, et. al. (A good Wrox book that covers Perl, PHP, PostgreSQL, MySQL, C, shell programming, etc.)
*The O'Reilly Perl Library - Written by the guys that write and maintain Perl. Nothing short of spectacular. Everything from Perl regex to cgi to bioinformatics to databases is covered.
*Applied Cryptography - Bruce Schiener (_The_ book about crypto)
*ANSI Standard Lisp - Haven't read it yet, but it looked good.
*The K&R book, ANSI and Classic - 'nuff said.
*The O'Reilly SQL book and database-specific books - Cover all the DBA knowledge anybody needs
Non-Technical
-------------
*Secrets and Lies - Bruce Schiener (A management type book, but good)
*C for Dummies - Gookin (See section placement)
*The Mr. Bunny Startup Game
Sysadmin
--------
*The Complete FreeBSD - A great fBSD book
*Linux: The Complete Reference - Another great sysadmin books
*The purple Unix book with the animals on the cover - The Sysadmin bible, if I could only remember the name
If someone could fill in the name and author holes, you'll be all set.
My email is real.
Let's turn this topic around a bit and collect links to free books that can be found on the net. My favourites are:
- Dive Into Python - an excellent Python book aimed at experienced programmers
- Thinking in Java - concentrates on OOP principles. Check out Thinking in Python/C++/C# on the same site
- Secure Programming for Linux and Unix HOWTO - calls itself a HOWTO but it's practically a book
- Linux From Scratch - build your own linux distribution
There have to be more out there - post links below.-Peace
Dave
Free as in "the Truth shall set you..."
Sorry, but I think Knuth's The Art Of Computer Programming is massively overrated as a general-purpose text. It's like that presentation edition of The Complete Works of Willy Wagglestick that sits on the shelf looking splendid and making you very proud that you own it, but never actually getting read.
For most purposes, a good book on basic data structures and algorithms is far more useful in the real world than Knuth's complex explanations with examples implemented in MIX. Maybe I just don't need the deep stuff behind it regularly, but if I don't then surely neither do most other professional programmers, and that pretty clearly contradicts the "essential" status. If it was a choice between making computer science students read TAOCP or making them read Sedgewick, then I'm sorry, but I'm choosing Sedgewick every time.
This is not to say Knuth's work doesn't have immense value as an authoritative academic treatise on its subject matter; clearly it does. But that's very different to calling it "absolutely essential" for just anyone.
And to preempt the obvious replies... Yes, I've read several bits of TAOCP. Yes, I do like other things Knuth has written (notably his TeX-related stuff). And no, I don't much like Numerical Recipes either, for exactly the same reasons.
If you disagree, post your argument. (-1, Overrated) isn't your personal censorship tool for views you don't like.
The ACLU voted this book best C++ book of 2001.
Michael Feathers of ObjectMentor described this book as "Porno for Programmers"
With accolades like that, it is obviously an, umm, ah, unusual, book.
Let me start with a "Once upon a time story...."
Once upon a time, I wrote a C++ library that should have become the Standard Template Library. But Stepanov didn't play fair. Whilst I, in my third worldish corner, dreamt up arcane workarounds for the deficiencies of the C++ compilers of the day, Stepanov walked next door to Bjarne Soustroup's office and told him to do it right.
I remember the frustration, I needed template template parameters. I needed traits, above all I needed ways of manipulating types and getting information about types. I did some amazingly convoluted and tricksy things to make it work. My library did work, but bygorrah was it arcane.
I gave up on C++ as an "almost" language that didn't quite make the grade.
After Stepanov's bullying, C++ was better but it still lacked things. RTTI is deficient. Types are not first-class objects.
I had given up hope of it ever becoming my dream language.
Now there is a new player on the C++ scene. Andrei Alexandrescu.
He is starting from the base that Stepanov, Moo and Soustroup created. The nifty template template stuff is now in every compiler. We all have partial specialization. We have traits.
Now he tackles the rest of the deficiencies with a bullheaded aggressiveness that is amazing. He does horrible things. Truly evil things. Things that make me blush to read. He then sweeps all the nasty stuff under a nifty carpet called the "Loki Library".
Its neat and usable. All the deficiencies of C++ are gone.
The grand promise of very efficient reusable generic code lies open before us with all the obstacles blasted away.
Java will never compete with C++ for efficiency and flexibility. Alexandrescu has created a new future.
Now we know this book is important, so what is in it....
Policy Based Class design.
Every design has trade-offs. What works in one situation is slow in another. What is safe here is a disaster there. Some situations allow some really good optimizations, but other places not.
We want reusable components, but if we make it generic, we end up with a "Lowest Common Denominator" kitchen sink mess.
Policy Based class design is the answer.
Read the chapter on Smart pointers. It is the best example of generic, flexible, efficient, reusuable design I have ever seen.
Part I Techniques and Typelists.
This is the "porn" in the "porno for programmers". What he does here is pure horror. This the Steven King of the software development literature. This is why people who have looked deep into the heart of C++ templates shudder.
But don't worry. He neatly prepackages it all and serves it up in a nice tidy API. Enjoy.
Chapter 4. Small Object Allocation.
Don't discount this one. STL actually quietly does a lot of this. It is amazingly effective.
Part II Components.
All the high-tech of Part one applied to roll out generic, efficient and flexible implementations of 7 standard patterns.
The ACCU makes review copies of books available to its members for free, and then the members write reviews that are printed first in the members' magazines, and then archived on the web for all to see. Because these reviews are written by working engineers, they tend to be pretty direct, to the point, and best of all they make it really clear when they recommend against a bad book.
To save you some clicking, here are some links to some of its sections:
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Reviews arranged by subject
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Reviews arranged by Title
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Reviews arranged by author
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Reviews of Highly Recommended Books
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Highly Recommended books on Advanced C
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Highly Recommended books on Java
Here is a review of a book that is "Not Recommended" so you can see the value the ACCU reviews will have in helping you avoid bad books.The ACCU welcomes programmers in "any language the uses curly braces" (like C# and Java) and the reviews cover books on a wide variety of subjects, even awk and astronomy, so do check there even if your book is not on C or C++.
-- Could you use my software consulting serv