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The 2015 Open Source Summer Reading List

Posted by Soulskill on from the does-not-include-anything-by-melville dept.

ectoman writes: Opensource.com has just published its annual Open Source Summer Reading List. This year's edition contains 15 recommendations for books that celebrate open source values and practices. Topics include Python programming, Grace Hopper, open-minded leadership, and teaching children to code. There are also books on the philosophy of open information, an intro to DIY/Maker activities, and even a book about mastering Emacs. What would you add to this list?

18 of 31 comments (clear)

  1. Read books? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Read books about open source? Lol, just read the source code instead.

  2. If you want a real programming challenge... by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 1

    Try translating ancient BASIC games into Python or another modern language.

    http://www.atariarchives.org/basicgames/

    1. Re:If you want a real programming challenge... by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 1

      That wasn't my impression when I worked at Google for a while.

    2. Re:If you want a real programming challenge... by catsRus · · Score: 1

      Thanks for the trip down memory lane, Jr College and the Apple II. Too bad i failed most of my regular classes to screw with BASIC coding.

    3. Re:If you want a real programming challenge... by Snotnose · · Score: 1

      Python isn't perfect (see: curly braces to define blocks) but it beats hell out of Javascript, or ECMAscript, or whatever name you call that abomination.

      What I like about Python is, when you're learning it, after a day or two you can guess how to do foo and 90% of the time you're right. With Javascript, you can follow the book, do everything (you think) right, and the damned script will fail for stupid reasons on other machines.

  3. That's odd.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    They spelled Vim wrong. :wq

    1. Re:That's odd.. by Noughmad · · Score: 1

      They tried adding Vim as well, but they only had place for 15 books.

      --
      PlusFive Slashdot reader for Android. Can post comments.
    2. Re:That's odd.. by weilawei · · Score: 1

      You might need a book to learn Emacs, but you only need a cheatsheet to learn Vim.
       
      /and that's only needed to launch vimtutor

  4. Oh Brother.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Open source values and practices? Is that like posting how you hate MS on every blog you can find? They mentioned teaching children to code. Is that an open source practice? Like no one learnt MASM when they were kids because they were from a poor country or something? The open source community is the least "open minded" community in existence. They are parrots for the most part. For the original question I would pick up any self-help title that helps them deal with being insecure and arrogant. Even if it doesn't help the reader, it might help them deal with their peers in the “community”.

    1. Re:Oh Brother.. by CBravo · · Score: 1

      If you mean open source projects community, I might agree. But there are lots and lots of places where people help you using open source tools.

      --
      nosig today
  5. Emacs?? by sunderland56 · · Score: 1

    How does a book about how to use emacs "celebrate open source values and practices"?

    1. Re:Emacs?? by CBravo · · Score: 1

      It is like learning history in school. It describes a fundament that started the culture. It is good to see and understand how that mechanism works.

      --
      nosig today
    2. Re:Emacs?? by rippeltippel · · Score: 1

      Didn't you get the irony?

      "Mastering Emacs" is a fictional novel.

  6. Re:Teaching children to code by Coren22 · · Score: 1

    How would teaching children to code increase inequality? Are you saying that the poor kids are not capable of learning to code? Last I checked, you can teach poor kids as well as rich kids to code, it isn't an inherent quality of socioeconomic status as to whether you can be taught to code.

    --
    APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
  7. Re:Teaching children to code by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 1, Insightful

    How would teaching children to code increase inequality?

    Because smart kids learn faster than dumb kids, and although it is non-PC to say so, rich kids tend to be smarter than poor kids. But you should not accept that inequality is inherently bad. If you can pull everyone up, but benefit the rich disproportionately, that is still better than pushing everyone down to the same level.

  8. Re: Teaching children to code by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 1

    I would add that rich kids have more advantages and fewer stressors

    Sure, and they also face different social pressures. Studies have shown that white/Asian kids become more popular, and have more friends, as their grades improve. Black/Hispanic kids become less popular. By the time they reach high school, too many poor kids have figured out that the best way to make friends and attract the girls, is to be an anti-intellectual smartass. That is a difficult culture to change.

  9. Teaching your kid to code... by phillk6751 · · Score: 1

    Book: Help Your Kids with Computer Coding http://www.amazon.com/Help-You... Got this for my nearly 8 year old and it's an awesome book to start the kids on. Starts them off with Scratch and moves them on to Python.

  10. Re:Open Source Singularity by FreeUser · · Score: 1

    Wow. Someone recommends my book (which is on-topic for the discussion). I thank them. And we're both marked trolls.

    The critics are right. This site really has gone downhill.

    Jean-Michel Smith's science fiction novel _Autonomy_ would be a good summer read. It's about a small group of open source revolutionaries who work to transcend through their own singularity. Unfortunately they are hounded by government agencies and the UN, who want to destroy them without ever understanding what they are and what they offer the world. It's a clever novel that promotes a lot of open source values. http://www.amazon.com/Autonomy...

    Thank you, whoever you are! Free software and the threat of software patents and copyright law to our basic freedoms to create were very much on my mind when I wrote the novel. Very glad you enjoyed it!

    --
    The Future of Human Evolution: Autonomy