Slashdot Mirror
Slashdot Asks: What Are Some Programming Books You Wish You Had Read Earlier?
A blog post from developer turned writer Marty Jacobs caught my attention earlier this morning. In the post, Jacobs has listed some of the programming books he says he had discovered and read much sooner. He writes, "There are so many programming books out there, sometimes it's hard to know what books are best. Programming itself is so broad and there are so many concepts to learn." You can check out his list here. I was curious what books would you include if you were to make a similar list?
They are old, but all of the books that Brian Kernighan was involved with: Software Tools, The Elements of Programming Style, etc. The writing and editing in these books is excellent. Too bad there isn't a new generation of them.
"Almost every wise saying has an opposite one, no less wise, to balance it." - George Santayana
Here's a compilation of other "must-read" books from well known developers like "Uncle Bob, and Kent Beck, [and] Jeff Atwood and DHH:"
On medium, sorry for the interstitial: https://medium.com/@shvetsovdm/essential-books-that-every-programmer-should-read-a61565095781.
Will
remove nospam. to email!
The Art of UNIX Programming by Eric Raymond
and
Expert Programming: Deep C Secrets
The former does a good job, I thought, of outlining what it means to program in the UNIX style. The latter is perfect for a geek like me who wants to learn all about the ins/outs of semantics of a language that I love!
remove nospam. to email!
Every fresh-out-of-college kid's first jobs are basically fixing the bugs left behind by the architects and experienced coders who either have left the company or have better things to do with their time.
Understanding how to make code changes safe is a vital part of that job, so the sooner a kid (I'm 48, they're all kids) is comfortable with the ways to restructure code safely for fixing issues and adding features, the better. It is a core part of modern software engineering, but is rarely taught in schools, at least not actively.
I developed a habit of this, but would have done so faster and with more confidence had I had the book and the vocabulary in mind.
"But remember, most lynch mobs aren't this nice." (H.Simpson)
-- Joe
Multipliers is not a programming book, but it will make you a better programmer.
Multipliers looks through the lens of the tech industry to show examples of people who are a "multiplier" and people who are a "diminisher". The idea being that when working with a multiplier, people feel that they are working hyper-efficiently, while with a diminisher they are working at sub-optimal.
This book changed the way I think about teamwork: it's not just about being a rock star yourself, but about making your team the rock star. It helped me identify facets of my working style and past experiences that, if acted on differently, will enable people on my team to shine with minimal additional effort from myself.