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Must-read programming books?

7 points| mippie_moe | 13 years ago | reply

Other than classics such as "Design Patterns", "Art of Computer Programming", and "SICP" what are some modern gems?

6 comments

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[+] dgunn|13 years ago|reply
I see this question constantly on HN. Maybe off topic, but do people read books to learn programming? There are a lot of great sources online for learning even the most obscure concepts. Online sources also have the benefit of not being old information. When one begins writing a book, it could be years before it's in the hands of readers. Just seems like a weird way to learn something (especially programming) these days.
[+] AlexFromBelgium|13 years ago|reply
I get my recommendations from stackoverflow mostly, so I know the books I read are good. My brain knows the information is legit and takes it all in.

On the internet I spend too long reading short pieces, reviews, articles... A book is nice and LONG :)

[+] blaabjerg|13 years ago|reply
A lot of relevant material is practically timeless, so older books aren't necessarily outdated. Also, I enjoy being able to take a break from the computer and sit back and read something paper based. Less eye strain, fewer distractions, etc.
[+] cldrope|13 years ago|reply
Anytime I'm going to poke into a topic I like to nab one of the Head First books. They're a fast, easy way to learn a topic and after I'm done with it and into it deeply I'll find a dry reference.

The Pragmatic Programmer Meta-programming at it's finest. Be a better programmer.

Joel on software blog: Here's an example post. http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/fog0000000043.html

There's quite a bit to learn in there.

Many other books available free online. Primarily I suggest you read to an end, and as you get to a stagnation point you alternate between reading to learn new technologies or languages and reading to improve yourself as a programmer.

[+] rhomboss|13 years ago|reply
Even if you have no real interest in C, check out K&R if you haven't. It's a near flawless (imo) example of technical writing and language introduction.