I have read a number of programming books but the only two that really stood out to me and that I still remember are The Pragmatic Programmer and K&R The C Programming Language. They are obviously very different but foundational in ways that enabled me to get a lot of things done.
I do still encourage people to learn C only because you could understand how the language works or a long weekend and it will help you appreciate just how things actually work under the hood (and a bit above the assembly instructions level). And TPP is great for helping you understand what to do when actually working on a deliverable project and not just the exciting parts. It’s the difference between building a toy that runs on your machine and a project others can run and use.
I bought the first edition when it came out. I was just 3 years into my SW development career and it provided a lot of good advise. I bought the second edition and enjoyed it, but the first edition had a special place in my heart.
Alternatively, consider being an idealistic programmer!
- Fall in love with a single topic, regardless of how trendy.
- Learn as much as you can about it.
- Keep learning about it.
- Learn about it some more.
- Spend years of your life doing nothing but breathing and thinking about this one topic.
- Let fads and fashion pass you by.
- Don't settle for good enough. Try to build the best version possible.
- Choose where you work based on your ability to reach staggering new heights with this one topic, and disregard whether it seems like an amazing CV line item.
- Fail to even notice fads and fashions passing you by.
- Become a master.
When I started a programming job, I read this book, Clean Code, and Code Complete. Code Complete is kinda old but still great, Clean Code is not bad but it's Java centric and has a lot of questionable tips. But The Pragmatic Programmer never gets old.
A great book, but I read it too late, after I had already learned pretty much everything it says the hard way. So it was one of those books I enjoyed because it reinforced what I already thought, but didn't really get much from. Wish it had been written a decade earlier.
An incredible book. One very near and dear to my heart. It always sits on the bookshelf behind me with pride of place in every video call or conference.
I have read a number of programming books but the only two that really stood out to me and that I still remember are The Pragmatic Programmer and K&R The C Programming Language. They are obviously very different but foundational in ways that enabled me to get a lot of things done.
I do still encourage people to learn C only because you could understand how the language works or a long weekend and it will help you appreciate just how things actually work under the hood (and a bit above the assembly instructions level). And TPP is great for helping you understand what to do when actually working on a deliverable project and not just the exciting parts. It’s the difference between building a toy that runs on your machine and a project others can run and use.
I bought the first edition when it came out. I was just 3 years into my SW development career and it provided a lot of good advise. I bought the second edition and enjoyed it, but the first edition had a special place in my heart.
Alternatively, consider being an idealistic programmer!
Amen
Yeah, we need both types.
When I started a programming job, I read this book, Clean Code, and Code Complete. Code Complete is kinda old but still great, Clean Code is not bad but it's Java centric and has a lot of questionable tips. But The Pragmatic Programmer never gets old.
A great book, but I read it too late, after I had already learned pretty much everything it says the hard way. So it was one of those books I enjoyed because it reinforced what I already thought, but didn't really get much from. Wish it had been written a decade earlier.
An incredible book. One very near and dear to my heart. It always sits on the bookshelf behind me with pride of place in every video call or conference.
One of my favorite books on the actual practice of programming.
The other one is "Code Complete".
The best programmer book i've ever read