Ask HN: Do you read programming books? What are some good ones?

7 points

13 years ago

When I read the submission "Stack Overflow ranks #2 for Google Search for "Stack Overflow" I also came across this early blog post by Joel Spolsky that explains stack overflow's beginnings:

http://www.joelonsoftware.com/items/2008/04/16.html

Early on he says "Programmers seem to have stopped reading books." Is this true in your experience? Do you read books on programming or just rely on the web? One of my co-workers told me he definitely doesn't read books on programming and he believes all the information he needs is available on the internet. Personally I've made a point of reading a lot from books this year instead of mostly reading on the web and I find:

1. I read more because I don't get sucked into occasional videos or image heavy sites.

2. I read better quality material presumably because the vast majority of writers on the web don't have editors.

3. I read content that is intended to have lasting value rather than addressing fads or issues that are small in their scope. (this could also be a function of what I'm reading since I've taken it upon myself to read some "classics" like Pragmatic Programmer, Code Complete, The Mythical Man Month & Edward Tufte's Envisioning Information)

Do you read books about programming or software development? What do you read? What do you recommend?

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