Een boek met leuke plaatjes en goede teksten, wat wil je nog meer. Hoe een mascotte een verhaal kan vertellen en emoties kan oproepen. Een aanrader voor (communicatie-) ontwerpers.
Concise, elegant, effective book on elegant, effective design. The only turnoff is the use of acronyms as reminders, such as SHE for Shrink Hide Embody, which turn well put arguments into cheesy dialog.
Best parts of the book are in the programming examples in the appendix, unfortunately. The book covers too many subjects; Joe Armstrong should have skipped the database part and solely focussed on a few OTP framework concepts and the functional programming aspects of the language. ... Wait for the O'Reilly book on Erlang. Update: I prefered the O'Reilly book by Francesco Cesarini.
I haven't written a review in almost two years.
Not that I haven't read a book in that time. It's just that
here been a few books that I didn't like or care for.
And this particular book actually
took almost five months to complete reading.
Although I have been enjoying reading computer books for the past ten years or so, I found out in recent years that there are quite a number of good books on the effects of the Internet on a social scale. This book is such an example.
I decided to buy the book after reading a few enthusiastic reviews about the book on the Internet. I had never considered the Internet from an economic perspective, apart from the obvious Venture Capital slash Dot Com Boom money-making spin from around the turn of the century. Yochai Benkler goes much further than that and places a variety of new activities that take place on the Internet or make use of the Internet in a context of economic and law studies. For someone like me, with an engineering degree and spending most of his time in computer code, it's quite refreshing to read a book from a completely different vantage point.
Benkler covers peer production, music copying, cable and wireless communication companies trying to control content, content providers trying to control networks, public interests in using the network, and so on. Benkler writes on these subjects in a sort of encyclopedic completeness, which gives the book a very authoritative and objective view on the subject. It clarifies why people are doing peer production activities such as editing Wikipedia entries in their spare time, and what results such efforts have on "the economy".
The book is recommended to anyone who regularly consults clients on business and communications strategies on the Internet. I haven't come across any other book that is so complete and stripped from "conference guru fluff".
Is this book for anyone? No. It's an academic title and as such it tries really hard to put readers off by using a terse kind of language with long sentences without any grammar help from commas, verbs and so on. That makes it a difficult read for any non-native English speaker. It took me five months to complete reading the book. I can't remember ever taking that long reading a single book. This book is in a whole different league than the fairly lightweight computer books you can find on the reading list on my website.
This hack book covers a great deal of ground. If you are a die-hard web surfer, and use firefox extension etcetera, you should read this book. After reading the Google Hacks book I had some objections against the Hacks series; You can’t read them from front to back in one go. They’re much more like newspapers, where you just pick the topics you’re interested in.
Couldn’t I just as well have learned about these hacks online? Knowing myself, probably not. I always try to work goal-driven whilst I’m “surfing”. This book shows me stuff whose links I probably would never have followed.
I picked up a second hand copy at De Slegte.
If you know how to program C++, Java or Python, than this book will get you up to speed with C# in an afternoon. It’s about 350 pages, covers every concept with example code, so it’s a pretty fast read. Won’t teach you anything new on OO programming. Perhaps the .NET event stuff is new to you.
Paul got rich from his business developing an online store. He now tells how he did this, what his mindset was, what is important and what is not.
Or “how I learned not to care about clueless people or ideas, enjoy my life, and still be financially successful.”.
Nice read, take it with you on holiday for example.
Dictionary explaining computer jargon. In those explanations also details much of computer history. Good fun.
See The Jargon File
Great book going beyond average use of a database. If you’re a web developer using MySQL on a daily basis, I recommend reading this book.
Introduces most features a UNIX, or should I say POSIX, operating system provides.
Makes distinction between what is available on Solaris, FreeBSD, MacOSX and Linux.
Like most C + UNIX books some homemade abstraction library is used throughout the book. Luckily it’s not too featureful to distract from the real subjects.
You can read it chapter by chapter, skipping chapters or reading it back to front.
I find it easy to use as introductory reference, often with the real man pages on the computer screen, alongside the book.
An essay bundle with classic reading such as “No Silver Bullet” and the “Mythical Man Month”.
Hard facts on software development projects, in case you need to deal with managers that fail to have a grasp on reality and live in management-lala-land.
Authorative book on refactoring, or in laymans terms: fixing your design in a working system. It’s about recognizing wrongs, and common ways to change the design without breaking existing parts.
Another hardcover Addison Wesley book that deserves its hardcover: It’ll last.
Having used UNIX shells for more than ten years, I never bothered to truly understand what a shell was all about. I figured that any serious piece of programming work should not be done in shell scripts. So I thought I was perfectly happy not being able to write shell scripts with control constructs etcetera.
Nevertheless, every piece of simple automation software I write usually involves some shell script at some point. And some regular expression. At which point I usually turned to good friends sed and grep.
That went on until I saw some examples of the regular expression options in bash, solving solutions where I used sed in some horribly contrived way.
From that moment I knew that I was a fool for not knowing what was possible with this piece of software that I use daily.
Few months later, I walked into the local Donner bookstore and when walking past the O’Reilly section, picked up the Newham and Rosenblatt book. I quickly scanned it, and saw that it had the right O’Reilly format: conscise chapters with to the point examples.
Apart from being a good bash guide, it also illustrates many UNIX concepts.
C, with its direct access to memory, is a very powerful, simple and non-imposing programming language. But with its freedom comes a stack of gotchas. This book introduces quite a few. Reading the book I got a better feeling for the C language. Knowing the gotchas makes C less scary, and makes you aware of other, new pitfalls you might encounter yourself.
The book is very old by now; More than fifteen years, which is almost a millenium in computer years. Nevertheless, C is still actively used in industry today, and most information in this book can be applied today.
The book is 141 pages, but it is condensed, no fluff for junior programmers, no simple examples to keep the crowd interested. I like that. And Andrew Koenig is a good writer.
Well-written. At times too academic for me.
Quite complete historical review of the rise of (open source) software.
Does away with the idea that open source is just a fad, or a danger to the public interest for good software. Hence also good reading for people who don’t ‘get’ Open Source.
Recommended reading.
A great, 250 page introduction into Mono, the open source implementation of a C# compiler and accompanying runtime environment (or the other way round).
After reading this book you can compare C# with other languages, like Java, and you’ll have worked through some applications in C# with the Gtk UI toolkit and Mono’s ASP.NET implementation.
The only question that remains is: Why isn’t there an Edie Freedman drawing on the cover of O’Reilly Developer Notebooks?
Nice pocket book, on the one hand full of anecdotes on the history of the world wide web (not to be confused with the internet). On the other hand it states all the big ideas on the future of the web, mostly the semantics thing and XML.
If you keep up with W3C specifications, then it’s nice to have this in the back of your mind, because it explains many of the ideas that drive the changes in specs such as XHTML.
The book gives all kinds of examples making internet technology more pervasive and beneficial in our daily lives.
A wonderful review of the many drawing techniques that are applied by architects. The drawings in this book vary from rough napkin sketches to detailled technical drawing of joints in a high-rise tower building.
11 architects participated in this book. They all make completely different drawings, not because some are better at it than others, but because they want to achieve different goals with it.
With each architect, there’s a discussion of the techniques that are used, why they fit in the way the office works, why other techniques aren’t fit for their work (no CAD drawings for any of the sketches or concepts in this book).
Every designer or design student should read this book.
The book has many great examples of products and their design issues. Norman explains many problems with design from a cognitive psychological standpoint, in an easy to read, fun, way.
The theory of affordances is explained with many examples, something that was explained in a very vague and theoretical way when I was at university.
For me, it worked as an eye-opener.
Schneiderman is mostly known for his work on user interfaces and usability, which is not really what this book is about.
As the subtitle “Human needs and the new computing technologies” suggests, this book tries to point out the infinite new uses that can be thought of with computing coupled with networked technologies.
As such, it is a book in a line of many from well-known tech-speakers. And I can’t say that it really stands out.
An 180 page book about extreme programming.
Personally I don’t see what’s so extreme about extreme programming; It’s mostly about how you should organise your work to maximize result and pleasure.
And it’s about not accepting that office management methodologies that were invented for clerks in the early 20th century, work well in programming or design.
But given the current management practices in software and website development, it’s refreshing and comforting to read this stuff.
I would have like to have seen more evidence why other, more complex, software usually fails where Wiki’s are a perfect fit; I’m pretty sure it is because of the fuzzy process of discovery of knowledge in an organization that the almost-structureless Wikis are succesful.
Unfortunately this book doesn’t give any ammunition for the discussion between wiki proponents and ‘conservative’ knowledge-base-builders.
What it does offer is an introduction to running your own Wiki. It is very much an entry level computer book. Which probably is a good thing, in the case of Wiki’s.
Definitely some strong reasoning for alternate computer interfaces.
Somehow it made me feel that I wasn’t an idiot for still using the vi editor. Those vi commands are, to me, a perfect example of a very direct way of interacting with an application. But I’m not sure if Jeff had vi in mind when he was writing this book.
I’ll read it again some time soon.
This book is the best introduction into becoming a website designer or developer that I know. It introduces all complexities in website design and development. Only negative criticism: Very American in the ideas on good webdesign it tries to promote.
Pretty much defines what a good website is, these days (after 2000). A very practical and hands-on book to structuring and layout-ing big websites. It will probably feels as outdated as TOG on Interface after ten years, but it won’t be as funny or insightful to read in the future. So only read it if you’re sure you can apply its rules today. I think.
First of all, this book is insanely expensive: $60 for a 300 page book that looks like a regular academic title is absurd. I value it at $30 or so.
It is a good book, though, giving many good instructions on GUI design, both in the graphic and in the Look and Feel department. The ‘communication oriented’-ness helps give the book a solid structure.
Also an interesting read for afficionados of old skool windowing systems. Remember the flat MacOS interface? NextStep? Open Look?
A must-read for any designer earning his or her money on designing websites.
I am not sure if the title rightfully claims Software Design as the subject of this book. It really is about a group of people at Sun dreaming up their next generation computing environment, anno 1995. Now, 2004, years after I first read the book, their ideas and ideals are just as valid. In many ways, the web got us further away from a pleasant and productive desktop environment than people would have imagined back in 1995, I think.
An academic book with actual programming examples, in C. The book is not just about algorithms, it is just as much about data structures.
I had some trouble applying the theory of interprocess constructs to practice, with so many concepts that are alike, yet differ in subtle ways. This book explains all concepts with complete programming examples. Another quality Stevens book.
Another classic book, not just because it explains everything about internet programming. It also is a great example of an instructional book, with to the point sample code and concise descriptions of all interface options.
I just had to read it. Not that I’m actively doing socket programming. It’s just that I develop upon software does do socket stuff all the time: webservers and webbrowsers.
Want to know why it is better to have one 10Kb file than 10 1Kb files downloaded in your webpage? Read this book.
Well, not quite. You should know C programming, bits and bytes etcetera.
Recommended.
Really nice, timeless book about programming do’s and dont’s.
Like Design Patterns, it’s not about one language, but about more higher level programming work issues.
If you only wanted to read one book on programming computers, this is The One. In 250 pages it manages to teach you not only the C language, but also what it means to write a computer program.
A book from 1997, that I mostly bought (second-hand) because it's such a time-document.
Perennial introduction into how an operating system works. A good read and recommended to anyone who spends a lot of time working with computers and wants to know how these things work.
If you ever wondered why so many people raved about the BeOS operating system, this book tells it all.
If you ever wondered what a desktop linux system should be like, this books gives some insight. But then again, there’s still OpenBeOS ;-)
The book is great, historical, documentation to one of the nicer operating systems.
The book assumes knowledge of C or C++ programming, but it does only a very simplistic take on the BeOS. I guess, though, it is the best introduction into programming BeOS. One of those O’Reilly books that I like more for its Edie Freedman cover, a pitta bird, than its contents.
You can read the book at O’Reilly’s openbooks.
This book manages to confirm in 150 pages that I find UML pathetic. UML defines so many cryptic graphics to model common situations that it quickly becomes silly to draw UML diagrams where most of your colleagues would have appreciated it more if you would have written your concept in a narrative form.
I only appreciate the class diagrams.
This book is approximately 1500 pages, and that is too much. Way too much. It is too heavy to handle; You have to read it sitting at a table.
All source code is listed in the text, which explains why it needs 1500 pages to explain the basics of programming Windows GUI applications.
The book covers a lot of topics, and Petzold has a nice writing style. However, that just can’t compensate for the feeling that I am completely lost in this book: Too many pages to ever find my way back to that one page where I thought “Oh, right, that’s how it works”.
The definitive book about the Windows operating system, in its Windows 2000 incarnation. Explains everything about the subsystems, kernel objects, etcetera.
This books introduces all basic Windows API’s, except the graphical topics. And as such it works as the perfect introduction to the Windows operating system, from a C programming point of view.
In some ways, this book feels as the errata chapter of Design Patterns. It adds to the Design Patterns book. On the other hand, Vlissides book has a much nicer narrative form and puts Design Patterns in a more casual perspective, for example by showing some variations to some patterns. The book is somewhat expensive, as it isn’t as definitive or authorative as it’s $30 price tag suggests.
I am not sure how this book would stand the test if you don’t have experience in programming in an OO language Java, Python , C++ or Smalltalk. It really is about sound design principles in building software with any object-oriented programming language. And as such, it is required reading for almost any full-time programmer.
Design patterns is in a way very hands-on, about deciding what to code where. About deciding which pieces of code go together and which pieces should have absolutely no knowledge of each other.
This book is the single most interesting book about user interface, and probably about program design. It refers to late eighties Apple design issues, but given the lousy state of GUI-design in web applications, most rules in this book still apply and give you a good sense of Right and Wrong.
Tognazzini is very articulate about all these ‘little things’ in GUI-based applications that make or break the application.
I feel a proud owner of the book.
This book that takes away much of the mystery surrounding C++ programming. In somewhat over 300 pages you’ll become comfortable with all essential C++ bits and pieces. Why did I read all those other C++ books? If only I had known this book before…
You have to be comfortable with programming before you start with this book (C would be nice), but at least it is not as broad or plain-stupid as most other C++ tutorial books.
If you think a Windows PC is boring or annoying, and you got yourself a Linux computer, than this book is a must read. It introduces all those quintessential GNU tools, X windows and the Linux kernel itself. It even does a bit of introduction into IP networking, which you’ll probably need if you’re going to use your computer to connect to the Internet (and who doesn’t?).
I was kinda curious what all these configuration options on the mailer agent on my Linux box were for. That mailer agent is Exim, and Philip Hazel, it’s author, happened to just have written a book about it.
The books offers a brief, but complete introduction of how Internet e-mail works.
Exim works like a true Unix toolkit that can be configured in many ways by its system administrator. This books describes all features in complete detail. It does that without turning into the boring books that most references are.
If I were to be the administrator for a corporate mailhub, I would rather have a copy of this book and an Exim installation than Exchange or Sendmail.
There is something about this book that made me finally get programming. Before reading this book I abhored the fuss-iness of programming. This book, and Python, made it possible for me to create pretty advanced (object-oriented) programs in very little time.
It introduces all programming constructs and basic datatypes like the tuple, dictionary and classes.
One of the best books about programming I know.
I am not sure what the “Internet” aspect in the title of this book is hinting at; The obvious HTML Generation chapter is boring, as with any book. The NSAPI extension chapter is about extending a C application with a Python interface and not about webserving.
The first book I’ve read that is not a vague and general book about storing business data in a structured way, nor about incredibly complicated queries on relational databases. It just shows what SQL is for, which command to use when and how. It makes me feel like I finally understand how make a query work in SQL. Recommended
Although I worked with PHP and MySQL quite a bit, I never picked up a book about either before. I felt it was interesting to see if there were some obvious omissions in my knowledge on this area.
The book doesn’t apply any fancy metamodel, wrapper library or templating substitution in its examples. I like that, since it shows the basics of building web applications without getting entangled with intricacies of libraries that are probably irrelevant to most people most of the time.
If you have experience programming, but are new to web applications, PHP or MySQL, then this book will get you up to speed.
I expected more search tips in the form of “what words to use in a search”. What I got is complete coverage of all Google search possibilities, both from the regular website as from the webservices API.
I’m not sure if I appreciate the O’Reilly Hack format as much as the Cookbook format. It feels like a Lonely Planet tourguide where all the cities are replaced with code recipes, but there are no routes between the hacks, it seems.
I have no intentions of becoming a firewall expert, but given the rise in the use of firewall software on desktop computers I was interested in discovering what this thing with packet filtering and so on is all about.
The book gives an extensive overview of internet security, both the technology aspects and the social and legal issues involved.
I like it’s writing style, being down-to-earth about security.
I bought a second-hand copy of the first edition, from 1998. The Java Servlet API has advanced somewhat since then. Hence some topics, such as the event model in the Servlet engine, are not covered in this book.
The book gives a pretty complete picture of what it takes to create a dynamic website, offering introductions into topics such as HTTP and SSL.
If you don’t know Java programming, you’ll probably find it not much use. I guess it’s really about giving the Java programmer a start in web programming.
The first edition doesn’t cover J2EE, Enterprise Java Beans, or WebMacro, like the second edition does. Which is a Good Thing, in my book :^) .
I like the approach of the cookbook series. Each recipe is a concise example that explains the application of the programming language to a certain problem domain, like text processing, networking, number crunching, user interfaces or databases.
It shows good programming style.
You can start reading any chapter without first reading the previous chapters.
This book makes me want to have the PHP Cookbook as well.
I wanted to have a good book that helped me do color correction and basic retouching on images from my film scanner.
This book has the right mix of theory and application in Photoshop. Thankfully, it’s not targeted at ‘dummy’ readers, so in 460 pages it managed to teach me all I’ll probably need to know, in a nice writing style.
Excellent book.
Essential book if you’re doing a lot of Java coding. Make sure your colleagues read it as well :^). Very easy to read, I read its 230 pages in about two hours (but that probably depends on your knowledge and experience with Java).
I’ve re-read it three times by now, and it makes me realise that I’m not
programming in Java as much as I used to, but it also makes me realise that I don’t really mind that (..., gee, some story, well, start at http://philip.greenspun.com/panda/server-programming.html).
Indeed complete. I think it would be better to leave out a lot of the overview listings on various topics (e.g. module listings). With 300 pages less, I would find it a better book.
Short but good introduction in the module API.
Well-edited, doesn’t feel like a book that was rushed to market.