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Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?

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Re: Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?

#141

Post by CJefferson »

These are going to seem a bit strange, as they don't go that far into history, but I found the really interesting in showing how projects grow and evolve over time.

The Design and Evolution of C++ by Bjarne Stroustrup: This book is quite old itself now, but it talks about the early days of C++, and does a good job of describing how we ended up with the language we did.

The Old New Thing, Practical Development Throughout the Evolution of Windows by Raymond Chen. You can also read lots of the parts of this book on Raymond's blog, of the same name. This book really gave me a lot more respect for Windows and Microsoft on a technical level, giving many small fun stories on how functionality evolves over time, and how sensible decisions cause pain 10 years later.

Re: Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?

#142

Post by madhadron »

gonehome wrote: post #100
madhadron wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you're going to read the Phoenix Project, skip it and go back to Goldratt's 'The Goal'. And take it with a grain of salt.

The Phoenix project was inspired in part by the goal - I think it's still good and the software focus makes it more fun to read if you're in software.

Sure, just don't expect it to apply in reality.

Re: Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?

#145

Post by gonehome »

madhadron wrote: post #142
gonehome wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Phoenix project was inspired in part by the goal - I think it's still good and the software focus makes it more fun to read if you're in software.

Sure, just don't expect it to apply in reality.

It definitely does - nothing is perfect, but the core ideas of version control for config, continuous deployment, automated testing, focusing on bottlenecks, and tracking data are all valid.

The dev ops handbook is a good compliment for real world examples. I’ve personally seen good dev ops turn things around and make products way better.

Re: Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?

#146

Post by gonehome »

cmsefton wrote: post #118
gonehome wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I also think it's a great book, but partly because it is technical. Charles is great at explaining how computers actually work with circuit diagrams from the ground up in a way that's articulate, clear, and engaging. I think I learned more from this book than I did in my CS architecture class. The historical context he puts it in helps with clarity since it's easier to understand when you know how each successive ste…

Curious why you labelled The Soul of a New Machine as fiction? It's a non-fiction book by Tracy Kidder and I highly recommend it. A really fantastic piece of work I think anyone in our industry should read, great insights into teams, burnout, our culture, managing, software development etc. There are online versions of it if you Google.

I don’t know why I did that, you’re definitely right and it’s about data general so I know it’s non-fiction.

I guess the narrative style made it feel like a novel to me and I just impulsively classified it incorrectly.

Re: Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?

#147

Post by gonehome »

gonehome wrote: post #84
eyegor wrote: post #80

Code: the hidden language of computer hardware and software, by Charles Petzold. It's a modern classic (2000). It's less technical and more about the history behind the idea/theories of coding itself. It also explains some basic principles of how computers work, at a high level. Very well written.

I also think it's a great book, but partly because it is technical. Charles is great at explaining how computers actually work with circuit diagrams from the ground up in a way that's articulate, clear, and engaging. I think I learned more from this book than I did in my CS architecture class. The historical context he puts it in helps with clarity since it's easier to understand when you know how each successive ste…

I’d also add Small Fry to this list - Lisa Brennan-Jobs’ memoir. Very different in style, but very good and focused on the family life part rarely talked about.

Re: Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?

#148

Post by Agathos »

pjmorris wrote: post #23

"Programmers At Work" by Susan Lammers was a great read in its time, and I keep referring to ideas from it. Might be worth a look. Peter Seibel's done a great job with continuing the idea, e.g. "Coders At Work", "Founders At Work." Is it time to read "Godel, Escher, Bach?"

Gamers at Work is also great if you're curious about the early days of the games industry. The discussions focus on the business side, so it reads more like Founders than like Coders. Interesting to see where some of today's giants began.

Re: Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?

#149

Post by intopieces »

cbare wrote: post #60

The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires by Tim Wu https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/194417/the-master-s... A great book on history of the information economy over the periods of Radio, Telephone, and cable TV that has a lot to say about how the longer cycles of technology play out.

I second this recommendation and his book "The Attention Merchants" as well.

Re: Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?

#150

Post by noobdood »

I second some of the ones others have mentioned, e.g. like Soul of a New Machine,the Hackers book by Levy, the 2 Programming Pearls books by Jon Bentley, etc.

Bentley also wrote a less-often-mentioned gem of a book: Writing Efficient Programs. It is about performance tuning of programs at many levels, micro to macro.

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