Strong no...
.. don't have the space to keep them around. Only digital now. But honestly, I can't recall the last I bought a book like o'Reilly, manning, etc.
Ask HN: Do you still buy physical tech books like “Learn Rust” or “Learn Go”?
171–180 of 184 posts
Re: Ask HN: Do you still buy physical tech books like “Learn Rust” or “Learn Go”?
#172Yes. Nothing beats taking notes by hand and scribbling on the text book itself for the way I learn.
Re: Ask HN: Do you still buy physical tech books like “Learn Rust” or “Learn Go”?
#173Earlier quoted context omitted.
I usually read hn on the loo (not a shitpost pun/joke) as idle reading, and sometimes I discover interesting products or news. Aside: it feels like being on the toilet is the most "me time" I get lately, so maybe I should change that lol. Do you read the book first start to finish, and then add it to your bathroom library after for this random reading, or do you go straight to random loo reads?
Honestly, the toilet is like sacred ground for me these days. No kids, no work, no chores. I can read and be left alone and it is literally the only time of my day that is true. My family probably thinks I have a severe bowel problem because sometimes I hang out in there for like a half hour.
Same here.
Re: Ask HN: Do you still buy physical tech books like “Learn Rust” or “Learn Go”?
#174One of my favorite reads was (Bruce Bauer, 2nd edition). I bought it because I wanted to learn how to use a sextant. This book is THE book for learning how to operate a sextant. I quickly realized that actually I didn't want to learn how to use a sextant. I read it cover to cover. All those important points, so well structured and organized, and I didn't have to remember a single one of them! I could just let it pass…
And to this day, still stuck on that deserted island - at an unknown latitude and longitude.
with no laptop, no zoom meetings, nothing to do all day except fish and harvest coconuts, ...
Re: Ask HN: Do you still buy physical tech books like “Learn Rust” or “Learn Go”?
#175Yes. I read fiction as ebooks (basically exclusively since days of palm pilot and Treo, then kindle and phone and tablets), but far prefer physical books when learning a new topic including tech. Few reasons but I think it's at least partially because: 1. It's easier to mark or hold with my finger e.g. A table or reference or definition page, then return or glance at it as I progress next few pages of that topic. I f…
Mostly this, but I'm also spending enough time in front of a screen, so being able to read my books on the sofa is a huge plus.
Re: Ask HN: Do you still buy physical tech books like “Learn Rust” or “Learn Go”?
#176I love to handle physical books but hate collecting them - wish I could return them to Amazon for half the price. Selling is too much work.
Re: Ask HN: Do you still buy physical tech books like “Learn Rust” or “Learn Go”?
#177I think I'm slowly changing back to physical after years of digital.
When I was studying I was all about the physical copy, even as institutions and libraries were moving to digital first. But my preference was expensive and heavy.
For most of the past decade or more, I wouldn't have been able to tell you the last time I purchased a physical book. Thanks to various publishers offering one-off 50%+ discounts via email marketing spam, Humble Bundle, and subscriptions like Perlego (and Safari back in the day) I have a digital library that far exceeds my physical.
But I've found over the years, and probably always knew deep down, I really _hate_ reading on _any_ device, and read far less of that collection as a result.
It's really note taking and highlighting for me (multiple colours), and flipping pages.
I recently discovered that I'm dyslexic (at almost 40), so this all makes much more sense now. Reading on a device is either too stimulating (distracting) or not stimulating enough. My highlighting system I developed years ago is actually crucial to improving my comprehension and engagement, especially with technical texts. But as I got older I realised I could read twice as much on a screen without falling asleep at my desk then I could sitting with a physical text. Stimulants have helped reduce the mental exhaustion and stamina so I'm not asleep at my desk come 3pm.
At work, if I ever have to cold review long collections of technical texts, or need something similar as a primary reference, I make sure I get a bound printed copy asap.
Although, turns out, my addiction to purchasing books is also a coping mechanism for when I'm stressed and am trying to procrastinate...
Re: Ask HN: Do you still buy physical tech books like “Learn Rust” or “Learn Go”?
#178I have no more room to have books :( I have given away most of my books to my colegues.
Re: Ask HN: Do you still buy physical tech books like “Learn Rust” or “Learn Go”?
#179I buy physical copies of two books for each language I work with:
- The Language book - Effective book, if I actually start using the language professionally
For example, for JavaScript, this was "Eloquent JavaScript" and "JavaScript: the good parts".
I find that the "The Language" books are of exceptional quality and have a very long shelf-life. They go in depth into the design of the language, decisions made, and provide high-quality, idiomatic code examples that you just cannot reliably find on the internet. You cannot know what good Java/Python/Ruby/Rust code looks like while you're learning the language.
Re: Ask HN: Do you still buy physical tech books like “Learn Rust” or “Learn Go”?
#180I read them online. I read multiple books at a time to understand a concept from multiple perspectives.