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Ask HN: What are the bibles of Computer Science?

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Re: Ask HN: What are the bibles of Computer Science?

#23

Post by steveeq1 »

0xdeadbeefbabe wrote: post #6

The Dream Machine is good for history and genealogy, much like the real Bible. Edit: It's more popular to ignore history, but you can find Shannon's information theory, As We May Think, Cybernetics, etc. along with historical context. It might keep you from pretending you have invented the wheel.

Do you mean "Dream Machines"? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_Lib/Dream_Machines

Alan kay listed this on his list of good books: http://www.squeakland.org/resources/books/readingList.jsp

Re: Ask HN: What are the bibles of Computer Science?

#24

Post by 0xdeadbeefbabe »

steveeq1 wrote: post #23
0xdeadbeefbabe wrote: post #6

The Dream Machine is good for history and genealogy, much like the real Bible. Edit: It's more popular to ignore history, but you can find Shannon's information theory, As We May Think, Cybernetics, etc. along with historical context. It might keep you from pretending you have invented the wheel.

Do you mean "Dream Machines"? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_Lib/Dream_Machines Alan kay listed this on his list of good books: http://www.squeakland.org/resources/books/readingList.jsp

The Dream Machine: J.C.R. Licklider and the Revolution That Made Computing Personal

Thanks for that list of books from Alan Kay. He's the one that recommended The Dream Machine to me most recently.

Re: Ask HN: What are the bibles of Computer Science?

#25

Post by randcraw »

These books are all venerable CS standards (AKA bibles) that teach principles well, though probably not the most up-to-date:

"Compilers, Principles, Techniques and Tools", by Aho, Ullman, Sethi, Lam

"Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach", by Russell, Norvig

"Computer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach", by Patterson, Hennessy

"Computer Networks", by Tannenbaum

"Operating System Concepts", by Silberschatz

Re: Ask HN: What are the bibles of Computer Science?

#27

Post by clentaminator »

Why's Poignant Guide to Ruby

I don't consider it a bible of CS, but it's one of the most playful, imaginative and, essentially, fun, introductory programming books that I've read.

The analogy of the truthiness of a value as an energy or life force that flows through your program, or Ruby's ranges depicted as accordions, are just some examples of the book's approach to visualising some of the aspects of programming that seem so rote after you've used them for a while.

How useful it is to someone learning to program is questionable, as the book's style might get in the way of teaching fundamentals, but it's certainly fun to read as an experienced programmer (imho, of course).

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