Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?

#51

Post by psyc » Wed, Apr 04, 2018, 5:43 PM UTC

An unlined drawing pad, and graph paper. That's all.

Re: Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?

#52

Post by [deleted] » Wed, Apr 04, 2018, 5:45 PM UTC

falcolas wrote: post #24

Programming Python from O'Reilly. It helps lift my monitor nicely. Honestly, I've yet to find a physical book that has proven to be a useful reference in the long run. Programming languages just change too quickly; it's the web or the code. As for more meta-programming/business/interpersonal books, the few that I've read are not ones I've ever had any real desire to go back to.

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?

#53

Post by hknd » Wed, Apr 04, 2018, 5:45 PM UTC

None, I'm using google.

Re: Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?

#54

Post by Symbiote » Wed, Apr 04, 2018, 5:45 PM UTC

madengr wrote: post #45

None. Need to be prepared to leave at a moments notice. I used to keep a large technical library, but now it is at home. After having seen engineers with 25 years of service walked out the door with zero notice, I will be prepared to do the same.

That sounds like an awful environment.

Someone I know was "walked out" from the UK Ministry of Defence. He wasn't allowed to touch anything after being informed, but he was taken to his desk and asked what was his -- pictures of his children and so on.

(British employment law requires employers to give a notice period, but the employee doesn't have to be at work. This person would have then had three-six months "gardening leave" on full pay.)

Re: Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?

#55

Post by donohoe » Wed, Apr 04, 2018, 5:46 PM UTC

Commodore 64 User Guide

http://www.commodore.ca/manuals/c64_users_guide/c64-users_gu...

Re: Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?

#56

Post by ddingus » Wed, Apr 04, 2018, 5:46 PM UTC

Machinists handbook from the 60's era. I value it for the pre computer ways of thinking. Lots of gold in that one.

MOS 6502 series data book.

Moto 6809 Programmers Reference.

I actually had someone take me to the local Motorola office to get the 6809 book. Docs were free for the asking, and a kid asking was quite the event. Aspects of that conversation were important to my life.

I still have occasion to do paid work, and enjoy fun projects with both chips, and or variants seen today. These are few and far between, but very enjoyable. Mostly perspective and nostalgia in these. It's my roots.

The One Minute Manager parable has served me well mentoring and leading.

On Writing by Stephen King. Being able to tell a story with clarity has far more utility than one would expect. Besides, I want to write a novel one day.

The Art of Electronics, second edition. Probably need to update that one.

A Tektronix "How to use an Oscilloscope" book, well matched to my old, analog 400Mhz, 4 channel scope.

ANSI / ASME geometric dimensioning, tolerancing, standards books. 2D technical communication remains significant in my life.

Recent addition: Mold making Handbook.

I need a good primer and a good polymer tech reference. Any suggestions?

"Pirates of the Asteroids", childhood sci-fi. Again, perspective. Was the first one I really read through and got as a kid. Kept it, because asshole reminder. 'Nuff said. It's just a personal totem.

Re: Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?

#57

Post by microtonal » Wed, Apr 04, 2018, 5:48 PM UTC

I rely mostly on hypertext for referencing, mostly through Dash for macOS and man pages. Books that I still occasionally reference:

- Speech and Language Processing, Jurafsky & Martin

- K&R

- Sedgewick & Wayne, but more for teaching than anything else.

In a previous life:

- The C++ Standard Library, Nicolai Josuttis,

- C++ GUI Programming with Qt 4, Jasmin Blanchette and Mark Summerfield

- The C++ Programming Language, Bjarne Stroustrup

- Effective Java, Joshua Bloch

- Scott Meyers' Effective C++ books.

Re: Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?

#58

Post by kyberias » Wed, Apr 04, 2018, 5:50 PM UTC

psyc wrote: post #51

An unlined drawing pad, and graph paper. That's all.

Those are not books are they?

Re: Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?

#59

Post by kyberias » Wed, Apr 04, 2018, 5:52 PM UTC

These days:

  - Martin: Clean Code
  - Martin: Clean Architecture
  - Fowler: Refactoring
  - Feathers: Working Effectively with legacy code

Re: Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?

#60

Post by noobly » Wed, Apr 04, 2018, 5:53 PM UTC

technics256 wrote: post #39

noobly wrote: post #38

I stumbled upon a dictionary of quotations of sorts (the quotes are organized alphabetically by topic/theme) and oddly enough I’ve begun keeping that nearby for the motivation, thought provocation and genuine entertainment those snippets of texts provide. I’ve enjoyed it so much I’ll likely replace it with a thick poetry book once I’ve exhausted it.

Sounds interesting. Have a link or title?

The title is “The New Webster’s Library of Practical Information: Quotations”. ISBN: 0-7172-4565-9, and the only link I found that was representative of what the set I have resembles is below[0], though it’s worth noting that it’s quite overpriced in said link (afaik) so please don’t take this as a purchase recommendation.

Apparently newer additions have been released as individual books (not as part of a set), and I’m sure you could snag a free pdf of a dictionary of quotations via libgen for a quick peek.

[0] https://m.ebay.com/itm/The-New-Websters-Library-of-Practical...