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Show HN: DevFreeBooks – A collection of free books for developers

devfreebooks.github.io

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Re: Show HN: DevFreeBooks – A collection of free books for developers

#52

Post by fapjacks »

jlarocco wrote: post #45
fapjacks wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm guessing the forks are a form of bookmarking. At least for my part, I fork every single repository that might even be slightly interesting for me in the future. Hell, I even fork repos that I explicitly hate, just so I can keep tabs on them or learn more about them.

I guess bookmarking would explain it, but seems like the wrong tool for the job IMO. Forking means you have to do extra work to get the latest version of the code, even if you're not making any local changes. Using the "watch" or "star" feature or an actual bookmark means you'll always go straight to the most up to date version. > Hell, I even fork repos that I explicitly hate, just so I can keep tabs on them or lear…

You don't get it, sorry. Not in a mean way. I just like to learn about things I do not like, because sometimes I change my mind. Forking a repo means cloning it to my local network because of some automation I have, and I learn applications by playing with code.

Re: Show HN: DevFreeBooks – A collection of free books for developers

#53

Post by shard »

DocTomoe wrote: post #12
ainiriand wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Really interesting to reflect on the fact that a lower barrier of entry is not always equal to a better choice. There could be a lot of philosophy around this subject, leading us to: should voting be constrained by technology or knowledge of some sort? Is the action motivated by knowledge better to the uninformed one? Sorry for all this off-topic but it is kinda related. I would really love to hear your opinions on t…

I would love the Ballot having a second row with ten multiple-choice questions about politics, the economy and the world. Vote gets multiplied with the number of correct answers. Everyone wins.

Interesting, but choosing unbiased questions will be a ballet in itself..

Edit: A ballot in itself, although a ballet in itself also works...

Re: Show HN: DevFreeBooks – A collection of free books for developers

#54

Post by prawn »

FT_intern wrote: post #35

Am I the only one who dislikes these free resource type collections? One, they present too many choices of dubious value. The most important part of book recommendations is a vetting of a few resources that are guaranteed to be enlightening. Two, the monetary cost of a book isn't the largest "cost". The largest cost is the time spent reading the book, which again means that the most value that can be added is through…

"Two, the monetary cost of a book isn't the largest "cost"."

Is that going to be true for all people around the world, regardless of income? Sure it's probably true for you or I, but free learning resources are likely to be vital for many others.

Re: Show HN: DevFreeBooks – A collection of free books for developers

#55

Post by sweetjesus »

prawn wrote: post #54
FT_intern wrote: post #35

Am I the only one who dislikes these free resource type collections? One, they present too many choices of dubious value. The most important part of book recommendations is a vetting of a few resources that are guaranteed to be enlightening. Two, the monetary cost of a book isn't the largest "cost". The largest cost is the time spent reading the book, which again means that the most value that can be added is through…

"Two, the monetary cost of a book isn't the largest "cost"." Is that going to be true for all people around the world, regardless of income? Sure it's probably true for you or I, but free learning resources are likely to be vital for many others.

I don't think PP worded his point as clearly as he could but I think he meant something more along the lines of "a small list of free books that is vetted for quality is much more valuable than a big list of many more free books that includes duds". There is an intersection between that point and the point you made/and responded to which is, "some books (and therefore vettings) are so valuable they might be worth paying for over a less good free alternative" ... of course weighted for the amount of disposable income a person might have.

Re: Show HN: DevFreeBooks – A collection of free books for developers

#56

Post by oolongCat »

Whenever I need to find resources for anything programming related I google

"awesome WHAT_I_NEED"

find the awesome git repo and follow the links,

if I find anything interesting I search for the link on hn and reddit and try to see if there are any discussions based on the link.

profit??

Re: Show HN: DevFreeBooks – A collection of free books for developers

#57

Post by caiozo »

jacalata wrote: post #42
iamdave wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is "too many choices" in this context really that valid of a critique when the entire purpose is to "choose what's applicable to your need, ignore what isn't"?

The full phrase was "too many choices of dubious value"

That's why I built this website, to moderate and add good free book, to minimize the "dubious value".

Re: Show HN: DevFreeBooks – A collection of free books for developers

#59

Post by caiozo »

b_bellomo wrote: post #44
rwd wrote: post #15

https://github.com/vhf/free-programming-books is always worth a look.

Actually that project has much more content, and it seems that the collection is curated a little.

That's why I built DevFreeBooks, to curate more the free books, instead only add any link without know if is a good or not content.
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