I wanted to read Tim O'Reilly's "WTF", but haven't gotten to it yet.
I'm currently reading it. It's been pretty good.
Ask HN: CS and programming books of 2017
61–70 of 76 posts
Re: Ask HN: CS and programming books of 2017
#62Fundamental Proof Methods in Computer Science, by Konstantine Arkoudas and David Musser.
Amazing, can’t believe I missed this one!
Re: Ask HN: CS and programming books of 2017
#63Earlier quoted context omitted.
This looks like a nice book but I'm wondering if the overhead of learning Idris on top of Coq (which I'm familiar with) would have any benefits - would you say it's different enough from Software Foundations?
I haven't gone through SF yet, but I believe TDDwI and SF have very different goals. TDDwI is about hands-on development with a particular language, whereas SF uses Coq to investigate and formally verify broad theoretical topics, right? TDDwI is also my pick for the year. It's really well done.
You're right that SF is more theoretical. I guess I was curious if the benefit of the book comes from being newly exposed to a dependently-typed language in general or the actual topics of the book, if that makes sense. It sounds like it's well-written though - I'll have to add it to my list. Thanks!
Re: Ask HN: CS and programming books of 2017
#64Type-Driven Development with Idris: https://www.manning.com/books/type-driven-development-with-i...
This looks like a nice book but I'm wondering if the overhead of learning Idris on top of Coq (which I'm familiar with) would have any benefits - would you say it's different enough from Software Foundations?
TDDwI is much more focused on more common programming problems than SF and using it like a general purpose language. Don't get me wrong, I love SF, but it might complement it, and be worth coming back to SF after TDDwI.
Re: Ask HN: CS and programming books of 2017
#65Game Engine Black Book: Wolfenstein 3D is one of the better ones I've read this year. It's a fun nostalgia trip, if you played it, and it covers some interesting stuff about historical low-level game programming and quirks of early PC gaming. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0768B3PWV/
I bought that about two weeks ago. It really is a good read. I wasn't around for the game itself, so it's nice that the book introduces the target hardware.
It really was a fun read. Highly recommend to any programmer!
Re: Ask HN: CS and programming books of 2017
#66My highlight was Yegor Bugayenko's "Elegant Objects". Volume 2 was released this year (however I found the first Volume (2016) much better). Yegor describes what went wrong with object-oriented programming. Whether you are stuck with Java or broaden your horizon, I can really recommend this book series, as it shows nicely how to deal with object-oriented code in the right way. What was eyeopening for me was that code…
Any ebook on the way?
Re: Ask HN: CS and programming books of 2017
#67I found Clean Architecture to be a big disappointment. I specifically waited for its release to read all of his architecture-related advice in one volume, and then found that most of the meat was in figures and diagrams which I couldn't follow because of my visual impairment. I realise that's not entirely Uncle Bob's problem, but all the way through the book I was telling myself that it would be worth it once I reach…
Are you able to read braille? Are these diagrams translateable on that fashion?
Yes to both, but unfortunately the cost in time, money and related skills is prohibitively high:
- The diagrams would need to be re-traced and any printed labels replaced with braille ones.
- As braille characters can often take up more space, the labels might need to be shortened, meaning that a separate diagram key would need to be prepared.
- These are technical diagrams, so if you redraw them at the same scale they appear in the book they might not necessarily be understandable in a tactile form.
In terms of money, if you can get away with using A4 paper, the particular type you would need costs £0.38 per sheet. If you need to use A3, it's £0.77 per sheet. Many commercial transcription services, when you take into account the labour costs of adapting the diagram, will charge £70 plus per image, and £3-5 for additional copies if you need them. There are free transcription services provided by charities, but the staff are not experts in preparing technical diagram material and the turnover time can be six months or more.
TL;DR - it's not worth it. Producing one tactile figure would cost twice the cost of the book. I don't know how many figures there are in total.
Re: Ask HN: CS and programming books of 2017
#68Somewhat on topic I'd like to ask what a good device is to read these books on? I'd like to grab a couple books to read over the holidays. For example someone else mentioned this book. https://www.manning.com/books/deep-learning-with-python It's available as two options... combo $49.99: pBook + eBook + liveBook eBook $39.99: pdf + ePub + kindle + liveBook Personally, I prefer paperback books, but I'm willing to try o…
I like my Kindle Paperwhite. I think it allows you to take notes too. It's soooo much better than an LCD screen with a backlight shining in your face.
Is it good for reading technical books which may have diagrams and source code excerpts?
Re: Ask HN: CS and programming books of 2017
#69If you'll forgive the self-promotion, 'Working with Coders: A Guide to Software Development for the Perplexed Non-Techie' came out over the summer and is designed for project/product managers and others who have to deal with programming on a daily basis but don't actually code: https://www.amazon.com/Working-Coders-Development-Perplexed-...
I actually bought this because of this comment, enjoying it so far!
Re: Ask HN: CS and programming books of 2017
#70My highlight was Yegor Bugayenko's "Elegant Objects". Volume 2 was released this year (however I found the first Volume (2016) much better). Yegor describes what went wrong with object-oriented programming. Whether you are stuck with Java or broaden your horizon, I can really recommend this book series, as it shows nicely how to deal with object-oriented code in the right way. What was eyeopening for me was that code…
Any ebook on the way?
Nope, the author described why he won't made e-books here: http://www.yegor256.com/2016/11/09/why-no-ebooks.html