Ask HN: What are young technically minded people reading? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: What are young technically minded people reading?

#21

Post by worldsavior » Thu, Dec 11, 2025, 6:02 PM UTC

tptacek wrote: post #18

worldsavior wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He's trying to have discussion, who are you to tell people how to communicate?

Sure, it's just a totally different conversation than what the thread's about, and a super rude one. I'm not the boss of him, but I guess I get to have off-topic conversations too. "Next time, on book recommendation threas, recommend another book, instead of writing a screed about how bad the politics of some other book are."

It's an opportunity to discuss, should he create a new thread to discuss this book and maybe the same person will see this thread? Kinda weird, especially when this doesn't hurt anyone.

Re: Ask HN: What are young technically minded people reading?

#22

Post by tptacek » Thu, Dec 11, 2025, 6:45 PM UTC

bluecheese452 wrote: post #20

tptacek wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The original commenter answered the question of the thread: "here's a book I'm reading". They got in response a screed about "neoliberal" politics. That the response is wrong is besides the point: it was a really rude way to respond to someone recommending a book. The civil and productive way to write that response would have been to recommend in addition another, countervailing book.

His comment was way less rude and way more productive than your comment.

Agree to disagree.

Re: Ask HN: What are young technically minded people reading?

#23

Post by closetkantian » Thu, Dec 11, 2025, 6:53 PM UTC

I'd recommend Careless People, if you haven't read it.

Re: Ask HN: What are young technically minded people reading?

#24

Post by bluecheese452 » Thu, Dec 11, 2025, 7:20 PM UTC

tptacek wrote: post #22

bluecheese452 wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

His comment was way less rude and way more productive than your comment.

Agree to disagree.

Rude

Re: Ask HN: What are young technically minded people reading?

#25

Post by mghackerlady » Thu, Dec 11, 2025, 7:55 PM UTC

I can't speak for every young person, but for me mostly the same things older technically minded people were reading. Currently I've been reading Tanenbaums Operating Systems: Design and Implementation

Re: Ask HN: What are young technically minded people reading?

#26

Post by segmondy » Thu, Dec 11, 2025, 10:28 PM UTC

anything and everything that piques their interest

Re: Ask HN: What are young technically minded people reading?

#27

Post by elnatro » Fri, Dec 12, 2025, 5:05 AM UTC

andrei_says_ wrote: post #19

The ministry for the future by Kim Stanley Robinson explores technological and societal solutions to climate collapse in a novel form. Starts in somewhat current time and follows humanity’s trajectory for the next 30-ish years. I found it especially interesting because it does expose and address the socioeconomic issues preventing us from taking action on climate.

Good premise. The stereotypes he wrote about Spain were atrocious.

Re: Ask HN: What are young technically minded people reading?

#28

Post by jerlendds » Fri, Dec 12, 2025, 12:43 PM UTC

Some books Ive been reading/plan to read: https://studium.dev/books

Re: Ask HN: What are young technically minded people reading?

#29

Post by firefax » Sun, Dec 14, 2025, 4:12 PM UTC

I feel like what's interesting to the technically minded will stay evergreen? (You mentioned Neuromancer for example)

"A Brief History of Time" was one of my favorite books as a pre-teen beginning to wonder how the world works.

On the fiction side I've heard good things about Cory Doctorow's works -- I purchased a copy of "Little Brother" a while back and enjoyed it. Maybe not as high literature as 1984 or Catch 22 but it was engaging and if I had kids I'd gift it to them when they were the right age.