Books for Software Engineers in 2023 • Hacker News Board

Re: Books for Software Engineers in 2023

#61

Post by wdr1 » Tue, Jan 03, 2023, 3:54 AM UTC

swagonomixxx wrote: post #51

I see SICP listed on every list but I really feel its becoming Knuth-esque. I mean, I didn't learn through that specific book, but after going through it a couple of years ago I found that its kinda alright, but I don't really get this legendary status it has. I've also seen this opinion shared with many seasoned vets throughout my career, just feels overrated.

Maybe it depends on where you are in your journey when you came across it?

For me, I came across it in the early 90s, as it was the first text for my CS class in college. I devoured it and it still holds a special place in my heart.

If I read it for the time now, would it be the same? Possibly not. (To wit, I read _The Catcher in the Rye_ for the first time in my 40s. I found it "meh" but can understand how reading it as a teenager would hit me differently.)

Re: Books for Software Engineers in 2023

#62

Post by Jtsummers » Tue, Jan 03, 2023, 3:56 AM UTC

chan-dev wrote: post #59

I'm just starting to get into reading books to upskill myself. I'm just curious, do the knowledge you gain in these books not outdated and still applicable to modern software development?

Most of these aren't directly about any specific technology, SICP itself containing general programming concepts but using Scheme being an exception. The Phoenix Project and A Philosophy of Software Design are good examples of my point, absolutely nothing in them is technology specific. TPP is about project management and organization more than software, just written in a context of IT system development. Philosophy is about developing software more directly, but while the examples are in Java nothing about it is tied to Java specifically.

Re: Books for Software Engineers in 2023

#63

Post by [deleted] » Tue, Jan 03, 2023, 3:58 AM UTC

rr808 wrote: post #47

"Vert.x in Action" Julien Ponge (2020). I've been reading it for a new job I'm in that uses Vertx. Best framework and textbook I've seen in years. So refreshing to write Java without Spring magic. I'm not loving reactive everything, but its powerful. Its more than just about Vertx though as it has a great simple demo project that uses Mongo, Postgres, Zookeeper, Kafka, Artemis in containers, which is some other compo…

[deleted]

Re: Books for Software Engineers in 2023

#64

Post by danielmarkbruce » Tue, Jan 03, 2023, 4:05 AM UTC

friedman23 wrote: post #34

danielmarkbruce wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Many things move at snails pace because when you generate 10's of billions of $$ every qtr, the first thing you want to do is not screw that up. Google's reality is basically not like any other company (except maybe 2-3). Google's engineering culture, at least a few years back, was insanely good given that reality.

I feel like that's a terrible use of their capital if all they are trying to do is just not screw things up. I'm not a shareholder but if I were I'd rather have my money returned to me than have it spent on a bunch of projects that will get nowhere because the goal is avoid risk taking.

Many, not all.

Re: Books for Software Engineers in 2023

#65

Post by jayy-lmao » Tue, Jan 03, 2023, 4:05 AM UTC

satvikpendem wrote: post #3

I'd also read the books from Teach Yourself CS ( https://teachyourselfcs.com ): - Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs - Computer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective - The Algorithm Design Manual - Mathematics for Computer Science - Operating Systems: Three Easy Pieces - Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach - Readings in Database Systems - Crafting Interpreters - Designing Data-Intensive Applications…

Love the mention of Zero to Production in Rust. Have read a few Rust textbooks at this stage and this one felt the most practical for my 9 to 5.

Re: Books for Software Engineers in 2023

#66

Post by danielmarkbruce » Tue, Jan 03, 2023, 4:15 AM UTC

kudokatz wrote: post #36

danielmarkbruce wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Many things move at snails pace because when you generate 10's of billions of $$ every qtr, the first thing you want to do is not screw that up. Google's reality is basically not like any other company (except maybe 2-3). Google's engineering culture, at least a few years back, was insanely good given that reality.

> Google's engineering culture, at least a few years back, was insanely good given that reality. If by "a few years" you mean 4-5, I have to strongly disagree. I witnessed extremely sloppy and incorrect general logic, even worse pathologies around concurrency, and disagreement between: 1. tech team gatekeepers 2. language police gatekeepers 3. mandated framework gatekeepers when 1+2+3 all disagree and decide to block…

I guess it shows there isn't as much consistency across the org as one might like.

It's also relative though, Google felt average until I saw a couple other companies...

Re: Books for Software Engineers in 2023

#67

Post by epivosism » Tue, Jan 03, 2023, 4:17 AM UTC

superfrank wrote: post #5

I read two of these last year and I'd recomend both, but I wanted to give my two cents on them. The Phoenix Project: I really enjoyed reading this, but it's told as a story about fictional characters working at a fictional company, which I didn't expect. Because of the way it's written, some other people I know who read it found it a bit too fluffy. Also, from what I've heard, it's pretty much an IT focused version o…

Chiming in here, I love this style of book and have read the whole genre. There should be more. For someone who's just looking up from the keyboard at how to actually do things in an organization, with people, and how it all works they're absolutely thrillers and I raced through.

Re: Books for Software Engineers in 2023

#68

Post by chan-dev » Tue, Jan 03, 2023, 4:18 AM UTC

Jtsummers wrote: post #62

chan-dev wrote: post #59

I'm just starting to get into reading books to upskill myself. I'm just curious, do the knowledge you gain in these books not outdated and still applicable to modern software development?

Most of these aren't directly about any specific technology, SICP itself containing general programming concepts but using Scheme being an exception. The Phoenix Project and A Philosophy of Software Design are good examples of my point, absolutely nothing in them is technology specific. TPP is about project management and organization more than software, just written in a context of IT system development. Philosophy…

Got that. Thanks for your insights. Will take a look at these books, since i'm looking for books to read this year.

Re: Books for Software Engineers in 2023

#69

Post by tra3 » Tue, Jan 03, 2023, 4:24 AM UTC

losteric wrote: post #18

I recommend "Developer Hegemony". Coming from a career in FAANG, it's helped put words to what bothers me about the power dynamics and management practices. The book also presents a picture of what a healthier and more empowered "software engineering" role/world could look like (one of my 2023 goals is making significant career moves in that direction)

Really great to see a mention of "Developer Hegemony" here.

The author compares software engineers to doctors or lawyers.

In a law firm, the partners call the shots and the rest of the staff is there to support them. In tech companies, the structure is inverted. The engineers are at the bottom of the power hierarchy, even though it's the engineers that generate the most value.

The author suggests that developers should instead become "efficienciers". Rather than being code monkeys, "efficienciers" are able to solve problems via their use of technology.

@losteric I've been thinking about this book for a while. If you're willing to share what your plans are, I'd love to hear more. To me it sounds like some sort of freelancing which is rather daunting.

Re: Books for Software Engineers in 2023

#70

Post by kamaal » Tue, Jan 03, 2023, 4:39 AM UTC

sfpotter wrote: post #60

kamaal wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

THIS PLACE IS RESERVED FOR JELLY BEAN STAINS . . . . . The whole The Little|Seasoned|Reasoned Schemer plus its other variants The Little ML'er|Java|Prover|Typer are some of the most mind bending books that you will ever read ever. And it is not the just the end result. Reading these books well will teach you socratic method of teaching/learning, which is great in itself. And will help you teach yourself a wide variet…

I don't like technical books that are infantile for no reason.

It is not infantile, it is just a different way of approaching a problem. Instead of telling you what things are, they just ask you questions so that by answering them you discover the things yourself.

There is a big difference between two approaches. In the former you get facts as knowledge. In the latter your invent the knowledge yourself, and understand the processes, whys and hows you got there. The latter is a far better way because its hard to forget what you invented yourself.