100 best books on Software Engineering
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Compiled from Amazon reviews/rankings, Google hits and Jolt awards[^]. Personal impressions: 1) So many classics left out because they're too specific about one technology (Stevens on Unix programming, Petzold on Windows programming, K&R, etc...). 2) How many of these books do people actually read? Did anyone read all of Knuth's "Art of Computer Programming"? 3) Lots of injustices. "The Pragmatic Programmer" really deserves a better rating. "Head First Design Patterns" doesn't deserve to be 2nd. 4) Funny how many Agile-specific titles are in the list (including related like SCRUM). Specific for non-Agile I only saw on RUP. 5) Steve McConnell, Martin Fowler and Alistair Cockburn are the masters.
Of all forms of sexual aberration, the most unnatural is abstinence.
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Compiled from Amazon reviews/rankings, Google hits and Jolt awards[^]. Personal impressions: 1) So many classics left out because they're too specific about one technology (Stevens on Unix programming, Petzold on Windows programming, K&R, etc...). 2) How many of these books do people actually read? Did anyone read all of Knuth's "Art of Computer Programming"? 3) Lots of injustices. "The Pragmatic Programmer" really deserves a better rating. "Head First Design Patterns" doesn't deserve to be 2nd. 4) Funny how many Agile-specific titles are in the list (including related like SCRUM). Specific for non-Agile I only saw on RUP. 5) Steve McConnell, Martin Fowler and Alistair Cockburn are the masters.
Of all forms of sexual aberration, the most unnatural is abstinence.
i hate books about programming.
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Compiled from Amazon reviews/rankings, Google hits and Jolt awards[^]. Personal impressions: 1) So many classics left out because they're too specific about one technology (Stevens on Unix programming, Petzold on Windows programming, K&R, etc...). 2) How many of these books do people actually read? Did anyone read all of Knuth's "Art of Computer Programming"? 3) Lots of injustices. "The Pragmatic Programmer" really deserves a better rating. "Head First Design Patterns" doesn't deserve to be 2nd. 4) Funny how many Agile-specific titles are in the list (including related like SCRUM). Specific for non-Agile I only saw on RUP. 5) Steve McConnell, Martin Fowler and Alistair Cockburn are the masters.
Of all forms of sexual aberration, the most unnatural is abstinence.
I have (and read most of) the GoF book, but only so I'd know what people were talking about, which is the point of the book in my opinion.
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Compiled from Amazon reviews/rankings, Google hits and Jolt awards[^]. Personal impressions: 1) So many classics left out because they're too specific about one technology (Stevens on Unix programming, Petzold on Windows programming, K&R, etc...). 2) How many of these books do people actually read? Did anyone read all of Knuth's "Art of Computer Programming"? 3) Lots of injustices. "The Pragmatic Programmer" really deserves a better rating. "Head First Design Patterns" doesn't deserve to be 2nd. 4) Funny how many Agile-specific titles are in the list (including related like SCRUM). Specific for non-Agile I only saw on RUP. 5) Steve McConnell, Martin Fowler and Alistair Cockburn are the masters.
Of all forms of sexual aberration, the most unnatural is abstinence.
I'll take someone with 10 years experience writing commercial apps who hasn't read any of those books over someone with 3 years experience who has.
Anyone who thinks he has a better idea of what's good for people than people do is a swine. - P.J. O'Rourke
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Compiled from Amazon reviews/rankings, Google hits and Jolt awards[^]. Personal impressions: 1) So many classics left out because they're too specific about one technology (Stevens on Unix programming, Petzold on Windows programming, K&R, etc...). 2) How many of these books do people actually read? Did anyone read all of Knuth's "Art of Computer Programming"? 3) Lots of injustices. "The Pragmatic Programmer" really deserves a better rating. "Head First Design Patterns" doesn't deserve to be 2nd. 4) Funny how many Agile-specific titles are in the list (including related like SCRUM). Specific for non-Agile I only saw on RUP. 5) Steve McConnell, Martin Fowler and Alistair Cockburn are the masters.
Of all forms of sexual aberration, the most unnatural is abstinence.
No matter how many books you read, or how much software you developed, some idiot manager knows how to do it better. Guess who wins the "conversation".
Need software developed? Offering C# development all over the United States, ERL GLOBAL, Inc is the only call you will have to make.
If you don't ask questions the answers won't stand in your way.
Most of this sig is for Google, not ego. -
No matter how many books you read, or how much software you developed, some idiot manager knows how to do it better. Guess who wins the "conversation".
Need software developed? Offering C# development all over the United States, ERL GLOBAL, Inc is the only call you will have to make.
If you don't ask questions the answers won't stand in your way.
Most of this sig is for Google, not ego.Ennis Ray Lynch, Jr. wrote:
Guess who wins the "conversation".
No need to guess, everybody knows the answer :-)
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Compiled from Amazon reviews/rankings, Google hits and Jolt awards[^]. Personal impressions: 1) So many classics left out because they're too specific about one technology (Stevens on Unix programming, Petzold on Windows programming, K&R, etc...). 2) How many of these books do people actually read? Did anyone read all of Knuth's "Art of Computer Programming"? 3) Lots of injustices. "The Pragmatic Programmer" really deserves a better rating. "Head First Design Patterns" doesn't deserve to be 2nd. 4) Funny how many Agile-specific titles are in the list (including related like SCRUM). Specific for non-Agile I only saw on RUP. 5) Steve McConnell, Martin Fowler and Alistair Cockburn are the masters.
Of all forms of sexual aberration, the most unnatural is abstinence.
Diego Moita wrote:
"Head First Design Patterns" doesn't deserve to be 2nd.
Yes, that was my impression as well. I have read only 12 full (c to c). I have the Knuth books but never proceeded on them significantly. Same with Cormen, book I read only a few portions of it on an as required basis.
Diego Moita wrote:
Did anyone read all of Knuth's "Art of Computer Programming"?
He will be my hero, though he will not have an time to make a post here:).
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No matter how many books you read, or how much software you developed, some idiot manager knows how to do it better. Guess who wins the "conversation".
Need software developed? Offering C# development all over the United States, ERL GLOBAL, Inc is the only call you will have to make.
If you don't ask questions the answers won't stand in your way.
Most of this sig is for Google, not ego.Ennis Ray Lynch, Jr. wrote:
No matter how many books you read, or how much software you developed, some idiot manager knows how to do it better. Guess who wins the "conversation".
If your manager is that idiot, get a better job.
Of all forms of sexual aberration, the most unnatural is abstinence.
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I'll take someone with 10 years experience writing commercial apps who hasn't read any of those books over someone with 3 years experience who has.
Anyone who thinks he has a better idea of what's good for people than people do is a swine. - P.J. O'Rourke
Joe Woodbury wrote:
I'll take someone with 10 years experience writing commercial apps who hasn't read any of those books over someone with 3 years experience who has.
:confused: What is your point? Does reading exclude experience? Why not hire a 10 year experienced who read something usefull?
Of all forms of sexual aberration, the most unnatural is abstinence.
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Joe Woodbury wrote:
I'll take someone with 10 years experience writing commercial apps who hasn't read any of those books over someone with 3 years experience who has.
:confused: What is your point? Does reading exclude experience? Why not hire a 10 year experienced who read something usefull?
Of all forms of sexual aberration, the most unnatural is abstinence.
Diego Moita wrote:
Does reading exclude experience?
My point is that reading is not a substitute for experience, yet too many people think it is. I've also found that in general, too much reading of these books can be very detrimental to engineering practice. Instead of using their brain, the over-read sees solutions only in terms of what the [latest] book(s) described. It doesn't help that many of the books give contradictory or even entirely stupid advice. Too many times in my career, I've been in a situation where someone read a book and insists on taking it as the TRUTH and applying it to the situation we're in. Hell, even I did that before I learned better. (In one relatively recent project, this turned into a nightmare and ended up producing one of the worse software products to ever see the light of day, though after most the team, including me, left [not always by our own choice--if you even questioned THE TRUTH, they laid you off].) PS. Please don't misunderstand; some books are excellent or even essential. These are mostly technical books. Richter's book on Advanced Win32 Programming is the best book on the subject (and the best Win32 book ever written) and explains I/O Completion ports in a way Microsoft documentation doesn't. However, I strongly distrust any books on methodology.
Anyone who thinks he has a better idea of what's good for people than people do is a swine. - P.J. O'Rourke
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Compiled from Amazon reviews/rankings, Google hits and Jolt awards[^]. Personal impressions: 1) So many classics left out because they're too specific about one technology (Stevens on Unix programming, Petzold on Windows programming, K&R, etc...). 2) How many of these books do people actually read? Did anyone read all of Knuth's "Art of Computer Programming"? 3) Lots of injustices. "The Pragmatic Programmer" really deserves a better rating. "Head First Design Patterns" doesn't deserve to be 2nd. 4) Funny how many Agile-specific titles are in the list (including related like SCRUM). Specific for non-Agile I only saw on RUP. 5) Steve McConnell, Martin Fowler and Alistair Cockburn are the masters.
Of all forms of sexual aberration, the most unnatural is abstinence.
:(( ?" or "There's no way [Y] should be in this list in the first place :mad: !" But the upshot is that if you are prepared to trawl through the comments, you may find some nuggets. :-\Cheers, Vıkram.
I've never ever worked anywhere where there has not been someone who given the choice I would not work with again. It's a job, you do your work, put up with the people you don't like, accept there are probably people there that don't like you a lot, and look forward to the weekends. - Josh Gray.
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Diego Moita wrote:
Does reading exclude experience?
My point is that reading is not a substitute for experience, yet too many people think it is. I've also found that in general, too much reading of these books can be very detrimental to engineering practice. Instead of using their brain, the over-read sees solutions only in terms of what the [latest] book(s) described. It doesn't help that many of the books give contradictory or even entirely stupid advice. Too many times in my career, I've been in a situation where someone read a book and insists on taking it as the TRUTH and applying it to the situation we're in. Hell, even I did that before I learned better. (In one relatively recent project, this turned into a nightmare and ended up producing one of the worse software products to ever see the light of day, though after most the team, including me, left [not always by our own choice--if you even questioned THE TRUTH, they laid you off].) PS. Please don't misunderstand; some books are excellent or even essential. These are mostly technical books. Richter's book on Advanced Win32 Programming is the best book on the subject (and the best Win32 book ever written) and explains I/O Completion ports in a way Microsoft documentation doesn't. However, I strongly distrust any books on methodology.
Anyone who thinks he has a better idea of what's good for people than people do is a swine. - P.J. O'Rourke
Joe Woodbury wrote:
Richter's book on Advanced Win32 Programming
I wasn't doing any windows programming when I worked for a living and had not heard of the book you mentioned. Out of interest I looked it up on Amazon and was amazed at the price, £92. Have there been any copies on The Antiques Roadshow?
Henry Minute Do not read medical books! You could die of a misprint. - Mark Twain Girl: (staring) "Why do you need an icy cucumber?"
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Compiled from Amazon reviews/rankings, Google hits and Jolt awards[^]. Personal impressions: 1) So many classics left out because they're too specific about one technology (Stevens on Unix programming, Petzold on Windows programming, K&R, etc...). 2) How many of these books do people actually read? Did anyone read all of Knuth's "Art of Computer Programming"? 3) Lots of injustices. "The Pragmatic Programmer" really deserves a better rating. "Head First Design Patterns" doesn't deserve to be 2nd. 4) Funny how many Agile-specific titles are in the list (including related like SCRUM). Specific for non-Agile I only saw on RUP. 5) Steve McConnell, Martin Fowler and Alistair Cockburn are the masters.
Of all forms of sexual aberration, the most unnatural is abstinence.
Diego Moita wrote:
Steve McConnell, Martin Fowler and Alistair Cockburn are the masters.
And identifying them should be a question that hiring managers are required to answer correctly before accepting a job.
Jon Smith & Wesson: The original point and click interface
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Compiled from Amazon reviews/rankings, Google hits and Jolt awards[^]. Personal impressions: 1) So many classics left out because they're too specific about one technology (Stevens on Unix programming, Petzold on Windows programming, K&R, etc...). 2) How many of these books do people actually read? Did anyone read all of Knuth's "Art of Computer Programming"? 3) Lots of injustices. "The Pragmatic Programmer" really deserves a better rating. "Head First Design Patterns" doesn't deserve to be 2nd. 4) Funny how many Agile-specific titles are in the list (including related like SCRUM). Specific for non-Agile I only saw on RUP. 5) Steve McConnell, Martin Fowler and Alistair Cockburn are the masters.
Of all forms of sexual aberration, the most unnatural is abstinence.
I've read 8 of them cover-to-cover, and have 3 of them still pending to be read. Yeah, I also noticed that many books are more about the process itself (design, testing, project management) that any specific technology (nothing on .NET or C++ for example). That's probably because less market share of a bigger market means more copies sold/reviewed/quoted? Recently I have been reading less about programming (expensive programming books get obsolete very quickly) and more about business... I just received yesterday The New Rules of Marketing and PR[^] and it looks promising. We'll see how it turns out.
Luis Alonso Ramos Intelectix Chihuahua, Mexico My Blog!
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Compiled from Amazon reviews/rankings, Google hits and Jolt awards[^]. Personal impressions: 1) So many classics left out because they're too specific about one technology (Stevens on Unix programming, Petzold on Windows programming, K&R, etc...). 2) How many of these books do people actually read? Did anyone read all of Knuth's "Art of Computer Programming"? 3) Lots of injustices. "The Pragmatic Programmer" really deserves a better rating. "Head First Design Patterns" doesn't deserve to be 2nd. 4) Funny how many Agile-specific titles are in the list (including related like SCRUM). Specific for non-Agile I only saw on RUP. 5) Steve McConnell, Martin Fowler and Alistair Cockburn are the masters.
Of all forms of sexual aberration, the most unnatural is abstinence.
Thanks for the list. I agree it is far from perfect, though.
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No matter how many books you read, or how much software you developed, some idiot manager knows how to do it better. Guess who wins the "conversation".
Need software developed? Offering C# development all over the United States, ERL GLOBAL, Inc is the only call you will have to make.
If you don't ask questions the answers won't stand in your way.
Most of this sig is for Google, not ego.By shear coincidence I read this earlier today: http://www.dilbert.com/strips/comic/2006-01-30/[^]
Today's lesson is brought to you by the word "niggardly". Remember kids, don't attribute to racism what can be explained by Scandinavian language roots. -- Robert Royall
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Compiled from Amazon reviews/rankings, Google hits and Jolt awards[^]. Personal impressions: 1) So many classics left out because they're too specific about one technology (Stevens on Unix programming, Petzold on Windows programming, K&R, etc...). 2) How many of these books do people actually read? Did anyone read all of Knuth's "Art of Computer Programming"? 3) Lots of injustices. "The Pragmatic Programmer" really deserves a better rating. "Head First Design Patterns" doesn't deserve to be 2nd. 4) Funny how many Agile-specific titles are in the list (including related like SCRUM). Specific for non-Agile I only saw on RUP. 5) Steve McConnell, Martin Fowler and Alistair Cockburn are the masters.
Of all forms of sexual aberration, the most unnatural is abstinence.
Applied Cryptography: Protocols, Algorithms, and Source Code (2nd Edition) as #5? How many people even needs to know that stuff? I don't think a book released in 1997 with only 13 Amazon reviews should show up in the top 100 :\
Todd Smith
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Joe Woodbury wrote:
Richter's book on Advanced Win32 Programming
I wasn't doing any windows programming when I worked for a living and had not heard of the book you mentioned. Out of interest I looked it up on Amazon and was amazed at the price, £92. Have there been any copies on The Antiques Roadshow?
Henry Minute Do not read medical books! You could die of a misprint. - Mark Twain Girl: (staring) "Why do you need an icy cucumber?"
Richter likes renaming his books :) It is now called Windows via C/C++[^]. An excellent book for Win32 system programming.
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Applied Cryptography: Protocols, Algorithms, and Source Code (2nd Edition) as #5? How many people even needs to know that stuff? I don't think a book released in 1997 with only 13 Amazon reviews should show up in the top 100 :\
Todd Smith
I don't think a book released in 1997 with only 13 Amazon reviews should show up in the top 100
that's actually the classic book on cryptography. it's the default answer when anyone asks "what should i read to learn more about crypto?"
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I don't think a book released in 1997 with only 13 Amazon reviews should show up in the top 100
that's actually the classic book on cryptography. it's the default answer when anyone asks "what should i read to learn more about crypto?"
Chris Losinger wrote:
that's actually the classic book on cryptography. it's the default answer when anyone asks "what should i read to learn more about crypto?"
So you hate books about programming but you actually read them. :-D Well, at least that's coherent. It would be too bad if you hated without reading them.
Of all forms of sexual aberration, the most unnatural is abstinence.