Why would you hate a book !
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That about sums up most technical books commonly on the shelves, as well as many blogs, articles, and my last favourite, "How to Videos". I can't remember the last video offering that disgusted me so, but it was something like, "How to select text in Word". X|
Semicolons: The number one seller of ostomy bags world wide. - dan neely
Brady Kelly wrote:
That about sums up most technical books
unfortunately I have to agree with you there but once in a while you come across a very nice, thoroughly research and structured book which makes everything else worth.
Omit Needless Words - Strunk, William, Jr.
Vista Gadget Book: Creating Vista Gadgets using HTML, CSS, & JavaScript. Sample chapter here Selling Your Gadget
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I just watched the film, saved myself hours:)
AxisFirst For Business
nah ! the book was astonishing but the movie is not up to par
Omit Needless Words - Strunk, William, Jr.
Vista Gadget Book: Creating Vista Gadgets using HTML, CSS, & JavaScript. Sample chapter here Selling Your Gadget
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There are very things worth hating in life, and certainly the energy required to hate is not to be expended on a mere book (including religious books). Marc
Marc Clifton wrote:
including religious books
you mean programers are religious ?
Omit Needless Words - Strunk, William, Jr.
Vista Gadget Book: Creating Vista Gadgets using HTML, CSS, & JavaScript. Sample chapter here Selling Your Gadget
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My wife was an English major. I remember for one of her graduate courses, the professor required one of his own books for the class. The book was available in a university-printed loose-leaf version for about $10, and a published hardback version for over $60. Needless to say, you can guess which one the S.O.B. required for the class :mad:.
Software Zen:
delete this;back when i studied, prof of mine recommended one of his books which would cost about 80 eur normally, but offered it for 12 eur for his students in a hardback version.
"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by." (DNA)
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Which uni was this?
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Recently we had a great discussion on why would you read a book !, if you missed that here[^] is the link This also begs another important question: Why would you hate a book ! Here are some of my reasons 1. Lack of cohesive organization and planning is annoying. 2. If the book is repetitive. 3. If the author mentions topics before they have been properly introduced, 5. When the layout of the book is beginners and it claims to be "professional" in the title. 6. If the book covers more than an overview of all the features, but provides very little "best practice" advice beyond the basics. 7. Book which teaches to to write an applications but won't necessarily teaches to do it well. 8. If the book is not properly researched 9. Approach of having multiple authors cover the same topics without enough editing to make it one cohesive piece. 10. If the book writing is complex or the author is prejudice So what's your reason ?
Omit Needless Words - Strunk, William, Jr.
Vista Gadget Book: Creating Vista Gadgets using HTML, CSS, & JavaScript. Sample chapter here Selling Your Gadget
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there is a binary algorithm (index) you can use there :)
Omit Needless Words - Strunk, William, Jr.
Vista Gadget Book: Creating Vista Gadgets using HTML, CSS, & JavaScript. Sample chapter here Selling Your Gadget
Only if you are looking for a specific, (often) technical word. I search using some phrases I remember. No, I never claimed to be normal.
Cheers, Vikram.
The hands that help are holier than the lips that pray.
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Phannon wrote:
extremely expensive and/or overpriced.
I agree , If you want to buy a book directly from barnes and noble or borders book store it comes with an "ouch"
Omit Needless Words - Strunk, William, Jr.
Vista Gadget Book: Creating Vista Gadgets using HTML, CSS, & JavaScript. Sample chapter here Selling Your Gadget
Quartz. wrote:
If you want to buy a book directly from barnes and noble or borders book store it comes with an "ouch"
I thought that's what University libraries were for? Ours recently introduced a scheme where we can return books back to the library through other libraries. And vice versa, i.e. we can borrow other uni's books and return them through ours. After exams I plan to check out a copy of Code Complete and begin reading it, if I think it'd be worth getting my own copy then I will. As far as I know Graduates can also use the library so if you stay near London then you've got access to a vast (spans something like 7 floors) collection of books absolutely free. Recently it was announced that IC (Imperial College) also are pretty kind on fines for late books, having only made £6,000 last year compared to another Uni (can't remember which one)'s whopping £168,000 profit from fines.
I doubt it. If it isn't intuitive then we need to fix it. - Chris Maunder
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Recently we had a great discussion on why would you read a book !, if you missed that here[^] is the link This also begs another important question: Why would you hate a book ! Here are some of my reasons 1. Lack of cohesive organization and planning is annoying. 2. If the book is repetitive. 3. If the author mentions topics before they have been properly introduced, 5. When the layout of the book is beginners and it claims to be "professional" in the title. 6. If the book covers more than an overview of all the features, but provides very little "best practice" advice beyond the basics. 7. Book which teaches to to write an applications but won't necessarily teaches to do it well. 8. If the book is not properly researched 9. Approach of having multiple authors cover the same topics without enough editing to make it one cohesive piece. 10. If the book writing is complex or the author is prejudice So what's your reason ?
Omit Needless Words - Strunk, William, Jr.
Vista Gadget Book: Creating Vista Gadgets using HTML, CSS, & JavaScript. Sample chapter here Selling Your Gadget
1. The book makes frequent references to some other book that you do not have and it is not specifically mentioned in the description as a requirement to read this book. 2. Errors in the book or examples that do not compile.
John
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Recently we had a great discussion on why would you read a book !, if you missed that here[^] is the link This also begs another important question: Why would you hate a book ! Here are some of my reasons 1. Lack of cohesive organization and planning is annoying. 2. If the book is repetitive. 3. If the author mentions topics before they have been properly introduced, 5. When the layout of the book is beginners and it claims to be "professional" in the title. 6. If the book covers more than an overview of all the features, but provides very little "best practice" advice beyond the basics. 7. Book which teaches to to write an applications but won't necessarily teaches to do it well. 8. If the book is not properly researched 9. Approach of having multiple authors cover the same topics without enough editing to make it one cohesive piece. 10. If the book writing is complex or the author is prejudice So what's your reason ?
Omit Needless Words - Strunk, William, Jr.
Vista Gadget Book: Creating Vista Gadgets using HTML, CSS, & JavaScript. Sample chapter here Selling Your Gadget
13. A marketing book under a technical disguise :mad:
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Recently we had a great discussion on why would you read a book !, if you missed that here[^] is the link This also begs another important question: Why would you hate a book ! Here are some of my reasons 1. Lack of cohesive organization and planning is annoying. 2. If the book is repetitive. 3. If the author mentions topics before they have been properly introduced, 5. When the layout of the book is beginners and it claims to be "professional" in the title. 6. If the book covers more than an overview of all the features, but provides very little "best practice" advice beyond the basics. 7. Book which teaches to to write an applications but won't necessarily teaches to do it well. 8. If the book is not properly researched 9. Approach of having multiple authors cover the same topics without enough editing to make it one cohesive piece. 10. If the book writing is complex or the author is prejudice So what's your reason ?
Omit Needless Words - Strunk, William, Jr.
Vista Gadget Book: Creating Vista Gadgets using HTML, CSS, & JavaScript. Sample chapter here Selling Your Gadget
Does no one read fiction any more? To me the word "book" brings to mind fiction first, all other forms a distant second. I rarely, almost never, buy any non fiction books any more. If it's data I need I can find it all online.
"The great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do." - Walter Bagehot
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Christian Graus wrote:
Who would bother reading fiction ?
Not me, at least not lately. I have never really read IT books at least in the sense that you typically read a work of fiction...cove to cover. I use the code examples in the book to teach me and only read the text to show me what I didn't understand about the code. If a book is weak on code sample, I don't buy it.
Gary Kirkham Forever Forgiven and Alive in the Spirit For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. Me blog, You read
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Recently we had a great discussion on why would you read a book !, if you missed that here[^] is the link This also begs another important question: Why would you hate a book ! Here are some of my reasons 1. Lack of cohesive organization and planning is annoying. 2. If the book is repetitive. 3. If the author mentions topics before they have been properly introduced, 5. When the layout of the book is beginners and it claims to be "professional" in the title. 6. If the book covers more than an overview of all the features, but provides very little "best practice" advice beyond the basics. 7. Book which teaches to to write an applications but won't necessarily teaches to do it well. 8. If the book is not properly researched 9. Approach of having multiple authors cover the same topics without enough editing to make it one cohesive piece. 10. If the book writing is complex or the author is prejudice So what's your reason ?
Omit Needless Words - Strunk, William, Jr.
Vista Gadget Book: Creating Vista Gadgets using HTML, CSS, & JavaScript. Sample chapter here Selling Your Gadget
26. The book references the Northwind or AdventureWorks databases but assumes you installed them with SQL Server instead of giving you a copy on CD or a link to download them.
Imagine that you are hired to build a bridge over a river. The river gets slightly wider every day; sometimes it shrinks but nobody can predict when. Your contract says you can't use concrete or steel - the client only provides timber and cut stone (but won't tell you what kind). Gravity changes from hour to hour, as does the viscosity of air. Your only tools are a hacksaw, a chainsaw, a rubber mallet, and a length of rope. Welcome to my world. -Me explaining my job to an engineer
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Some would argue that.... oh wait, this isn't the soapbox, never mind... ;)
"The great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do." - Walter Bagehot
It's the greatest work of Non-Fiction ever written...wait, this still isn't the soapbox. :-D
Gary Kirkham Forever Forgiven and Alive in the Spirit For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. Me blog, You read
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Does no one read fiction any more? To me the word "book" brings to mind fiction first, all other forms a distant second. I rarely, almost never, buy any non fiction books any more. If it's data I need I can find it all online.
"The great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do." - Walter Bagehot
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Recently we had a great discussion on why would you read a book !, if you missed that here[^] is the link This also begs another important question: Why would you hate a book ! Here are some of my reasons 1. Lack of cohesive organization and planning is annoying. 2. If the book is repetitive. 3. If the author mentions topics before they have been properly introduced, 5. When the layout of the book is beginners and it claims to be "professional" in the title. 6. If the book covers more than an overview of all the features, but provides very little "best practice" advice beyond the basics. 7. Book which teaches to to write an applications but won't necessarily teaches to do it well. 8. If the book is not properly researched 9. Approach of having multiple authors cover the same topics without enough editing to make it one cohesive piece. 10. If the book writing is complex or the author is prejudice So what's your reason ?
Omit Needless Words - Strunk, William, Jr.
Vista Gadget Book: Creating Vista Gadgets using HTML, CSS, & JavaScript. Sample chapter here Selling Your Gadget
Given that it's more in the hands of your publisher than your own I doubt this will help much, but here goes. A great many of us dislike books that are "sold by the pound." Many publishers think that in order to justify the price, a tech book has to have a high page count. In fact, most techies I talk to want the clearest and quickest path to figuring out technology XYZ, and we often don't read a tech book cover to cover. We zero in on the chapter we need to hit a deadline, and we don't want to wade through 50 pages that are mostly screen shots of a Visual Studio wizard that the publisher wanted to bump the page count. Since much of this is a marketing decision you may have to arm wrestle your publisher to actually keep the page count down, but if you can say more with less, you'll be a rock star in the eyes of your peers.
Christopher Duncan Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes www.PracticalUSA.com
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12. No pictures/diagrams/visual objects.
xacc.ide - now with TabsToSpaces support
IronScheme - 1.0 alpha 3 out now"Anna Karenina" ain't for you then :D
We are a big screwed up dysfunctional psychotic happy family - some more screwed up, others more happy, but everybody's psychotic joint venture definition of CP
blog: TDD - the Aha! | Linkify!| FoldWithUs! | sighist -
Who would bother reading fiction ? I was surprised to see that most people assume he means IT books tho.
Christian Graus Please read this if you don't understand the answer I've given you "also I don't think "TranslateOneToTwoBillion OneHundredAndFortySevenMillion FourHundredAndEightyThreeThousand SixHundredAndFortySeven()" is a very good choice for a function name" - SpacixOne ( offering help to someone who really needed it ) ( spaces added for the benefit of people running at < 1280x1024 )
Christian Graus wrote:
Who would bother reading fiction ?
Me. Hard Sci-Fi or fantasy escapism. Sometimes there is only so much on computer subjects you can handle and then you have to get very far away from the subject. Hard Sci-Fi is technical, but it can make you feel like there is hope that technology can get somewhere, or do something, it is still escapism, just directed escapism. Fantasy is about as far away from technology as you can get, unless you read the Rick Cook books, or Christopher Stasheff. Escapism is useful once in a while.
_________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb) John Andrew Holmes "It is well to remember that the entire universe, with one trifling exception, is composed of others."
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That doesn't rule out all books; until work got in the way, I was quite engrossed in Petzold's Punisher[^]. Once you get over not having visual objects, which can be easy, considering most people read fiction without them, and Petzold's prose is good, it keeps you reading; enlightening and entertaining at times, analytical at others, and more didactic elsewhere. It is an epic saga: he starts out assuming the reader knows nothing of how Windows applications work, with a brief but complete explanation about the message loop and windows, before gradually moving forward into how WPF basics operate. It is slow reading, because I can't help not just scan it; he has me reading every sentence.
Semicolons: The number one seller of ostomy bags world wide. - dan neely
I've been going through the book as well. One of my favorite WPF -- heck one of my favorite programming books. :-\ Flynn
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I've been going through the book as well. One of my favorite WPF -- heck one of my favorite programming books. :-\ Flynn
Do you also find his prose engaging as I do, and not just the technical content? I'm going to resume my reading tonight, then start again and do some exercises to recap, then continue.
Semicolons: The number one seller of ostomy bags world wide. - dan neely
