Perl for Web Site Management John Callender O’Reilly, 2002 This book may be one of the best books I’ve ever seen for getting the Perl programming language used in a place where it is sorely needed. Many people developing web-based applications are not programmers. They learned to use some HTML authoring tool and progressed from… Read More »
Modern C++ Design Andrei Alexandrescu Addison-Wesley, 2001 This book just blew me away. I’ve had access to compile-time programming in other languages and had worked pretty hard to understand templates. I felt I had a better than average grasp of how C++ templates work and are used. The techniques in this book were astounding. I… Read More »
The Logic of Failure Dietrich Döner Perseus Books, 1996 This is a spectacular book on why people make mistakes. This book gives wonderful insight into design and troubleshooting that you won’t get from any traditional book on programming. A large portion of the book describes how very intelligent people make what seem like blindingly stupid… Read More »
One of the fundamental laws of the universe could be called the Law of Unintended Consequences. This law is as universal as Murphy’s Law, but not as well recognized. To me, the gut-level understanding of this law is one of the things that shows the difference between a really good programmer and someone who just… Read More »
Mastering Regular Expressions Jeffery E. F. Friedl O’Reilly, 1997 If you use regular expressions on a regular basis, or if you’ve used them a little but want to get better, this is a book you need. I had been working with regular expressions for over ten years when I first read this book. I was… Read More »
In my weblog entry Programmer Musings: Paradigms Lost from about five days ago, I talked about some of the negative effects of programming paradigms. That entry could give the impression that I don’t believe in new paradigms. Nothing could be further from the truth. However, I think the main benefit of new programming paradigms is… Read More »
Exceptional C++ Herb Sutter Addison-Wesley, 2000 I had been working with the C++ programming language for a number of years before I read this book and I thought I knew the language. This book provides 47 problems with included solutions. Trying to solve the problems is very important. Each one tests an area of C++… Read More »
An earlier weblog entry, Programmer Musings: Paradigms limit possible solutions, spent some time on what paradigms do for programming. Now, I’d like to consider a slightly different take on programming paradigms. Why do programming paradigms seem to take on the force of religion for so many in the software field?
Isn’t it interesting how some ideas will surface in different unrelated places at close to the same time. O’Reilly Network: On the importance of names [Feb. 15, 2004] talks about how important the right name is for the success of a project. I think it may be more important not only for recognition but to… Read More »
The Design of Everyday Things Donald A. Norman Doubleday, 1988 I know this isn’t a book on programming, but it is a very good book on design. Norman shows design mistakes in everyday items like door handles and stoves, as well as nuclear power plants and trains. He also introduces design principles that you can… Read More »