Posted on 12/10/2009 7:16:07 PM PST by thecodont
I used to work with a couple of guys who wrote for Microsoft Press back then. Some of the smartest people I ever met.
All the books in their list relate in some way to technology, not economics. And any way, Atlas Shrugged is just plain a bad read. I agree with almost every socio-philosophical thing Rand ever said, I just wish she’d hired a ghost writer because she can make anything boring.
I’m not a geek, but I have read 6 on the list.
ping
roflol I frequently tell my husband his friends/co-workers need a wife and a life.
Bump for later reading
...or Donald Knuth?
But seriously, thanks, bfl.
Cheers!
Cheers!
“Mythical Man Month” is one of the most valuable books in real world IT, IMHO. The lessons in it don’t just apply from a software development standpoint, but also stretch over into project management and technical planning.
I’ve found that not enough IT pros have read it, which is a travesty...because the lack of those lessons it relays results in an abysmal use of resource hours and very unrealistic timelines.
I keep a copy on my desk. Mostly to throw at clueless Project Managers who have absolutely zero concept of realistic timelines. Incidentally, most of the bozos of whom I speak WORK FOR IBM!!!
I’m thrilled to know it’s still being taught somewhere though!
Aside from the well-rounded aspect, these books, or others like them, are a necessity for any developer:
“The Visual Display of Quantitative Information,” Edward Tufte
“Don’t Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability,” Steve Krug
“The Non-Designer’s Design Book,” Robin Williams
“Tog on Interface,” Bruce Tognazzini
“User Interface Design for Programmers,” Joel Spolsky
That's because the user interface of most programs SUCK! Developers usually cannot design, and make interfaces and display data in the way that they, the tech-heads, understand, and not everybody else.
Then “The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering” is necessary for anybody doing a project of any size that requires scheduling.
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