Hacker Read

scorpioxy · 2010-06-06 18:54:43+00:00

Can anyone second this opinion? I've had this book on my list for some time now.

I do have a CS background, but always appreciate deeper insight into things I might have missed.

Nicholas_C | karma 1120 | avg karma 1.8 · | 2015-04-10 14:33:26+00:00

I see this book lauded on HN frequently. Would it be interesting/understandable for someone who doesn't have a CS background but has an interest in CS?

mirrorlake | karma 71 | avg karma 1.61 · | 2019-10-20 02:48:42

Read any other good books in your time in school? I'm always looking for a good CS book to add to my reading list.

michael_dorfman | karma 10764 | avg karma 4.56 · | 2008-09-04 18:04:46+00:00

I agree with your Prof (for strong values of "CS".)

It's not a work of Software Engineering, and it's certainly not "must-read" for programmers who stick to writing simple apps in existing frameworks or high level languages.

However, if you are interested in the discipline of Computer Science, it's essential.

(And don't limit yourself to the first 3 volumes-- there's about 500 pages of Volume 4 out now, which contains some great stuff.)

If you're on the fence, I'd strongly recommend watching some of Knuth's "Computer Musings" videos (which are available on iTunes, or via the Stanford web site.) I especially liked the one on "Sideways Heaps"...

reply

rauschma | karma 480 | avg karma 8.57 · | 2014-03-20 11:34:38+00:00

It’s certainly a good book. Can you explain why you think it’s better geared towards experienced programmers?

schindlabua | karma 292 | avg karma 3.48 · | 2019-12-10 08:15:27+00:00

Huh, I was hoping for more maths/CS theory/software architecture. What are some books that you feel really catapulted your understanding of a particular facet of programming to the next level?

LordDragonfang | karma 2462 | avg karma 2.24 · | 2022-06-10 15:58:11

I can't tell whether I had an unusually good CS education, or if I'm missing something, but everything I see discussed in this thread as crucial insights taken from this book are things I recall being covered at least once in university, yeah. Perhaps it's just especially effective in its organization and ordering of fundamentals. Still, the praise it's getting makes me want to pick up a copy just to see if it can fill in any gaps I've missed in truly grokking those concepts.

b3morales | karma 2085 | avg karma 2.51 · | 2021-08-05 17:30:41

Very much so. Source: I am 2/3 of the way through the book, and don't have any formal CS education whatsoever :)

snypox | karma 101 | avg karma 0.86 · | 2020-09-29 21:40:38+00:00

I think so, too. But on the flip side he wrote probably one of the best CS book of the previous decade. :)

cristoperb | karma 1626 | avg karma 6.89 · | 2011-12-25 05:06:45+00:00

I received a copy of "Things a Computer Scientist Rarely Talks About" for Christmas last year, but haven't read it yet (and it's almost been a whole year!) Is that something you've read? and if so, would you recommend it?

mindwok | karma 1592 | avg karma 5.47 · | 2022-08-04 18:37:48

Second this. One of my favourite programming books. The advice is applicable to pretty much every domain of software engineering, and the lessons are philosophical (as the name suggests) rather than technical and specific, so they serve as a great jumping off point for many specific issues you might face in programming. It’s also very short which helps!

mcantor | karma 5255 | avg karma 4.75 · | 2011-02-25 11:59:46

I literally just finished reading that book yesterday, and I can't recommend it enough. It taught me to be a better programmer.

endlessvoid94 | karma 4081 | avg karma 3.05 · | 2013-03-12 12:23:55

There's a ton from that book that applies to coding. Highly recommended.

mleonard | karma 72 | avg karma 0.91 · | 2019-05-14 10:39:43+00:00

Your other top CS book out of interest?

fossuser | karma 19729 | avg karma 4.46 · | 2020-10-10 04:26:07+00:00

I loved that book, I got a better understanding about how computers work from bits up from that book than I did from undergrad CS.

He’s really a great teacher.

reply

jacquesm | karma 227883 | avg karma 3.76 · | 2015-01-18 03:27:02+00:00

That's one of the best computing related books I've ever read. I keep giving it to younger programmers. Great read.

qorrect | karma 757 | avg karma 1.38 · | 2021-11-22 09:37:25

I loved that book I'd recommend it to everyone. It's more of an Information Theory book than a software development book.

xiaolingxiao | karma 1299 | avg karma 4.87 · | 2022-09-13 17:01:54

I read it before studying cs and I thought it was fascinating and made me want to study it. After studying it at the grad school level I re read it and found the book somewhat pedantic. It’s a bit like the black swan in the regard: it package advanced under grad level stem topics with colorful anecdotes and musings.

anderspitman | karma 1 | avg karma 0.0 · | 2022-03-27 17:45:15

I've read a lot of books and it definitely stands out. It's so inspiring as a programmer.

darawk | karma 12494 | avg karma 3.36 · | 2017-07-24 22:07:35+00:00

I second this. I read this book in my teens after I had taught myself programming and just been hacking away for a little while. It had never occurred to me to even think about the issues this book was discussing. It really made me think about and appreciate design quality in software.