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100MostInfluentialProgrammingBooksAccordingtoStackOverflow

100MostInfluentialBooksAccordingto
StackOverflow
Pleasereadthisblogposttoseewhythisishere.Thisdatawascreatedon02/13/2012
20:00:00
AllcontentfoundbelowwastakenfromStackOverflowinaccordancewiththeCreative
Commonslicensegoverningthesite.Assuch,youarefreetousethisdataasyouwishsolong
astheproperattributionisused.
CodeComplete(2ndEd)bySteveMcConnell

"Theencyclopediaofgoodprogrammingpractice,CodeComplete
focusesonindividualcraftsmanshipallthethingsthataddupto
whatweinstinctivelycall"writingcleancode."Thisisthekindof
bookthathas50pagesjusttalkingaboutcodelayoutand
whitespace."Joel(NBimothere'smoretoitthansemantics)
JustinStandard
11558

Createdon:2008080419:51:07
Lastedit:2010032709:22:22

ThePragmaticProgrammerit'smoreaboutyourtrade,andhowto
applyitthanthecodeperse,butit'sstillverygood.
Thisisagreatbookforprogrammerswhohavelearnedthe
mechanicsofprogramming,maybeincollege,butdon'tquite
feelsecuredecidingwhattodo.It'slikethedifference
betweendraftingandarchitecture.Whatyoulearnedinthat
classincollegewasdrafting,andyoucandrawbeautifully,
butifyoustillfeellikeyouwouldn'tquiteknowwheretobegin
ifsomeonetoldyoutowriteaP2Pmusicswappingnetwork
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allbyyourself,thisisthebookforyou.
Joel

XenphYan
5936

Createdon:2008080420:15:14
Lastedit:2011102216:38:54

Personally,StructureandInterpretationofComputerProgramsisbyfar
themostinfluentialprogrammingbookIhaveeverread.
SomeclassicslikeCodeComplete,RefactoringandDesignPatterns
teachyoutheeffectiveworkinghabitsandthepainstakingdetailsofthe
trade.Others,likePeopleware,PsychologyofComputerProgramming
andTheMythicalManMonthdelveintothepsychosocialaspectsof
softwaredevelopment.Numerousothersdealwithalgorithms.These
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booksallhavetheirplace.
SICP,however,isinadifferentleague.Itisabookthatwillenlighten
you.Itwillevokeinyouapassionforwritingbeautifulprograms.
Moreover,itwillteachyoutorecognizeandappreciatethatverybeauty.
Itwillleaveyouwithastateofaweandanunquenchablethirsttolearn
more.Otherbooksmaymakeyouabetterprogrammerthisbookwill
makeyouaprogrammer.
Andinthemeanwhile,youwilllearnathingortwoaboutfunctional
programming(sideeffectswon'tbeintroduceduntilchapterthree),lazy
evaluation,metaprogramming(well,metalinguisticabstraction),virtual
machines,interpreters,andcompilers.
SomethinkthatSICPisnotabeginner'sbook.Personally,Iprobably
wouldn'thaveappreciatedthebookinfullwithouthavingsome
programmingexperienceundermybelt,butIwoulddefinitely
recommenditforabeginner.Thebookis,afterall,writtenforthe
famous6.001,theintroductoryprogrammingcourseatMIT.Itmay
requireanintellectualeffort(especiallyifyoudotheexercisesandyou
should),buttherewardiswellworththeprice.
Notconvinced?ReadtheForewordorthePrefacetotheFirstEdition.
Thefulltextisfreelyavailableontheweb.
It'savailableonlineforfree,andthereareevenvideolecturestogo
alongwithit.
AnttiSykri
5614

Createdon:2008082623:10:24
Lastedit:2011030908:49:35

TheCProgrammingLanguagebyKernighanandRitchie.

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Itisconcise,easytoread,anditwillteachyouthreethings:theC
programminglanguage,howtothinklikeaprogrammer,andthe
lowlevelcomputationalmodel.(Itisimportanttounderstandwhat's
goingon"underthehood".)
Nathan
1006

Createdon:2008082912:01:11
Lastedit:2011110607:25:01

Introductiontoalgorithms(Cormen,Leiserson,Rivest,Stein)akaCLRS
CodeCompleteteachesyouhowtoprogramcorrectly,TheMythical
ManMonthteachesyouhowtomanagecorrectly,DesignPatterns
teachesyouhowtodesigncorrectly...
Thisbookteachesyouhowtowritethinkaboutalgorithms.

Inmymind,codeisjustatool,nottheessence.Themainpartof
developingsoftware(IMO)iscreatingnewalgorithmsorre
implementingexistingones.Otherthanthatit'sjustassemblingLego
bricksorcreating"management"layers.Istilldreamaboutthe
workplacethatwouldallowmetoinvestmost(>50%)ofmytimein
writingalgorithms,leavingthemanagementdetailstootherpeople...
RanBiron
1836

Createdon:2008081711:54:57
Lastedit:2010120702:05:31

IpersonallythinkDesignPatternsbytheGangofFourisaveryuseful
book.It'snotaboutthe"meta"aspectsofprogramminglikesomanyof
theothersuggestions,butitemphasisesencapsulatinggood
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programmingtechniquesaspatterns,andhassinceencouragedothers
tocomeupwithnewpatternsandantipatternstouseinprogramming
dialogue.

Nowforarider....
@kevin,@modesty:Greatanswers!IfIcouldplacea3votelikeon
uservoice,I'dgladlyuseithere.
Tothenaysayerswhodownmoddedthem,Isay:please,growasense
ofhumour!:)
ChrisJesterYoung
57362

Createdon:2008080420:33:29
Lastedit:2011030110:20:59

IthinkIwouldhavetorecommendRefactoring:ImprovingtheDesign
ofExistingCode.

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Martin
8309

Createdon:2008081616:13:34
Lastedit:2010031810:33:32

Inpodcast12,JeffandJoellistamyriadofrecommendedbooks.
PersonallythoughIhighlyrecommendTheMythicalManMonth.

JohnDowney
4223

Createdon:2008080419:53:17
Lastedit:2009100114:18:51

TheArtofComputerProgrammingifonlyfortheeffortKnuthputintoit.

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PeterCoulton
4701

Createdon:2008080420:07:28
Lastedit:2011012214:50:08

I'msurprisednoone'smentionedtheDragonBookbyAhoetal.(orifit
hasbeenmentioned,Imissedit).

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Iwillneverforgetthefirstedition'scover.Thisbookmademerealizejust
howmagicallyawesomecompilerstrulyare.:)
Dane
385

Createdon:2008090514:00:08
Lastedit:2009101521:41:20

IknowthatDesignPatternsbytheGangofFourisastandardtext,but
ratherthantryandreadthatbrickofabookstartwiththeeasierHead
FirstDesignPatterns,andonceyouhavegotyourheadaroundthe
basicprinciples,progresstothegreatGoFbible...

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Calanus
3273

Createdon:2008080603:21:22
Lastedit:2010032007:57:04

Foratrulydeepread,I'dsuggestDouglasHofstadter'sGdel,Escher,
Bach.Hedivesprettydeepintomanyoftheissuesthatprogrammers
faceeverydayrecursion,verifiability,proof,andbooleanalgebra.Great
read,alittleoffthebeatenpath,occasionallychallenging,andextremely
rewardingonceyoufightthroughitandprocesswhatyou'veread.

TimHowland
4206

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CleanCodehasalotincommonwithCodeCompletebutit'smore
conciseandpracticalwithlotsofclearexamples.
CraigP.Motlin
4454

Createdon:2008112510:41:08
Lastedit:2010082621:36:52

EffectiveC++andMoreEffectiveC++
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Fromtheearlydaysofmycareer,ScottMeyer'sEffectiveC++andlater
MoreEffectiveC++bothhadanimmediateimpactonmyprogramming
ability.Asafriendputitatthetime,thosebooksallowyoutoshortcut
theprocessofdevelopingprogrammingskillsthatotherwisewouldhave
takenyears.

Inthelastyear,thebookwiththebiggestimpactonmythinkinghas
beenTheCathedralandtheBazaarwhichtaughtmealotabouthow
theopensourcedevelopmentprocessworksandhowtogetridofbugs
frommycode.
JohnChanning
2793

Createdon:2008082916:19:05
Lastedit:2009100718:05:17

IrecommendCODEbyCharlesPetzold.InthisageoftoolsandIDEs
thatabstractalotofcomplexityawayfromtheprogrammers,thisoneis
aneyeopener.

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user352
383

Createdon:2008080420:03:22
Lastedit:2010011115:18:44

Ireallyrecommendprogrammingpearls,it'sgotsomeamazingstuffinit,
althoughI'mnotashamedtoadmitthatIdidn'tunderstandhalfofit!

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MattWarren
4576

Createdon:2008090405:32:29
Lastedit:2009030116:52:10

WorkingEffectivelywithLegacyCode
byMichaelFeathers.Idon'tthinkthatanybookhasaffectedmyopinion
ofhowIcodemorethanthisone.Itexplicitlytellsyouhowtodealwith
someoneelsescodebutimplicitlyyou'lllearnwhattoavoid(andwhy).
Edit:Makessensenow.

Wolfbyte
5444

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Formethemostinfluencalbookis"ZenandtheArtofMotorcycle
Maintenance"byRobertPirsig.Itisallaboutnomatterwhatyoudo,
alwaysstriveforperfection,knowyourtoolsandtaskathandinsideout,
and,mostofall,havefun(becauseifyouarehavingfun,everything
automaticallyleadstobetterresults).

Thisbookhasamorerecentedition(2000).
Twogreatlongquotesfromit
Qualityyouknowwhatitis,yetyoudon'tknowwhatitis.
Butthat'sselfcontradictory.Butsomethingsarebetterthan
others,thatis,theyhavemorequality.Butwhenyoutryto
saywhatthequalityis,apartfromthethingsthathaveit,itall
goespoof!There'snothingtotalkabout.Butifyoucan'tsay
whatQualityis,howdoyouknowwhatitis,orhowdoyou
knowthatitevenexists?Ifnooneknowswhatitis,thenfor
allpracticalpurposesitdoesn'texistatall.Butforallpractical
purposesitreallydoesexist.Whatelsearethegradesbased
on?Whyelsewouldpeoplepayfortunesforsomethingsand
throwothersinthetrashpile?Obviouslysomethingsare
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betterthanothersbutwhat'sthe``betterness''?Soround
androundyougo,spinningmentalwheelsandnowhere
findinganyplacetogettraction.WhatthehellisQuality?
Whatisit?

Mountainsshouldbeclimbedwithaslittleeffortaspossible
andwithoutdesire.Therealityofyourownnatureshould
determinethespeed.Ifyoubecomerestless,speedup.If
youbecomewinded,slowdown.Youclimbthemountainin
anequilibriumbetweenrestlessnessandexhaustion.Then,
whenyou'renolongerthinkingahead,eachfootstepisn'tjust
ameanstoanendbutauniqueeventinitself.Thisleafhas
jaggededges.Thisrocklooksloose.Fromthisplacethe
snowislessvisible,eventhoughcloser.Thesearethings
youshouldnoticeanyway.Toliveonlyforsomefuturegoal
isshallow.It'sthesidesofthemountainwhichsustainlife,
notthetop.Here'swherethingsgrow.
Getithere
akr
1458

Createdon:2008090514:16:19
Lastedit:2011092510:03:47

Peopleware
DemarcoandListerdemonstratethatthemajorissuesofsoftware
developmentarehuman,nottechnical.Theiranswersaren'teasyjust
incrediblysuccessful.Newsecondeditionfeatureseightallnew
chapters.

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Gustavo
512

Createdon:2008081711:27:57
Lastedit:2009100717:56:54

CodersatWorkbyPeterSeibel.Averyinfluentialbooktolearnfromthe
experienceofsomeofthetopnamesinthefield,howtheythinkand
work.

JahanzebFarooq
498

Createdon:2009092210:03:29
Lastedit:NA

ok,thisisaslightlyoffcenteranswer,butbelieveitornot,itwasonthe
readinglistforacompscicoursewaybackintheday.Anexcellentrole
modelandagoodbookaboutcuriosity.
SurelyYou'reJoking,Mr.Feynman!
mike511
468

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Createdon:2008091622:21:07
Lastedit:2011090500:32:37

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EffectiveJava2edwillteachyouhowtowritebeautifulandeffective
code.It'saJavabook,buttherearemanycrosslanguageconcepts.
MarcioAguiar
3989

Createdon:2008090223:41:27
Lastedit:2010050910:31:39

SurprisedthatnoonehasmentionedMartinFowler'sPatternsof
EnterpriseApplicationArchitectureyet

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levirosol
1205

Createdon:2008100317:55:34
Lastedit:2010092616:18:21

IagreewithCristian,IthinkweshouldnotforgetSICP,Ithinkevery
programmershoulduseit,alleastasanexercise,youcancomplement
itwith
TheLittleSchemer
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and
TheSeasonedSchemer

IalsoincludeinthereadinglistCodeComplete,ApplyingUMLand
Patterns:AnIntroductiontoObjectOrientedAnalysisandDesignand
theUnifiedProcessandDesignPatternsandDesignPatterns:Elements
ofReusableObjectOrientedSoftware
nmiranda
1552

Createdon:2008082212:56:43
Lastedit:NA

Why's(Poignant)GuidetoRuby!!!!!

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OrionEdwards
30710

Createdon:2008080420:41:27
Lastedit:2009111911:49:16

TheInmatesAreRunningTheAsylum:WhyHighTechProductsDrive
UsCrazyandHowtoRestoretheSanity,oranyofAlanCooper'sbooks.
BecausemostprogrammersproducemoreWTFs/minuteintheuser
interfacethantheydointhesourcecode.
PatrickMcElhaney
12574

Createdon:2008080514:45:56
Lastedit:2010090310:15:29

@lurks

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Itisusefulregardlessoperatingsystemyouuse.
img
Createdon:2008090615:00:16
src="http://www.gravatar.com/avatar/d92ce60d3a4cbe03598e27c2e8dee69d?
Lastedit:2010082617:21:18
d=identicon&r=PG"/>J.F.
Sebastian
37897

Manyofthebooksalreadymentionedopenedmyeyesandinfluenced
me,butabookeveryprogrammershouldreadisTestDriven
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DevelopmentbyExample.Itreallyshowedmetheimportanceofunit
testsandTDDandgotmestartedveryquick.

Curro
450

Createdon:2008091610:24:27
Lastedit:2010011115:11:34

PracticesofanAgileDeveloper
WorkingintheRealWorld.

mattruma
5781

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Createdon:2008082621:12:55
Lastedit:2011011412:35:10

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Strunk,William.ElementsofStyle

J.F.Sebastian
37897

Createdon:2008092903:09:35
Lastedit:2008092903:14:47

Itdependsonexactlywhatpurposeyou'reaimingforIlikeCode
Completeforpureprogramming,andDon'tMakeMeThinkisagreat
bookonUIdesign.

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bcwood
2670

Createdon:2008080513:38:01
Lastedit:2011091302:37:35

HowtoWinFriendsandInfluencePeoplebyDaleCarnegie.
Ittaughtmethatinordertopersuadepeopleofyourideas,orleadthem
awayfrombadpractices,youcannevertellthemthattheyare
wrong.Todosowillonlyentrenchthemfurtherintheirownideas.

Ether
27106

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Createdon:2009021216:30:03
Lastedit:2009082323:02:50

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AgileSoftwareDevelopment,Principles,Patterns,andPracticesby
RobertC.Martin

flipdoubt
2731

Createdon:2008082621:04:36
Lastedit:2009042512:59:13

DomainDrivenDesignbyEricEvans
cover

user12867
161

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Lastedit:2010011115:10:23

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JohnNilsson
2521

Createdon:2008100717:56:09
Lastedit:NA

I'dsuggest"ModernC++Design"byAndreiAlexandrescu,areally
astonishingbookabouttheawesometricksandpatternsyoucan
achievewithC++,preprocessordirectivesandtemplates.

Lck
1539

Createdon:2008091619:43:23
Lastedit:NA

IhaveadifferentanswerIreallylikedJoel'sBestSoftwareWritingI.
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Maybethat'sjustme...butthatcollectionopenedmyeyestothe"bigger
picture"andinspiredmetothinkofmyprogrammingasanart/craft.
yoliho
218

Createdon:2008080421:22:46
Lastedit:2008080703:33:43

IfoundThePracticeofProgrammingbyKernighanandPikeisavery
goodread.
Cros
690

Createdon:2008081606:19:06
Lastedit:2010032709:40:38

AgreatfollowontoCodeCompleteindispensableonceyoustart
workingonprojectsofanydecentsize&needtocommunicatetoyour
stakeholdersaboutprojectdeliverydates,etc.

SoftwareEstimation:DemystifyingtheBlackArtbySteveMcConnel
andyp
71

Createdon:2008090220:49:36
Lastedit:2010081003:09:35

PragmaticThinkingandLearning:RefactorYourWetwarebyAndy
Hunt.
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BoTian
1005

Createdon:2009070722:59:42
Lastedit:2009100214:47:03

Notthemostinfluential,butcertainlyagoodreadandabsentsofaris
MyJobWentToIndiabyChadFowler.Itconsistsof52chapters/mini
essaysgivingguidanceonhowtodifferentiateyourselfasadeveloper
ratherthanacodemonkey(whoseworkcouldeasilybeoutsourced).
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Editbydifferentperson:Thisisnowcalled"ThePassionate
Programmer".
JamesMarshall
436

Createdon:2008081911:44:39
Lastedit:2010100216:38:01

I'mgoingtogoadifferentroutethantheotheranswerssofar...
Hackers:HeroesoftheComputerRevolution.It'saninformalhistoryof
computersthatreallygivesyouanamazingfeelforhowthiswhole
"computerculture"formed.IthadaverypowerfuleffectonmewhenI
readit,oh,sometimearound1988.

Createdon:2008080812:02:15
Lastedit:2011111919:04:03

TimSullivan
5939

It'sanoldie,butstillworthreading:Algorithms+DataStructures=
Programs
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Dave
293

Createdon:2008111113:53:01
Lastedit:2010080814:03:28

Dilbert'sGuideToTheRestOfYourLife:DispatchesfromCubicleland

Thisismoretruththanyou'dthink.
MrGrieves
1289

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Createdon:2009021211:17:31
Lastedit:NA

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IrecommendWritingSolidCode.Old,butstillverymuchwortharead.
ShaneO'Grady
1203

Createdon:2008081211:07:44
Lastedit:2009100214:23:33

I'mamazedthatnoonehassuggestedTheStoryAboutPingyet.

Nate
1457

Createdon:2009072221:08:51
Lastedit:2009100214:44:22

ExcellentbookongettinguptospeedwithJavaScript,highly
reccommend.
JavaScriptTheGoodParts
Pace
582

Createdon:2009112505:23:16
Lastedit:NA

GettingRealby37Signals.Itdoesn'tmatterifyoudon't"ship"
somethingattheendoftheday.
Createdon:2008081216:39:47
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dustinupdyke
325

Lastedit:NA

Thebookslistedhereinthisquestionaregreat.CodeComplete,
PragmaticProgrammer,HeadFirstDesignPatterns,allgreat.
Mycontributiontothislistisafreereadandisreallyfocusedongetting
backto(bestpractice)basics.FoundationsofProgrammingisafree
eBookfromoneofthecontributorstothepopularAlt.Netblogs
CodeBetter,KarlSeguin.
CoversDomainDrivenDesign,Persistence,DependencyInjection,Unit
Testing,ORMetc.

ChrisConway
4259

Createdon:2008082522:41:35
Lastedit:NA

Iknowthisisagraphicsbook,butIamagraphicsprogrammerand
havebeenmywholecareer.Plusit'swrittenin'C':)
It'sasfundamentaltomeastheoriginalK&RCProgrammingLanguage
book.
ComputerGraphics:PrinciplesandPracticeinC(2ndEdition)

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Shane
831

Createdon:2009072220:57:45
Lastedit:2009100214:45:10

Myfavoritebooksarealreadycoveredhere,butifyouneedtolearn
Java,IenjoyedBruceEckel'sbook,ThinkinginJava.

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CommunityUser
0

Createdon:2008091519:04:57
Lastedit:NA

CodeCompleteistheclassic.
However,FactsandFallaciesofSoftwareEngineeringbyRobertGlass
hasalotofgoodinformationontopicsotherthancoding,forexample
peopleissues,testingandprocess.

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cover

HenrikWarne
545

Createdon:2008091109:07:58
Lastedit:2009042512:18:18

TheElementsOfComputingSystems
Thisbookwalksthereaderthroughtheprocessofbuildingacomputer
systemgivenNANDgatesandflipflops.Itgivesagoodintroductionto
the"bigpicture".

BinilThomas
3754

Createdon:2009040309:27:07
Lastedit:NA

RefactoringtoPatternsbyJoshuaKerievsky

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andHapp
754

Createdon:2008120508:10:45
Lastedit:2009042512:08:15

TheDesignofEverydayThings
andThingsthatMakeUsSmartbothbyDonaldNorman
Theseapplytosomuchmorethanjustuserinterfacedesign...Make
thingsthatworkasotherswouldexpecteveniftheothersare
developersusingcodethatyou'vecreated.
TheTimelessWayofBuildingChristopherAlexander
Theoriginal"patterns"book.Helpstounderstandwhysomesoftware
designjust"feels"rightandsomedoesnot.
TerryLongrie
272

Createdon:2008090112:40:32
Lastedit:2011012215:05:48

TheAnnotatedTuringwasenlightening.Itdefinestheboxprogrammers
workin.

JasonRowe
1299

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TheDeadline:ANovelAboutProjectManagementbyTomDeMarco

FantaMango77
899

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Notthemostimportant,butaveryfundamentalone
EdisonGustavo
Muenz
1682

Createdon:2009021308:15:24
Lastedit:NA

Thisbookreallysetupafundementalviewthataprogrammerneedto
knowaboutcomputer.
ComputerSystemAprogrammer'sperspective

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arsane
2209

Createdon:2009080610:15:16
Lastedit:2010032709:33:07

IpreferStroustrup'sTheC++ProgrammingLanguage(3rdedition)it's
theC++book.C++maybeoutoffashionthesedays,butthisbook
takesyoufromthebasicstoOOtotemplates(STL)andevencovers
thingslikeimprovingcompileandlinktime.Istilllearnsomethingevery
timeIpickitup,andit'snever,everbadtoknowC++.
Joe
0

Createdon:2008091010:31:19
Lastedit:NA

PatternsofEnterpriseApplicationArchitecture
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Jon
978

Createdon:2008091609:59:52
Lastedit:2010011115:02:54

IenjoyedAgilePrinciples,Patterns,andPracticesinC#(RobertC.
MartinSeries).

Kb.
2411

Createdon:2009072405:56:10
Lastedit:2009100214:42:08

Mycareerasadevelopperisstarting,soIcannotdirectlyanswerthe
question.Butas.NETdevelopper,thebookthathelpedmethemostin
frameworkandreusablelibrariesdesignis"FrameworkDesign
Guidelines"byBradAbrams.Thebooksolvesalotofissueyoucan
encounterwhenyouarethinkingaboutnamingandcrucialdesign
choices.Thisisthebestwaytoproducehighreusableassembliesin
.NET.

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Iamprettysurprisedthatnobodymentionedthatbook.Whatissureis
thatithasbeenreallyinfluentialonmydesignandnaminghabitswhen
writingreusableassemblies.
OnethingIreallyappreciateinthisbookisthenotesof.NET
Frameworkdevelopersgivingdetailsonissuestheyhadwhendesigning
the.NETFramework,whichIthinkaregoodadvicesasitis
representativeofawelldesignedframework.
Ucodia
908

Createdon:2009102616:23:34
Lastedit:2011061708:02:56

It'sabrandnewbookandI'veonlyjustskimmeditbutGrowingObject
OrientedSoftware,GuidedbyTestsrightnowisTHEbookonTDD.It
reallyconcentratesonthe"design"partofsoftwaredevelopmentand
howitiscloselyrelatedtohowyoudevelopcodewritingtestsfirst.I've
enjoyedotherbooksonTDDandunittestingbutthistakesittoahigher
level,I'mprettysurethisoneisdestinedtobeaclassic.

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FinnNk
2110

Createdon:2009103118:43:18
Lastedit:2010120902:41:48

Ikeepthese3booksonmyshelf.Asareminderofthecomplexand
excitingcraftwedo.Ionlyrecommendtoreadthemifyouhappento
encounterwithsomethingthatnoteventheentireStackoverflow
comunitycanhelpyousolveasIhave:

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=)
Chepech
672

Createdon:2010090314:37:09
Lastedit:2010090320:20:14

Alice'sAdventuresinWonderlandBestprogrammershavereadthe
book!
GeraldWeinberg
AlanJ.Peril
popopome
1467

Createdon:2008081615:42:37
Lastedit:2011090202:42:48

KernighanandRitchie's"TheCProgrammingLanguage"TheonlyC
bookyou'lleverneed.
Codebeef
9635

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Therearealotofreallygreatbooksintheanswers.Onethatisn't
mentionedthatIabsolutelyloveisObjectThinkingbyDr.DavidWest.
Thisbookhadahugeimpactonmebecauseitexplainsthewhymore
thanthehow.

blowmage
99

Createdon:2008091011:35:50
Lastedit:NA

I'mreallysurprisedthatnobodyhasmentionedAdvancedProgramming
intheUNIXEnvironmentbyW.RichardStevens.It'snotnecessarilythe
bookthathadthemostimpactonme,butitdefinitelydeservesaplace
amongmanyoftheothergreatsmentionedhere.
EventhoughImostlydid(anddo)Perlprogramming,readingthisbook
reallyhelpedmeunderstandmoreaboutwhat'sgoingonunderthe
hood.ItcoversatonofreallycriticallowlevelconceptslikeFileIO,
systemfiles(passwd,group,etc),processcontrol,signals,andsoon.
HavingsomeideaofhowthisstuffworksattheClevelisveryuseful,
evenifyouneverwriteanyCcode,becauseeverylanguageyouuse
(onaUnixsystem)isusingtheseAPIsunderthehood.
DaveRolsky
3075

Createdon:2008091623:25:02
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GodelEscherBachwinshandsdownforme,butthat'salreadybeen
mentionedelsewhere.Onebookthatmotivatedmehighlythatisn't
alreadyinananswerAFAIKisTracyKidder'sPulitzerprizewinning
bookTheSoulofaNewMachine(amazon).Whichchartsthetrialsand
tribulationsofanengineeringteamtryingtobringanewmachineto
market.Itmademefeelproudtobeanengineer.
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AndrewMatthews
818

Createdon:2010090621:16:15
Lastedit:2010090710:08:02

ChrisDwyer
1025

Createdon:2009082815:42:32
Lastedit:2010030411:55:06

CLRviaC#,byJeffreyRichter
Drakiula
183

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ChristopherAlexanderTheTimelessWayofBuilding
TobiasSvensson
119

Createdon:2009062814:01:19
Lastedit:2010083117:49:31

FrameworkDesignGuidelineswillgiveyouaverygoodstartonhowto
organizecode.
Dana
1525

Createdon:2008082609:35:06
Lastedit:NA

IthoughtDesignPatternsinC#bySteveMetskerwasgood.The
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examplesareabitmoreadvanced(anduseful)thansomeotherdesign
patternbooksI'veread.

Kilhoffer
8661

Createdon:2008091011:03:06
Lastedit:2011022423:29:19

Sinceyoudidn'tsayyouwantedprogrammingbooksspecifically,Ican
bealittlemorecreative.
EveryprogrammershouldhavereadLewisCarol'sAliceinWonderland.
SlightlymoredowntoeartheveryprogrammershouldreadGetting
ThingsDoneespeciallytheonesthatIworkwith,becauseonceyou
'getit'youwillbeannoyedathowunorganizedotherpeoplecanbe:)
ThomasVander
Stichele
5128

Createdon:2008082517:59:36
Lastedit:NA

IthoughJurgendidadecentjobwithhisTop100BestSoftware
EngineeringBooks,Ever.
MikePolen
3064

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Maybenotthesinglemostinfluentialforeveryprogrammerbut...to
expandreallyexpandyourmindaboutcomputationingeneral,andto
learntowritesomeveryinterestingprograms,Irecommendthe
ComputationalBeautyofNature.

BTW,theauthorisnowheadofMicrosoft'sLiveLabs.
Pete
654

Createdon:2008082609:59:08
Lastedit:2009082700:24:04

RobertM.Pirsig'sZenandtheArtofMotorcycleMaintenancehasalittle
sectionneartheendaboutGumptionTraps.That'sthebestadviceI've
everreadonhowtodebugcodeorsolveproblemsingeneral.Therest
ofthebookisprettygood,too.
tuxedo
269

Createdon:2008082713:23:38
Lastedit:NA

TheCProgrammingLanguage.Seriously!
Ashwin
7579

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AboutFaceTheEssentialsofInteractionDesign(nowinthird
edition)
Thisbookopenedmyeyestoaverydifferentviewpointofdevelopment,
focusedontheinteractionsoftheenduser.Italsohelpedmerealize
thatcreatinggreatsoftwareisaboutmorethanjustpatternsand
architecture,it'sabouthelpingpeopleachievetheirgoals.
JeremyDWill
1631

Createdon:2008091611:22:45
Lastedit:NA

WritingSolidCode,bySteveMaguire.CodeCompleteisacloserunner
up.
KeithSmith
1009

Createdon:2008091610:01:15
Lastedit:2011012214:55:33

TheTaoofProgramming
swamy
91

Createdon:2009012207:44:07
Lastedit:NA

HereComesEverybody:ThePowerofOrganizingWithout

OrganizationsClayShirky
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Thisisanincrediblebookaboutthesocialeffectsoftheinternet.Amust
readforanyoneinthetechindustry,doublysoforprogrammers.
HereComesEverybody:ThePowerofOrganizingWithout
Organizationsisabookaboutwhathappenswhenpeople
aregiventhetoolstodothingstogether,withoutneeding
traditionalorganizationalstructures.
alumb
1841

Createdon:2008091612:48:40
Lastedit:NA

Iwasluckyenoughtoreadthisprettyearlyinmysocalledcareer:
PhilipandAlex'sGuidetoWebPublishing
Itwascuttingedgein1998andstillhasplentyofrelevantpoints.Ifound
itanenjoyablereadwitharealsenseofhumour(notthetweekindyou
oftengetinsoftwarebooks).Whenhegetsdowntothedetailshetalks
aboutspecificplatformsthough,soitshowsit'sagewhenOracle7is
mentioned!
Iwouldstillputthisatthetopoftherequiredreadinglistforaweb
developerbecauseofthewayitassumesnopriorknowledge,starting
fromfirstprinciples("what'sHTML?")

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MichaelHinds
305

Createdon:2008090610:25:07
Lastedit:NA

ObjectOrientedAnalysisandDesignwithApplicationsbyGradyBooch.
Vaibhav
6336

Createdon:2008080606:59:37
Lastedit:2009100215:46:08

JavaScript:TheGoodPartsbyDouglasCrockford
OpenedmyeyestothegoodnesshiddeninJavaScriptandhowbadthe
examplesofJavaScriptarestrewnthroughtutorialsites.
Essentialreadingforanyoneseriousaboutwebclientsidedevelopment.
ItalsoimprovedmyC#andshowedmethelighttodynamiclanguages.
AlexKey
2072

Createdon:2010110110:02:38
Lastedit:NA

MastermindsofProgrammingConversationswiththeCreatorsof
MajorProgrammingLanguages

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Newbie
342

Createdon:2010120902:44:44
Lastedit:2011090202:43:17

Peopleware
MythicalManMonth
PsychologyofComputerofProgramming
Gustavo
512

Createdon:2008081711:29:51
Lastedit:NA

ThisisagreatbookforaJavadeveloperneworold:
EffectiveJavabyJoshuaBloch
ScottFaria
0

Createdon:2008091121:09:31
Lastedit:2009042511:55:28

Therearesimilarquestionshereandhere.

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JohnB
804

Createdon:2008091610:00:06
Lastedit:2010071009:44:49

Idon'tknowifitwerealreadysuggestedbut:

tr3
579

Createdon:2009080410:51:48
Lastedit:2009100214:40:38

TheTaoTeChing.Althoughit'saphilosophybookandnota
programmingbook,someofit'sprinciplesareveryapplicableto
programming:
"Knowwhenit'stimetostop.Ifyoudon'tknowthenstop
whenyouaredone."
Translation:Knowingyourrequirementsmeansyouknowwhento
stop.Ifyoudon'tknowwhentostop,youneedtostopbecausethe
requirementshaveyettobedefined.
"Theharderonetries,themoreresistanceonecreatesfor
oneself."
Translation:Howmanytimeshaveyouworkedonaproblemfor
severalhours,onlytofindtheansweraftertakinga15minutebreak?
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Themoreyouhammerataproblem,theharderitisgoingtobeforyou
tosolveit.
"Onewhoseneedsaresimplecanfulfillthemeasily."
Translation:Simplerequirementsleadtosimpledesigns.
"Whenwelosethefundamentals,wesupplantthemwith
increasinglyinferiorvalueswhichwepretendarethetrue
values."
Translation:Hubrisisneveragoodsubstituteforgoodprogramming
standards.Ifyougetlax,noamountofdesignpatternswillever
substituteforthelackofqualityinyourcode.
plaureano
899

Createdon:2009010522:33:10
Lastedit:NA

TheCareerProgrammer:GuerillaTacticsforanImperfectWorldby
ChristopherDuncan

DanielFisher
lennybacon
96

Createdon:2008091611:16:01
Lastedit:2011020218:50:19

ParadigmsofArtificialIntelligenceProgramming:Casestudiesin
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CommonLisp
wustudybreak
0

Createdon:2008091515:03:03
Lastedit:2011090202:43:33

MastersofDoom.
RickoM
589

Createdon:2010121308:38:38
Lastedit:2011090202:44:14

Mostfuntoread:TheArtofDeceptionbyKevinMitnick(oneofworld's
mostfamoushackers)
Reallyshowsthathowsecureyoursoftwaremaybe,theweakestlinkis
alwaysthehumancontrollingit,withentertainingexamples.

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SirLenz0rlot
330

Createdon:2010051807:17:51
Lastedit:NA

TheProductiveprogrammer.itsanaturalextensionof"thepragmatic
programer"whichgetsalittlemoreintotheeverydaydetails.

ArthurUlfeldt
14028

Createdon:2009100916:32:23
Lastedit:NA

Ifyoucouldgobackintimeandtellyourselftoreada
specificbookatthebeginningofyourcareerasadeveloper,
whichbookwoulditbe?

UnittestingisonethingthatIreallywishedIknewatthestartofmy
programmingcareerratherthanthemiddleofit.
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Astothegeneral"whatgoodbookshaveyouread"offshootofthis
thread:

WritingrequirementsisoneareawhereIsuck,thisbookhelpedalot.
NowofftoorderabookortwofromAmazon...)
mlk
4404

Createdon:2009102205:14:14
Lastedit:2011091210:16:19

Smalltalk80:TheLanguageanditsImplementationAKAthe"Blue
book":

Createdon:2009082408:45:59
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ClaudioAcciaresi
2222

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