10 books that every developer must read
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The document lists ten essential books for developers, emphasizing the need for continuous learning and foundational knowledge in programming. Each book, such as 'Programming Pearls' and 'Code Complete', tackles different aspects of software development, from algorithm design to object-oriented programming. Additionally, the author highlights personal insights gained from these readings and encourages readers to explore these resources for improving their coding skills.
10 books that every developer must read
- 1. Ganesh Samarthyam 10 BOOKS THAT EVERY DEVELOPER MUST READ
- 2. PROGRAMMING PEARLS ➤ Commitment to continuous learning and focusing on foundational aspects is an important characteristic of an excellent developer ➤ Programming pearls brings us back-to-the-basics and helps us revisit key topics such as algorithm design in specific and writing high-performance code in general ➤ This is yet another timeless classic that should be in every developers bookshelfhttp://amzn.com/0201657880
- 3. CODE COMPLETE ➤ In programming, it is difficult to make even the smallest of decisions ➤ Which variable name or control structure to use? To comment or not to comment? Should I refactor this code? ➤ This book covers provides a big-picture for software development and also delves into minute details http://amzn.com/0735619670
- 4. THE PRAGMATIC PROGRAMMER ➤ This classic book provides valuable and practical advice to programmers ➤ Not specific to any language or technology ➤ Provides specific “tips” ➤ My favourite: Tip 35 - “Finish what you start” ➤ I got exposed to concepts such as “broken window theory” from this book http://amzn.com/020161622X
- 5. DESIGN PATTERNS ➤ Classic work on patterns ➤ Provides insights on creating effective object oriented designs ➤ Generic “reusable” design knowledge ➤ This is not a book that you can read from front to back cover ➤ I come back to reading it for getting inspiration from time- to-time (e.g., the initial chapter is a “treatise” on OO) http://amzn.com/020163361
- 6. REFACTORING ➤ Classic work on refactoring ➤ Provides insights on emergent design and how to create and evolve quality software ➤ This book covers foundational aspects, process and mechanics of refactoring ➤ Written in a free-flowing and easy-to-read style ➤ Inspiration for writers like me http://amzn.com/0201485672
- 7. OBJECT ORIENTED SOFTWARE CONSTRUCTION ➤ Excellent book on object oriented programming and design ➤ Learning OO features is easy, but mastering OO design is difficult ➤ Explicitly mentions “Dos and Don’t’s” ➤ Universal principles on OO design encapsulated in pithy statements (also cross-referenced and summarized in the end)http://amzn.com/0136291554
- 8. THE MYTHICAL MAN-MONTH ➤ In my first-job, I understood that software development is much more than programming ➤ Mythical man-month is a old book (1975!) but what it discusses still remains relevant ➤ Few years back I came across a project where the project manager was adding people to a late project ➤ Wanted to tell him: "adding manpower to a late software project makes it later" http://amzn.com/0201835959
- 9. EXTREME PROGRAMMING EXPLAINED ➤ Kent Beck is one of those amazing programmers ➤ He explains his approach towards software development in XP (Extreme Programming) ➤ Many practices such as writing tests before code (TDD), pair programming, etc are now widely accepted (aside: XP is still evolving) ➤ I like this book because of its pragmatic view on software development practices http://amzn.com/0321278658
- 10. AGILE SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT ➤ Robert C Martin is another programmer that I greatly admire ➤ His important contribution: documenting key design principles such as Single Responsibility Principle (SRP), Dependency Inversion Principle (DIP), and Interface Segregation Principle (DSP) ➤ This book provides his perspective towards software design and development http://amzn.com/0135974445
- 12. SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION ➤ Check out our book on refactoring ➤ Why care about software design viewed from the perspective of technical debt ➤ Covers 25 design smells classified as violation of the principles of abstraction, encapsulation, modularization, or hierarchy ➤ Interesting anecdotes and case studies reported from the trenches working in real-world projectshttp://amzn.com/0128013974 www.designsmells.com