Books to read?

[Aristos Queue]

QUOTE(jzoller @ Aug 8 2007, 08:29 PM)

What software-related books have you folks been reading? (No fair answering with a book that bears your name )

These are arranged in the order that I recommend all software engineers read them. Especially "Close to the Machine". This excellent book teaches a programmer to be aware of the real world impacts of their software.

Close to the Machine: Technophilia and Its Discontents

by Ellen Ullman

Goedel, Escher, Bach

by Douglas R. Hofstadter

The Cukoo's Egg

by Cliff Stoll

"Alice In Wonderland" & "Alice Through The Lookingglass"

by Lewis Carroll

Nexus: Small Worlds and the Groundbreaking Theory of Networks

by Mark Buchanan

[PaulG.]

A Software Engineering Approach to LabVIEW by John Conway and Steve Watts. Great crash course in Object Oriented Design as it relates to programming in LV.

[Aristos Queue]

Oh, and I almost forgot the one I'm busy recommending to all LabVIEW programmers who are interested in OO:

The Object-Oriented Thought Process

by Matt Weisfeld

[PaulL]

I'm certainly no expert in software engineering but recently I've read:

UML Distilled (3d ed.) by Martin Fowler. This book teaches how to model in the Unified Modeling Language (UML).

I still had many questions, so to find out how UML fits in the design process (why and when to create UML artifacts, their relationship to Object-Oriented Analysis and Design, design patterns and principles, and the software design process itself--particularly the Unified Process) I read--and highly recommend--Applying UML and Patterns (3d ed.) by Craig Larman. This book offered the most complete picture I have found thus far.

I found An Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming (3d ed. as well) by Timothy Budd helpful for wrapping my mind around some OOP concepts and challenges.

Finally, More About Software Requirements: Thorny Issues and Practical Advice (Karl Wiegers) offered some useful guidelines on writing requirements effectively.

I also read A Software Engineering Approach to LabVIEW (Conway and Watts) a while ago. It prompted me to start thinking about better software design principles. I think some of the books above have helped me to think still more clearly about effective software design, with an obvious emphasis on OOA/D.

If I had to recommend just one of these to read it would definitely be Larman's book.

[Grampa_of_Oliva_n_Eden]

QUOTE(Paul_at_Lowell @ Aug 9 2007, 12:54 PM)

...

I still had many questions, so to find out how UML fits in the design process (why and when to create UML artifacts, their relationship to Object-Oriented Analysis and Design, design patterns and principles, and the software design process itself--particularly the Unified Process) I read--and highly recommend--Applying UML and Patterns (3d ed.) by Craig Larman. This book offered the most complete picture I have found thus far.

...

If I had to recommend just one of these to read it would definitely be Larman's book.

Wonderful suggestion Paul!

I have only read the first 10 pages but the things I have read Stephen and Tomi write are already making sense.

Maybe I'm not so "st-OOP-id" after all. :thumbup:

Ben

[TG]

Truth be know I wish I had more > really good < books on software engineering to refer to.

I have several but few are really good ones.

LabVIEW Advanced Programming Techniques Second Edition by Rick Bitter, Taqi Mohiuddin and Matt Nawrocki

There are so many books out there but budget is limited and so.. how to find the good ones to spend wisely? hmm..

[Grampa_of_Oliva_n_Eden]

QUOTE(TG @ Aug 16 2007, 09:20 PM)

Truth be know I wish I had more > really good < books on software engineering to refer to.

I have several but few are really good ones.

LabVIEW Advanced Programming Techniques Second Edition by Rick Bitter, Taqi Mohiuddin and Matt Nawrocki

There are so many books out there but budget is limited and so.. how to find the good ones to spend wisely? hmm..

The local library serves my needs. If they are really good then I start begging my wife.

Ben

[jzoller]

Thanks for the replies all, keep them coming!

I went ahead and picked up a copy of Godel, Escher, Bach, and ran across an old friend: Code Complete by McConnell. One of the best practical books on software construction available.

Joe Z.

[Grampa_of_Oliva_n_Eden]

QUOTE(jzoller @ Aug 17 2007, 11:32 AM)

...

a copy of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godel%2C_Escher%2C_Bach' target="_blank">Godel, Escher, Bach, ...

Joe Z.

That reminds me Stephen, is that were you got the "mu" from?

Ben

[Aristos Queue]

QUOTE(Ben @ Aug 17 2007, 11:02 AM)

That reminds me Stephen, is that were you got the "mu" from?

It is one of two sources. The other is directly from the Zen koans themselves. I found it in the koans but didn't really grasp the concept until Goedel, Escher, Bach.

Something you should know about GEB... the book has two main divisions. The first half is incredibly good. The first half of the second half is good. After that it bogs down. I was talking to a CS professor of mine. He asked if I had read the book. Chagrined I said that I had gotten through 3/4 of the book, but just couldn't finish that last chunk. The prof said, "That's ok. There's not a faculty member in this department who was able to force themselves through that last chunk. Really, it won all the awards for the first half." So if you similarly grind to a halt, you're in common company. Those few I have met who actually finished it say the trail of the book is a rehash of the first half in case you didn't get it the first time, but with more rushed writing style.