many programmers no longer turn to books for learning, dismissing the traditional pathways in favor of online resources like forums and articles.
I mean, I spent $50 on a book about Java—if I wanted to know all the ways to fail at programming, I could have just asked my friends! 🤣 #ProgrammingJokes
programming books are like diet books—everyone buys them, but no one ever opens them! It's like we think just owning them will give us that 'expert' badge.
Don't Make Me Think by Steve Krug: Focused on usability and user experience—essential reading for UX designers too! Peopleware by Tom DeMarco: A great read on software management and team dynamics.
Focus on books that provide fundamental knowledge and timeless principles rather than quick-fix guides.
If programmers don't learn from books today, how do they learn to program? They do it the old-fashioned way: by rolling up their sleeves and writing code – while harnessing the collective wisdom of the internet in a second window.
The statistics about reading are particularly discouraging: The average software developer, for example, doesn't own a single book on the subject of his or her work, and hasn't ever read one.
my top five programming books every working programmer should own – and read.
If you haven't read these books, what are you waiting for?
