Recommended Books

Evil Phil

Feel free to post any books you feel are relevant to the Software Development (no books about some guy's prong please).

Just to get the ball roling:

• Code Complete - while I've never read the full book its a must have for every MS developers book shelf.
• Ground Up Java - A good book for anyone learning to program in Java.
• The O'Reilly Cookbooks - good solutons for everyday programming tasks.

pauldiv

Objects First with Java
A Practical Introduction using BlueJ

Good book for learning object oriented programming in Java

Civilian_Target

Eric Evans - Domain Driven Design
An in-depth exploration of how a well-designed domain model with simple programming inside can vastly ease your architechure. A must read for any serious programmers, IMHO.


Friedman et al. - The Little Schemer
A basic introduction to Scheme, designed to challenge the way you program and think. If you have never got into functional programming, this book will be a revelation.


Mark Pilgrim - Dive Into Python
Without the best introduction to any language I've read. Introduces Python to programmers, and will have you writing in a weekend.

Sparks

My shortlist:

• The C Programming Language - definitely one of the best books on a language ever written. Clean, concise, and usable both for learning and reference.
• Unix Programming Environment - very good introduction to unix programming.
• Design of the UNIX Operating System - there's a few like this (design of the BSD OS, etc, etc, etc) and the Lyons book on unix, but this is about the best starting point. You want to know why an OS is designed the way it is, this is what you read.
• Code Complete - just seconding Evil Phil. This book's worth overcoming the Microsoft Press label
• The Pragmatic Programmer - it's not going to teach you C or Lisp, butif you want to be a programmer as a profession, this should be on your library, well-read and with a half-dozen markers in it.
• Knuth. Enough said. Unless you haven't heard of it, in which case, this is the book to learn real programming on.
• The gang of four book gets a lot of press, and it's pretty good (though not for beginners) -- but you really ought to read the original book as well. It doesn't cover programming, but it explains patterns better.
• There are four books by Tufte:
  • The Visual Display of Quantitative Information
  • Envisioning Information
  • Beautiful Evidence
  • Visual Explanations: Images and Quantities, Evidence and Narrative
  Read them. All of them. Hell, even if you never design a UI and quit programming tomorrow, they're some of the most beautiful books you'll ever buy -- and if you design UIs, or you ever have to give a presentation (you will, it's inevitable), then you need to read these books. To save our brains, if for no other reason.

majestic0110

A book I am currently studying that I think is excellent is :

Java How to Program, 6/E By Deitel & Associates,

A great book that gives "real-world" examples of application development.

Head First Design Patterns

An excellent introduction in O-O design patterns.

oh and :

Beginning Javascript

Is a good introduction for anyone wishing to delve into client-side OOP.

Not a comprehensive list, but a start!

showry

Debugging by David Agans - common sense rules but often overlooked,

+1 for The Pragmatic Programmer - again it's common sense but we all need a few reminders every new and then

none

Thinking in Java (3rd Edition Revision 4.0, November 20, 2002).

Some C++ stuff is also available from his site.

I found Bruce Eckel's book one of the most useful on Java concepts and tricks.

none

It's not one book but rather an online library but I hope it still fits here
http://docstore.mik.ua/orelly/
Not all shown books are actually available for download but a few Java and Oracle ones definitely are.
Recommending saving the favourites locally.

Sparks

Time Management for Systems Administrators.
It's nothing to do with development per se, but I've gotten an awful lot of ass-saving from that little book. It permanently lives on my nightstand these days.

Evil Phil

The Good Study Guide

Also not about development but for anyone taking up a course, particulary at the degree level, its worth reading.

Fergaloc

A great book for PHP MySQl is:

PHP and MySQL Web Development Second Edition
^^^this is edition 2 ( the one is use )

PHP and MySQL Web Development
^^^ first edition

I think these would be very helpful, they start from the very beginning of what you need to know to advanced stuff

Evil Phil

Core Python Programming - tis good.

Beyond Enstein - yeah, not development related but still a great book.

Reku

For just getting a budget taste of a language, to give you the very basic syntax and idea of what it can do, so you can decide if it's worth investing in a more expensive book, I have to say I quite like the 'In Easy Steps' series.
http://www.ineasysteps.com/
They usually only cost about €10-15 in Irish bookstores, probably cheaper if you get them from Amazon.

As a general book for those working in OOP languages I quite like The Object-Oriented Thought Process: Developer's Library. Gives some great explainations of concepts IMO and the author does his best to abstract it away from any specific language (when he uses code to help make something more tangible he does so in Java, C# and VB, so the examples are not only of use to those familiar with one specific language).

McGintyMcGoo

If you're interested in Visual Basic 2008 and have limited or no Visual Studio experience, you should try "Microsoft Visual Basic 2008 Step by Step (Paperback)" from Microsoft Press.

Read from cover to cover and do all of the little exercises inside (regardless of how simple you think they might be) and you'll be amazed at what you pick up. Definitely a good foundation for reading more advanced books. :cool:

Tyrant^

Can someone recommend me a book for a introduction to java as a complete beginner. I've no previous programming experience at all!

I picked up Head First Java. Went through the first couple of chapters and I feel lost. It doesnt seem to explain much and the exercises at the end of the chapters are difficult.

Im thinking about getting

Beginning Programming with Java For Dummies

Or

Ground Up Java

Which of these would be best or can someone recommend something better ?

Thanks

lmimmfn

Joshua Bloch's Effective Java Programming 2nd Edition - http://java.sun.com/docs/books/effective/

I only have the 1st edition, but its an absolute must have if you want to be a good java dev/programmer, it basically provides a set of rules on how things should be done in have, e.g. if you override .equals you must override the hashcode etc.

He wrote the Java Collections framework in the JDK so that should say it all really.

JohnathanM

A few I didn't spot in the list:

Clean Code - Uncle Bob's best text on decent, basic principles.
Pattern Oriented Software Architecture - Siemens and others, spread over five well-written books. The whole "Design Patterns" series is well worthwhile.
Pattern Hatching - Vlissides from the GoF offers a little more, practical insight.
xUnit Test Patterns - A nice reference text for common patterns in unit testing. Also doubles as a heavy-duty doorstop.
Refactoring - Martin Fowler's well-known book. In fact, read everything with his name even near to it. He has a genuine knack for explaining things in an easily understandable and yet thorough way.

Naikon

Not a dev book par se, but Unix Power Tools really is a gem of a book. Contains pretty much everything a user(not a sysadmin) would possibly need under a *NIX enviroment. Worth the money.

Stockholm Syndrome

I'm also looking for a book to help me with Java. As I don't have a lot of money, I really can't afford to buy a book then realise there was a better one i could have bought. Which one should I get? Thanks

FruitLover

See post #7. Can't do much better than free.

BillShorey

Absolutely, Bruce Eckel's stuff is well recommended all over the net, can't go wrong with it.

Korvanica

majestic0110 wrote: »

Head First Design Patterns

An excellent introduction in O-O design patterns.

All the head first series are brilliant....

Ive the Java,C# and HTML/CSS ones and I would really reccomend them, planning on getting Design Patterns ASAP and the android one when its out...

dazberry

As x86 assembly language questions pop up now and again, I'd recommend these oldies:

Assembly Language Master Class

Revolutionary guide to assembly language

For Win32 (another oldie) but really good:

Win32 System Services

For those of us that don't want to work in Delphi anymore:

.Net 2.0 for Delphi Programmers

and for those of us that still have to:

Algorithms and Data Structures

and for when we try to do some C#:

Visual C# 2005: The Base Class Library

Visual C# 2005 Recipes: A Problem-Solution Approach

and when we just go and do something complete different:

Programming In Scala: A Comprehensive Step-By-Step Guide

and as previously mentioned:

Head First Design Patterns
[size=-3]I can't tell you the number of people that I wish had read this, or planned to, or at-least had some idea that it even existed[/size]

D.

testtech05

Can anyone recommend a good book for C ++ programming probably from beginners level, I did some in college but have been away from it for 3-4 years now and I want to brush up on what I used to know and improve on it.
If I could manage it it would greatly improve my chances of a promotion in work!!

th3 s1aught3r

Could anyone recommend a good book for Javascript for beginners ?

Fergaloc

th3 s1aught3r wrote: »

Could anyone recommend a good book for Javascript for beginners ?

I've no experience with Javascript books, this might help though: http://www.tripwiremagazine.com/2010/03/top-10-best-javascript-books-that-beginners-should-read.html

Stockholm Syndrome

Is there any good books specifically for Java Graphics? As I want to learn it and any book ive come across has either nothing related to it or very dated content.

fasty

Hacker's Delight

No, the good kind. Covers all sorts of bit twiddling and shortcuts that are quite cool to know about. I think little tricks like this really help with how you think about programming.

Programming Pearls

After studying algorithms, after reading Code Complete, read this. It was like the final piece of the puzzle for me.

Kadongy

Programming .NET Components by Juval Lowy

Galway K9

C++ from the Ground up!

C# Step by Step

Cork24

For C++

Absolute C++

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Absolute-C-Walter-Savitch/dp/0136083811/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1311549373&sr=8-1

C++ Without Fear A beginner's Guide

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Without-Fear-Beginners-Guide-Makes/dp/0132673266/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1311549463&sr=1-1

The C++ Programming Lanuage

http://www.amazon.co.uk/C-Programming-Language-Special/dp/0201700735/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1311549534&sr=1-1

If you can read this book with no Problem then your on the right track, the Creater of C++ Wrote that book..

Brussels Sprout

Here's an Aladdin's cave of free online books.

ChickenZombie

Fab resources guys...

Appreciated...
Thanks...

CZ

Brussels Sprout

Can someone recommend a good book for learning enough SQL/Oracle to be able to write stored procedures and functions and decipher what other people have written?

Korvanica

Brussels Sprout wrote: »

Can someone recommend a good book for learning enough SQL/Oracle to be able to write stored procedures and functions and decipher what other people have written?

From Scratch ?

http://headfirstlabs.com/books/hfsql/

Id also recommend

"Learning SQL"

and

"SQL In a nutshell, 2nd Edition"

Brussels Sprout

Korvanica wrote: »

From Scratch ?

http://headfirstlabs.com/books/hfsql/

Id also recommend

"Learning SQL"

and

"SQL In a nutshell, 2nd Edition"

Would the fact that I'd be using Oracle have any impact on the functions and procedures that I'd be writing or is that purely a function of the language (SQL)?

[-0-]

I can't recommend this book highly enough. http://www.amazon.com/Primer-Plus-Edition-Developers-Library/dp/0321776402

It is essential if you wish to be a C++ coder.

carter2

Clean Code
Effective C++ & More Effective C++
Mine choice would be Effective STL
If you plan to use the C++ Standard Template Library, seriously, read this book… or at least browse it a bit! It contains lot’s of useful information, and it will certainly help you to understand how the STL really works behind scenes.

razor2013

Growing Object-Orientated Software, Guided By Tests: Steve Freeman and Nat Pryce

This is a book on Test Driven Development in Java. Its very easy to read and explains everything well.

PrzemoF

Art of UNIX programming

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Art_of_Unix_Programming

Alpha Dog 1

Thinking of trying to learn code, complete noob, can anyone recommend me a good book to get me started?

Korvanica

Alpha Dog 1 wrote: »

Thinking of trying to learn code, complete noob, can anyone recommend me a good book to get me started?

I'll sound like a broken record saying this but the head first books are great for learning a new language.

Alpha Dog 1

Korvanica wrote: »

I'll sound like a broken record saying this but the head first books are great for learning a new language.

Any particular head first book or language which I should look at first?

[-0-]

Understanding C Pointers
Managing Projects with GNU Make
Expert C Programming
Autotools: A Practioner's Guide to GNU Autoconf, Automake, and Libtool
GNU Make, Version 3.77
An Introduction to GCC: For the GNU Compilers GCC and G++
Linux System Programming: Talking Directly to the Kernel and C Library
C Primer Plus 5th Edition
The Linux Programming Interface: A Linux and UNIX System Programming Handbook

Atomic Pineapple

Can anyone point me in the direction of a book or online series of tutorials that would help me get up to speed with creating a Chrome packaged app?

In addition any books that do a good job of covering HTML5 and Javascript with a view to creating a single page style application?

[-0-]

http://www.amazon.com/Core-Volume-I--Fundamentals-Edition-Series/dp/0137081898/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391450604&sr=8-1&keywords=core java

This is a fantastic Java book.

Atomic Pineapple

Anyone recommend any good books/resources for Ruby on Rails, I've followed online tutorials and have the basics as in I can build a dynamic website with CRUD operations but looking at the best path to advance from here.

c_man

Going through Cracking the Coding Interview at the mo, and couldn't recommend it enough

Omega28

Can anyone recommend a book for beginners? HTML, CSS, JS, Jquery, PHP and MySQL

a fat guy

@Atomic: Check out Rails 3 Tutorial by Michael Hartl. You can find the previous edition online for free. The book guides you through the building of a Twitter clone, and although it is lacking in detail in some areas, I enjoyed it quite a lot.

@Omega: I don't think you'll find a single book to cover all of that. The closest you'll find are PHP + MySQL books. HTML, CSS, JavaScript and Jquery are all front-end technologies, so you'd likely be looking at getting a front-end book and back-end book. Probably another again to do with design as well (CSS/HTML). I would personally just look online for tutorials and examples.

On topic: As has been mentioned before Headfirst Java is meant to be amazing, and still relevant today despite being quite old. The author actually researched the most effective learning techniques, so the book is filled with jokes and diagrams. It might not be to your tastes, but I'm going to give it a try as I'm a bit rusty on Java.

NeutralHandle

UML Distilled by Martin Fowler.

It talks about UML in the context of a communication tool rather than in the context of a tool to model every detail of a system. It deals with a subset of UML which can be used to capture and express knowledge about software systems very effectively.

(I can't post links because I am new.)