The Liberty Software Python Bookshelf
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Attempting to turn the Art of Software Development into a Science is a noble goal. These books take up the challenge.
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Code Complete: A Practical Handbook of Software Construction
by Steve C. McConnell Microsoft Press 857 pages This book bridges the gap between theory and practice. The focus of the book, as the subtitle indicates, is on practical software construction, but McConnell backs up his points with an unbelievable knowledge of the literature. |
| It is unusual to find a book so focused on the practical matter of buiilding large scale projects with high quality code that is written by someone so familar with what has been published on the subject.
This book is amazing in its scope, detail, and quality. Once you have decided that you understand the language and how to design your application and are ready for building professional quality large scale applications, you are ready for this book. |
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The Practice of Programming,
by Brian W. Kernighan and Rob Pike Addison-Wesley 267 pages This book was published recently to much fan fair, but it is somewhat disappointing. I list it here because there is great wisdom in this book, within its domain. |
| My problem with this book is its limited domain. Kernighan and Pike are (correctly) highly regarded in the Unix world, and this book is terrific guide to the practice of programming in a Unix/C/scripting/command line environment. Unfortunately, most of us don't live there anymore.
Weak examples in C++ and Java don't disguise the fact that this book should have been published at least fifteen years ago. The book is poor on object oriented development and issues like error handling from libraries. But, as I indicated earlier, there is much to value here. Ideas like simplicity, clarity, and generality do not go out of style. For the reader that recognizes its limitations, this book is a gem. |
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<Liberty Software Technical Bookshelf>
