Pragmatic approach to programming
I recently had to move my rather extensive library of tech books. In doing so, I marveled at how clumped my library was. Now, in ten+ years of development experience, I’ve worked on a large number of projects. Lots of java, lots of perl, lots of c++, some php, and currently python and ruby. My library does not reflect what I’ve worked on, nor does it really reflect those topics that I worked on the longest. Why do I have four books on ruby on rails, yet only one on python? I use python in my day job, and rails is for my personal projects. There’s lots of documentation out there explaining how to use rails… why four books then? One answer is because I discovered the Pragmatic Programmers. The books from this publisher have been some of the best and most rewarding technical books I have read. The writing style is light, but not overly so. The techniques are described in a logical order. Time isn’t wasted on explaining things over and over. Non-trivial examples are used to boost the subject matter, and display the power of what is being taught.
All in all, the Pragmatic Programmers live up to their name. They teach pragmatic techniques to software development. They teach you what you need to know to get a solid foundation, and develop good habits. From there, you learn enough to get the job done. By the end of the books you may not be an expert, but you have a solid understanding of what is going on, and how to apply it to your projects. If you haven’t discovered these fantastic books, I strongly suggest you put them on your list.
-Joe