books

[Alex Railean]

Hi everyone,


I miss you all very much, so here's what I'm going to do about it:
- you can send me a wishlist of books you'd like to have
- I'll try to get them for you
- then send them to someone in Moldova and 'inject' them into the FAF
social circle


I will definitely obtain the books that I think are interesting and
useful to a faffer, but just in case I have to warn you that not all
the requests will be processed. Some books may be too heavy, too
expensive, or I might fundamentally disagree with their message.


Nevertheless, you can write me an email and tell me about your
preferences. You must include a rationale that will convince me that
your request should be fulfilled. This is an opportunity to put your
social engineering skills to a test :-)

[Tanya Moldovan]

Just a small clarification: books related to computer science or artistic books? (or both)? :)

[Igor Marta]

poftim o carte care chiar nu ar încurca majorității arogante din FAF
http://www.betterworldbooks.com/9781885027382-id-9781885027382.aspx

[Анна Ананасова]

Cu referinta la "humble" se poate de adus in FAF...

Team Geek

A Software Developer's Guide to Working Well with Others

By Brian W. Fitzpatrick, Ben Collins-Sussman

[Ursu Dan]

I have an idea. I believe everyone knows the author and has heard about the book.Also this book is frequently quoted in "The Big Bang Theory".
It is the most wide known physics related book.
I'm sure there will be quarrels about who would be entitled to read it first.
Before actually clicking the link try and guess it's name.Link

[Alex Railean]

Dan, your question almost ended with "nu va rugam sa apasati pe link,
ci sa numiti cartea si autorul" :-)

I admit I clicked the link without thinking, so I can't say whether I
guessed or not.


I've read it on my Palm during 'procese stochastice' and I liked it. I
think it is a good candidate.


If anyone is interested in material on physics, have a look at
goodreads.com/gr8dude (not all the books are tagged, so just scroll
through the list), I have some of them in audio format.

Besides that, if you still remember 'the 7th avenue project' - there
are a lot of interviews with physicists on that show, some of them are
very interesting - so inspiring that I found and read books written by
those people after hearing them speak.

[Dima Ursu]

I think we need several classics, like K&R, and stuff like that, books
that are never getting old or obsolete.

The guys from "The Pragmatic Bookshelf" have several greats books, and
they can sell you the book in pdf(epub) format too, without DRM.

Here are some I think are worth their money:
http://pragprog.com/book/dnvim/practical-vim
http://pragprog.com/book/shcloj2/programming-clojure
http://pragprog.com/book/rr2/rails-recipes

Books from Free Software Foundation:
http://shop.fsf.org/product/debugging-gdb-gnu-source-level-debugger-10/
http://shop.fsf.org/product/using-gcc-gnu-compiler-collection-reference-manual/
http://shop.fsf.org/product/Intro_to_Emacs_Lisp_3rd_Ed/

Such a shame that I didn't find there any books related to GNU build
system...I had some troubles recently with automake, and I missed a good
book. Thanks god for the online tutorials and manuals.

And a book from O'Reilly (they are great)
Practical C++ Programming, 2nd Edition (their link sucks)

Have a good day!

[Alex Railean]

> Just a small clarification: books related to computer science or
> artistic books? (or both)? :)

Both flavours are accepted, because either of them will contribute to
your personality.

In fact, I must say that many of the books that had a major impact on
my professional development were not about computers at all.

> poftim o carte care chiar nu ar încurca majorității arogante din FAF
> http://www.betterworldbooks.com/9781885027382-id-9781885027382.aspx

Haha, titlul este interesant. Nu am citit cartea asta si nu m-am
ciocnit cu problema data (situatiile in care ma aflu intotdeauna
includ in sine oameni mai inteligenti ca mine :-) sau oameni care vad
lucrurile intr-un mod care exclude intrebarea in general:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151166684943020&set=a.460762588019.246494.739418019&type=1&theater


DAR, eu as sugera carti autobiografice a unor personalitati
interesante - din ele desprinzi modestia indirect, urmind exemplul lor.


Si daca vorbim despre aroganta programatorilor, cel mai bun curs de
tratament este sa lucrati in technical support citeva luni si sa fiti
in contact cu oamenii care utilizeaza produsul vostru. E usor sa crezi
ca ceea ce faci este 100% zmeuriu, cind nu esti niciodata impus sa
citesti mesajele disperate a clientilor, sau sa vorbesti cu ei la
telefon. Te afli in zona ta de confort, zgribulit in fata monitorului,
iar clientii sunt la mii de kilometri distanta si niciodata nu-i vei
vedea la fata.

> Team Geek
> A Software Developer's Guide to Working Well with Others
> By Brian W. Fitzpatrick, Ben Collins-Sussman

Am vazut citeva interviuri cu ei si cred ca ”humblețea” lor e la un
nivel potrivit :-)

Pentru a economisi copaci, va recomand sa priviti aceasta prezentare
de la Google I/O, in care ei discuta intrebarea respectiva:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SARbwvhupQ

De fapt, ei au mai multe video-clipuri de asa tip, filmate la Google
I/O, eu am privit citeva, nu tin minte care era cel mai zmeuriu, dar
tin minte ca l-am privit pe acela care incepe cu
{
- Hi, I'm Brian Fitzpatrick, people call me Fitz
- Hi, I'm Ben Collins-Sussman, people call me Ben Collins-Sussman
}

;-)

> I think we need several classics, like K&R, and stuff like that, books
> that are never getting old or obsolete.

I agree, we definitely need books that will never become obsolete.
Actually, one of my favourite people and role models keeps an old
rusty book about C in his drawer. It is from the times he was a
student, the pages are yellow, it smells nice, and he goes through it
every now and then :-)



Your suggestion about Vim - the toughest part of programming is in
thinking about what to write, not in the actual process of typing.

So I would rather think of books that teach you how to think in
general, not books focused on a specific instrument (be it Vim, GCC or
GDB).


Nevertheless, the candidates are added to the list, thank you for your
input.

[Dima Ursu]

On 11/27/2012 02:04 AM, Alex Railean wrote:
>
> In fact, I must say that many of the books that had a major impact on
> my professional development were not about computers at all.
>
>

Well, here it comes one:
http://shop.fsf.org/product/free-software-free-society-2/
I enjoyed Richard Stallman's essays very much, and they influenced me a
lot. I know it's a controvert subject, but this man is a great one.

Lăsăm puțin engleza ca mi se încâlcesc degetele și neuronii gândind în
engleză la 2 jumate noaptea.

E un om care înainte de a se gândi la bani, la faimă și alte asemenea
prostii(deși a ajuns faimos), s-a gândit în primul rând la oameni, la
cei care vor utliza programele lui, la cum ar putea ajuta pe cei
apropiați lui. Și uite-l azi, deja destul de bătrân, încă mai ține
prezentări în vreo 3 limbi, în diverse țări ale lumii, și luptă
împotriva drepturilor de autor prea restrictive(deși susține ca atare
ideia lor), luptă împotriva patentelor asupra programelor( care în
câțiva ani nu ne vor permite să scriem un *for* ca oamenii, că cineva la
pantentat)

Cartea lui e disponibilă și online, ca pdf, și probabil e legal să o copii .

http://www.gnu.org/doc/fsfs-ii-2.pdf

da, am găsit și linkul ^^

>
>> I think we need several classics, like K&R, and stuff like that, books
>> that are never getting old or obsolete.
> I agree, we definitely need books that will never become obsolete.
> Actually, one of my favourite people and role models keeps an old
> rusty book about C in his drawer. It is from the times he was a
> student, the pages are yellow, it smells nice, and he goes through it
> every now and then :-)
>
>

Nice,

>
> Your suggestion about Vim - the toughest part of programming is in
> thinking about what to write, not in the actual process of typing.
>
> So I would rather think of books that teach you how to think in
> general, not books focused on a specific instrument (be it Vim, GCC or
> GDB).

Not just instruments: they are COOL instruments. And efficient ones. And
cool.
But seriously, I think instruments are important too. At least for me :)

>
>
> Nevertheless, the candidates are added to the list, thank you for your
> input.
>
>

Thanks :)

[Анна Ананасова]

> Team Geek
> A Software Developer's Guide to Working Well with Others
> By Brian W. Fitzpatrick, Ben Collins-Sussman

Probably it is valid to watch the videos too, but also you can steal the book in pdf and read it (personally I am a bad listener). 

Why I mentioned it, is because every programmer in life will face the problem of talking to people and getting along in a team, which is actually a BIG deal. One should never underestimate the profits of communication and the problems that always rise in a team.

But I don't insist on buying it.

And generally I would stay away from language specific books, since technologies develop fast and these books are getting old even faster.

Buy the Art of Computer Programming by Donald Knuth. :D just kidding

[Анна Ананасова]

Maybe something more like that

Introduction to Algorithms - saw this book many times at the MIT Open Courseware

How to solve it - seems interesting

[Croitor Alexandru]

>>Buy the Art of Computer Programming by Donald Knuth. :D just kidding

Damn it Anna, and here I was searching for the links on amazon.

Then I'll leave something as expensive as the above =P
Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach - Peter Norvig

http://www.amazon.com/Artificial-Intelligence-Modern-Approach-3rd/dp/0136042597

[Alex Railean]

>>>Buy the Art of Computer Programming by Donald Knuth. :D just kidding

> Then I'll leave something as expensive as the above =P
> Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach - Peter Norvig

Some books can be very expensive, but the costs are reasonable if we
go for an older edition, second hand.

The first edition of Norvig's book costs 5$, that one we can
definitely afford.

If you read that, then skim through an electronic version of the
latest edition - you can do a `mental diff` and fill in the gaps.





Another aspect we have to keep in mind is that shipping isn't free.
Assuming that I find a reasonably priced version of Knuth's set of
volumes - sending it to Moldova will be expensive.

I will post as many books as I can, but if anyone has any friends or
relatives who are in the USA and they will be in Moldova soon - we can
distribute the load by asking them to transfer some of the payload.
Let me know if such options are available.

[Alex Railean]

Is that all you've got? I was expecting more activity; after all -
we're talking about freebies here!

[Tanya Moldovan]

It's quite an interesting field :)

http://www.amazon.com/Mining-Social-Web-Analyzing-Facebook/dp/1449388345

(or some books on data mining, not necessarily related to social media)

[Dima Ursu]

I could use one of those :D especially about character animation. But
that is just me.

http://www.blender3d.org/e-shop/default_books.php

[Анна Ананасова]

Those are freebies? Oo

Read about it on slashdot - good for our diploma "sustinere".

Presentation Patterns: Techniques for Crafting Better Presentations

and

The Selfish Gene by RIchard Dawkins

[Constantin Bostan]

http://www.amazon.com/Android-Application-Development-All--Dummies/dp/1118027701/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354551960&sr=8-1&keywords=Android+Application+Development+All+in+one+for+Dummies

http://www.amazon.com/iPhone-Application-Development-Dummies-Goldstein/dp/1118091345/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1354552292&sr=1-1&keywords=ios+development+for+dummies

Some useful books for our future career, I think :)

[Constantin Bostan]

http://www.amazon.com/Professional-Android-Application-Development-Guides/dp/1118102274/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1354552602&sr=1-2&keywords=professional+android+2+application+development

[Анна Ананасова]

Costea, you look so young on this profile picture.

What are those Dummie books different from any other online tutorials/screencasts?

[Constantin Bostan]

You’re right, but since we have freebies here...

And that message "Is that all you've got?..."

 

P.S. All the books could be found online.

[Alex]

Note: They're free for you, but I am paying for them :-)  Which is why requests are filtered.

[Dan Tailor]

And my 50cents !

I think Test-Driven Development is a good thing to know. Not sure about this one, let the mighty filter see)

The design of everyday things might be interesting for some persons, I'd give it a try.

And some good reading.

The answer is 42 ! A must read for every geek.

1984 is a very good book, totally recommend it.

I wanted for a long time to read Cryptonomicon, but didn't have the opportunity :(

And a book about personal-improvement, make friends )

*flies away*

On Mon, Dec 3, 2012 at 11:24 PM, Alex <rali...@gmail.com> wrote:

Note: They're free for you, but I am paying for them :-)  Which is why requests are filtered.

--
____________________________

Best regards,

Dan Croitoru

[Dragos Mocrii]

*flies away* - lolishi!

[Maxim Chetrusca]

+1 for http://www.amazon.com/dp/0345453743

[Alex Railean]

Hi,


I have some good news - I've found a relatively cheap and 100%
reliable method of sending stuff to Moldova, so the book-plan is
ready to be implemented.


Please have a look at this shared doc
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1H3EzOdSuf0EVise2OEthF1lj3ryryRwtTeaUW0ESxmU/edit?usp=sharing


And follow the instructions there.