Ruby on Rails : Up and Running / Bruce A. Tate, O’Reilly, 2006
This concise introduction to Rails for experienced developers is excellent though dated. 150 pages.
Tag: 5-stars
C++ programming cookbook
Herb Schildt’s C++ programming cookbook / Herb Schildt, McGraw-Hill, 2008
The best way to learn C++ is to read some well written code, preferably with brief comments or discussion. This book is your best source for the main STL and C++ library idioms. When you are writing new code, you would do well to have this book close at hand.
JavaScript : the good parts
JavaScript : the good parts / Douglas Crockford, O’Reilly, 2008
This slim book is the best description of JavaScript that I know of. From the back cover: “considered the JavaScript expert by many in the development community – identifies the abundance of good ideas that make JavaScript an outstanding object-oriented programming language.” Here is the author’s site.
Born digital : understanding the first generation of digital natives
Born digital : understanding the first generation of digital natives / John Palfrey and Urs Gasser.
“Digital technologies are changing our kids in ways we don’t yet understand. This beautifully written book will set the framework for a field that will change that. It is required reading for parents, educators, and anyone who cares about the future” – Lawrence Lessig
Social Life of Information
The Social Life of Information, John Seely Brown, Harvard Business School, 2000
This book has valuable insights into the usability of technical innovations. Unfortunately I overlooked it for many years. Well written by researchers at Xerox PARC. Hardcover, 300 pages.
Security and Usability
Security and Usability – Designing Secure Systems That People Can Use, Simson Garfinkel, O’Reilly, 2005
System designers will want to read this. 714 pages.
Effective Java
Effective Java / Joshua Bloch, Addison-Wesley, 2008
“I sure wish I had this book ten years ago. Some might think that I don’t need any Java books, but I need this one.” — James Gosling, inventor of Java.
“This is a truly excellent book done by the guy who designed several of the better recent Java platform API’s (including the Collections API).” — James Clark, of XML fame.
Advanced programming in the Unix environment
Advanced programming in the Unix environment / W. Richard Stevens, Stephen A. Rago, Addison-Wesley, 2005
If you are doing systems programming in C on Unix, this book is indispensable. It is slightly dated, and does not cover the latest improvements in Linux.
Holub on patterns
Holub on patterns : learning design patterns by looking at code / Allen Holub. Apress, 2004
An opinionated look at design patterns. If you are using a language not known for rapid development then you want to choose the right patterns in advance so you won’t be refactoring too much. This book discusses which patterns are most useful, with examples in Java. Not recently written, but worth reading.
Programming interviews exposed
Programming interviews exposed : secrets to landing your next job / John Mongan, Noah Suojanen, Eric Giguère. Wiley Pub., 2007
If you work in technology, whether programming or similar, you probably need to look for new work now and then. This book is the best I have seen for advice on how to interview, negotiate pay, and prepare your resume. Useful to hiring managers too.
There is another way to approach this book. More than half of the book is programming algorithms that you would learn in undergrad CS, and you can read it to refresh your knowledge.