Comments on: Programmers aren’t reading programming books http://www.johndcook.com/blog/2008/09/23/programmers-arent-reading-programming-books/ The blog of John D. Cook Sat, 11 Feb 2012 22:42:11 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Gene http://www.johndcook.com/blog/2008/09/23/programmers-arent-reading-programming-books/comment-page-1/#comment-7075 Gene Sat, 27 Sep 2008 14:50:50 +0000 http://www.johndcook.com/blog/?p=429#comment-7075 I wonder if there aren't a lot of developers signing up for services like Safari? My company has access to several on-line libraries and I find I rarely need to purchase books anymore. The books I purchase are aimed at concepts, architecture and algorithmic concepts. I Google for recipes. I wonder if there aren’t a lot of developers signing up for services like Safari? My company has access to several on-line libraries and I find I rarely need to purchase books anymore. The books I purchase are aimed at concepts, architecture and algorithmic concepts. I Google for recipes.

]]> By: Greg Wilson http://www.johndcook.com/blog/2008/09/23/programmers-arent-reading-programming-books/comment-page-1/#comment-6928 Greg Wilson Wed, 24 Sep 2008 09:12:36 +0000 http://www.johndcook.com/blog/?p=429#comment-6928 I have to disagree with your diagnosis: I don't think developers are any less interested in learning technologies well than they were 10 or 20 years ago. What's changed is the amount and quality of online material. I've been reviewing books for "Doctor Dobb's Journal" for over a decade, and the majority are no better written, and no more likely to be correct, than what's freely available on the web. In practice, the web-based material is more likely to be up-to-date, and frequently has fewer typos (easier to push electrons around than to reprint a single page). I have to disagree with your diagnosis: I don’t think developers are any less interested in learning technologies well than they were 10 or 20 years ago. What’s changed is the amount and quality of online material. I’ve been reviewing books for “Doctor Dobb’s Journal” for over a decade, and the majority are no better written, and no more likely to be correct, than what’s freely available on the web. In practice, the web-based material is more likely to be up-to-date, and frequently has fewer typos (easier to push electrons around than to reprint a single page).

]]> By: Thomas Guest http://www.johndcook.com/blog/2008/09/23/programmers-arent-reading-programming-books/comment-page-1/#comment-6927 Thomas Guest Wed, 24 Sep 2008 08:37:02 +0000 http://www.johndcook.com/blog/?p=429#comment-6927 Interesting note, John. Almost a rant! I wonder if something more specific is bugging you? Part of me wants to say that experimentation ("they guess and see what works") is no bad trait in a programmer; part of me wants to say that online references beat printed books in many ways, not least because you can google them; and part of me agrees with you, that training is vital, and that programmers will <a href="http://wordaligned.org/articles/rtm-vs-stw" rel="nofollow">google a quick fix</a> rather than make the effort to read a proper reference. I know my own blog gets plenty of hits from people searching how to do something (e.g.) using Subversion, which has a fine online manual, and I sometimes worry if the information I provide is up to date and accurate. Interesting note, John. Almost a rant! I wonder if something more specific is bugging you?

Part of me wants to say that experimentation (”they guess and see what works”) is no bad trait in a programmer; part of me wants to say that online references beat printed books in many ways, not least because you can google them; and part of me agrees with you, that training is vital, and that programmers will google a quick fix rather than make the effort to read a proper reference.

I know my own blog gets plenty of hits from people searching how to do something (e.g.) using Subversion, which has a fine online manual, and I sometimes worry if the information I provide is up to date and accurate.

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