Coders at Work

Coders at Work
Author :
Publisher : Apress
Total Pages : 619
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781430219491
ISBN-13 : 1430219491
Rating : 4/5 (91 Downloads)

Synopsis Coders at Work by : Peter Seibel

Peter Seibel interviews 15 of the most interesting computer programmers alive today in Coders at Work, offering a companion volume to Apress’s highly acclaimed best-seller Founders at Work by Jessica Livingston. As the words “at work” suggest, Peter Seibel focuses on how his interviewees tackle the day-to-day work of programming, while revealing much more, like how they became great programmers, how they recognize programming talent in others, and what kinds of problems they find most interesting. Hundreds of people have suggested names of programmers to interview on the Coders at Work web site: www.codersatwork.com. The complete list was 284 names. Having digested everyone’s feedback, we selected 15 folks who’ve been kind enough to agree to be interviewed: Frances Allen: Pioneer in optimizing compilers, first woman to win the Turing Award (2006) and first female IBM fellow Joe Armstrong: Inventor of Erlang Joshua Bloch: Author of the Java collections framework, now at Google Bernie Cosell: One of the main software guys behind the original ARPANET IMPs and a master debugger Douglas Crockford: JSON founder, JavaScript architect at Yahoo! L. Peter Deutsch: Author of Ghostscript, implementer of Smalltalk-80 at Xerox PARC and Lisp 1.5 on PDP-1 Brendan Eich: Inventor of JavaScript, CTO of the Mozilla Corporation Brad Fitzpatrick: Writer of LiveJournal, OpenID, memcached, and Perlbal Dan Ingalls: Smalltalk implementor and designer Simon Peyton Jones: Coinventor of Haskell and lead designer of Glasgow Haskell Compiler Donald Knuth: Author of The Art of Computer Programming and creator of TeX Peter Norvig: Director of Research at Google and author of the standard text on AI Guy Steele: Coinventor of Scheme and part of the Common Lisp Gang of Five, currently working on Fortress Ken Thompson: Inventor of UNIX Jamie Zawinski: Author of XEmacs and early Netscape/Mozilla hacker

Programmers at Work

Programmers at Work
Author :
Publisher :
Total Pages : 404
Release :
ISBN-10 : PSU:000058010662
ISBN-13 :
Rating : 4/5 (62 Downloads)

Synopsis Programmers at Work by : Susan M. Lammers

Who Says Women Can't Be Computer Programmers?

Who Says Women Can't Be Computer Programmers?
Author :
Publisher : Henry Holt and Company (BYR)
Total Pages : 44
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781250305343
ISBN-13 : 1250305349
Rating : 4/5 (43 Downloads)

Synopsis Who Says Women Can't Be Computer Programmers? by : Tanya Lee Stone

A picture book biography of Ada Lovelace, the woman recognized today as history’s first computer programmer—she imagined them 100 years before they existed! In the early nineteenth century lived Ada Byron: a young girl with a wild and wonderful imagination. The daughter of internationally acclaimed poet Lord Byron, Ada was tutored in science and mathematics from a very early age. But Ada’s imagination was never meant to be tamed and, armed with the fundamentals of math and engineering, she came into her own as a woman of ideas—equal parts mathematician and philosopher. From her whimsical beginnings as a gifted child to her most sophisticated notes on Charles Babbage’s Analytical Engine, this book celebrates the woman recognized today as the first computer programmer. This title has Common Core connections. Christy Ottaviano Books

The Healthy Programmer

The Healthy Programmer
Author :
Publisher : Pragmatic Bookshelf
Total Pages : 339
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781680505061
ISBN-13 : 1680505068
Rating : 4/5 (61 Downloads)

Synopsis The Healthy Programmer by : Joe Kutner

Printed in full color. To keep doing what you love, you need to maintain your own systems, not just the ones you write code for. Regular exercise and proper nutrition help you learn, remember, concentrate, and be creative--skills critical to doing your job well. Learn how to change your work habits, master exercises that make working at a computer more comfortable, and develop a plan to keep fit, healthy, and sharp for years to come. Small changes to your habits can improve your health--without getting in the way of your work. The Healthy Programmer gives you a daily plan of action that's incremental and iterative just like the software development processes you're used to. Every tip, trick, and best practice is backed up by the advice of doctors, scientists, therapists, nutritionists, and numerous fitness experts. We'll review the latest scientific research to understand how being healthy is good for your body and mind. You'll start by adding a small amount of simple activity to your day--no trips to the gym needed. You'll learn how to mitigate back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, headaches, and many other common sources of pain. You'll also learn how to refactor your diet to properly fuel your body without gaining weight or feeling hungry. Then, you'll turn the exercises and activities into a pragmatic workout methodology that doesn't interfere with the demands of your job and may actually improve your cognitive skills. You'll also learn the secrets of prominent figures in the software community who turned their health around by making diet and exercise changes. Throughout, you'll track your progress with a "companion iPhone app". Finally, you'll learn how to make your healthy lifestyle pragmatic, attainable, and fun. If you're going to live well, you should enjoy it. Disclaimer This book is intended only as an informative guide for those wishing to know more about health issues. In no way is this book intended to replace, countermand, or conflict with the advice given to you by your own healthcare provider including Physician, Nurse Practitioner, Physician Assistant, Registered Dietician, and other licensed professionals. Keep in mind that results vary from person to person. This book is not intended as a substitute for medical or nutritional advice from a healthcare provider or dietician. Some people have a medical history and/or condition and/or nutritional requirements that warrant individualized recommendations and, in some cases, medications and healthcare surveillance. Do not start, stop, or change medication and dietary recommendations without professional medical and/or Registered Dietician advice. A healthcare provider should be consulted if you are on medication or if there are any symptoms that may require diagnosis or medical attention. Do not change your diet if you are ill, or on medication except under the supervision of a healthcare provider. Neither this, nor any other book or discussion forum is intended to take the place of personalized medical care of treatment provided by your healthcare provider. This book was current as of January, 2013 and as new information becomes available through research, experience, or changes to product contents, some of the data in this book may become invalid. You should seek the most up to date information on your medical care and treatment from your health care professional. The ultimate decision concerning care should be made between you and your healthcare provider. Information in this book is general and is offered with no guarantees on the part of the author, editor or The Pragmatic Programmers, LLC. The author, editors and publisher disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.

A Programmer's Rantings: On Programming-Language Religions, Code Philosophies, Google Work Culture, and Other Stuff

A Programmer's Rantings: On Programming-Language Religions, Code Philosophies, Google Work Culture, and Other Stuff
Author :
Publisher : Hyperink Inc
Total Pages : 393
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781614645955
ISBN-13 : 1614645957
Rating : 4/5 (55 Downloads)

Synopsis A Programmer's Rantings: On Programming-Language Religions, Code Philosophies, Google Work Culture, and Other Stuff by : Steve Yegge

This book grew out of a lot of angst. Well, and wine. Put enough angst in me, and I’ll start ranting. Pour in some wine, and the rants get mean—and funny. I still go back and read these posts now and then, and I always laugh. I was so mean. My angst grew out of traveling different roads than most programmers. Those roads forced me to see the world differently. Now I see all sorts of patterns that many experienced programmers fail to see—because, well, to put it bluntly, they’re stuck in ruts. Over the past 25 years I’ve done a bunch of dramatically different types of programming, and I’ve also written far more code than any programmer ever should. The long roads I’ve traveled have basically given me a sixth sense. I see dead people. And it sucks. If you’re ever unlucky enough to acquire a dreadful sixth sense, there are really only two choices: you can be angry and depressed about it, or you can laugh about it. So I try to laugh. It’s hard, but I’m getting better at it. The wine helps. Practice helps, too. You need to get in the habit of laughing—at yourself, at others, at the crazy world we live in—or in time you’ll just stop laughing altogether. When I first started ranting, I was the ugly American, stomping around in my posts, and essentially yelling “What the hell is wrong with all you people?” But over the next ten years or so, I like to think I’ve grown into more of an amateur software anthropologist. I now take cultural relativism seriously, and I try hard not to judge people who think differently from me. Of course I don’t mind poking fun at them, because I don’t mind people poking fun at me. And ultimately I would like to convince undecided programmers to share my view of the programming world, because programming works best if everyone nearby does it the same way. So I’ll continue to argue that my view, which I’ve recently taken to calling “software liberalism,” is a perfectly valid and perhaps even preferable way to do a lot of software development. Converting everyone to be more liberal is doomed to fail, of course. But even so, I hope I can still help people in radically different software cultures to understand each other better. I’m going to keep ranting, because it appears to be the only way to make a message sink in to a very large audience. Some people still tell me that my blog posts are too long. They tell me I could have made my “point” in under a hundred words. I have noticed that this complaint comes most often from people who disagree with me. They’re really just saying they want less work to voice their disagreement. But even some folks who agree with me find the posts too long to carry their attention, and they complain too. They’re missing the point, though. The posts aren’t too long. You need a certain minimum “heft” to penetrate. Through years of trial and error, I’ve found that the best way to get a lot of people to listen to you is to tell them a story. And you can’t spin a good yarn without settling in and enjoying the ride. So that’s what this book is. It’s really a bunch of stories. Each might take the form of an article, essay, guide, rant, or occasionally a fiction tale. But behind the structure, each one of them is sharing a story. Even if you don’t always agree, I’m hoping you’ll at least find the stories entertaining and, with luck, sometimes even eye-opening. The guys at Hyperink chose which of my posts to include, by and large, and they also came up with the overall chapter organization. I made a couple of tweaks, but what you’re looking at is largely their vision of how to curate this stuff into a cohesive book. I think they did an admirable job. I hope you enjoy the journey as much as I did. Steve Yegge August 2012

Go To

Go To
Author :
Publisher :
Total Pages : 268
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780465042265
ISBN-13 : 0465042260
Rating : 4/5 (65 Downloads)

Synopsis Go To by : Steve Lohr

Lohr chronicles the history of software from the early days of complex mathematical codes mastered by a few thousand to today's era of user-friendly software and millions of programmers worldwide.

The Passionate Programmer

The Passionate Programmer
Author :
Publisher : Pragmatic Bookshelf
Total Pages : 184
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781680505108
ISBN-13 : 1680505106
Rating : 4/5 (08 Downloads)

Synopsis The Passionate Programmer by : Chad Fowler

Success in today's IT environment requires you to view your career as a business endeavor. In this book, you'll learn how to become an entrepreneur, driving your career in the direction of your choosing. You'll learn how to build your software development career step by step, following the same path that you would follow if you were building, marketing, and selling a product. After all, your skills themselves are a product. The choices you make about which technologies to focus on and which business domains to master have at least as much impact on your success as your technical knowledge itself--don't let those choices be accidental. We'll walk through all aspects of the decision-making process, so you can ensure that you're investing your time and energy in the right areas. You'll develop a structured plan for keeping your mind engaged and your skills fresh. You'll learn how to assess your skills in terms of where they fit on the value chain, driving you away from commodity skills and toward those that are in high demand. Through a mix of high-level, thought-provoking essays and tactical "Act on It" sections, you will come away with concrete plans you can put into action immediately. You'll also get a chance to read the perspectives of several highly successful members of our industry from a variety of career paths. As with any product or service, if nobody knows what you're selling, nobody will buy. We'll walk through the often-neglected world of marketing, and you'll create a plan to market yourself both inside your company and to the industry in general. Above all, you'll see how you can set the direction of your career, leading to a more fulfilling and remarkable professional life.

The Productive Programmer

The Productive Programmer
Author :
Publisher : "O'Reilly Media, Inc."
Total Pages : 226
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780596551865
ISBN-13 : 059655186X
Rating : 4/5 (65 Downloads)

Synopsis The Productive Programmer by : Neal Ford

Anyone who develops software for a living needs a proven way to produce it better, faster, and cheaper. The Productive Programmer offers critical timesaving and productivity tools that you can adopt right away, no matter what platform you use. Master developer Neal Ford not only offers advice on the mechanics of productivity-how to work smarter, spurn interruptions, get the most out your computer, and avoid repetition-he also details valuable practices that will help you elude common traps, improve your code, and become more valuable to your team. You'll learn to: Write the test before you write the code Manage the lifecycle of your objects fastidiously Build only what you need now, not what you might need later Apply ancient philosophies to software development Question authority, rather than blindly adhere to standards Make hard things easier and impossible things possible through meta-programming Be sure all code within a method is at the same level of abstraction Pick the right editor and assemble the best tools for the job This isn't theory, but the fruits of Ford's real-world experience as an Application Architect at the global IT consultancy ThoughtWorks. Whether you're a beginner or a pro with years of experience, you'll improve your work and your career with the simple and straightforward principles in The Productive Programmer.

The Developer's Code

The Developer's Code
Author :
Publisher : Pragmatic Bookshelf
Total Pages : 140
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781680505023
ISBN-13 : 1680505025
Rating : 4/5 (23 Downloads)

Synopsis The Developer's Code by : Ka Wai Cheung

You're already a great coder, but awesome coding chops aren't always enough to get you through your toughest projects. You need these 50+ nuggets of wisdom. Veteran programmers: reinvigorate your passion for developing web applications. New programmers: here's the guidance you need to get started. With this book, you'll think about your job in new and enlightened ways. The Developer's Code isn't about the code you write, it's about the code you live by. There are no trite superlatives here. Packed with lessons learned from more than a decade of software development experience, author Ka Wai Cheung takes you through the programming profession from nearly every angle to uncover ways of sustaining a healthy connection with your work. You'll see how to stay productive even on the longest projects. You'll create a workflow that works with you, not against you. And you'll learn how to deal with clients whose goals don't align with your own. If you don't handle them just right, issues such as these can crush even the most seasoned, motivated developer. But with the right approach, you can transcend these common problems and become the professional developer you want to be. In more than 50 nuggets of wisdom, you'll learn: Why many traditional approaches to process and development roles in this industry are wrong - and how to sniff them out. Why you must always say "no" to the software pet project and open-ended timelines. How to incorporate code generation into your development process, and why its benefits go far beyond just faster code output. What to do when your client or end user disagrees with an approach you believe in. How to pay your knowledge forward to future generations of programmers through teaching and evangelism. If you're in this industry for the long run, you'll be coming back to this book again and again.

Working with Coders

Working with Coders
Author :
Publisher : Apress
Total Pages : 227
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781484227015
ISBN-13 : 1484227018
Rating : 4/5 (15 Downloads)

Synopsis Working with Coders by : Patrick Gleeson

Get introduced to the fascinating world inhabited by the professional software developer. Aimed at a non-technical audience, this book aims to de-obfuscate the jargon, explain the various activities that coders undertake, and analyze the specific pressures, priorities, and preoccupations that developers are prone to. In each case it offers pragmatic advice on how to use this knowledge to make effective business decisions and work productively with software teams. Software projects are, all too often, utter nightmares for everyone involved. Depending on which study you read, between 60 and 90 percent of all software projects are completed late, run over budget, or deliver an inferior quality end product. This blight affects everyone from large organizations trying to roll out business change to tiny startups desperately trying to launch their MVP before the money runs out. While there has been much attention devoted to understanding these failings, leading to the development of entire management methodologies aimed at reducing the failure rate, such new processes have had, at best, limited success in delivering better results. Based on a decade spent exploring the world of software, Patrick Gleeson argues that the underlying reason for the high failure rate of software projects is that software development, being a deeply arcane and idiosyncratic process, tends to be thoroughly and disastrously misunderstood by managers and leaders. So long as the people tasked with making decisions about software projects are unaware of these idiosyncrasies and their ramifications, software projects will be delivered late, software products will be unfit for purpose, and relations between software developers and their non-technical colleagues will be strained. Even the most potent modern management tools are ineffective when wielded blindly. To anyone who employs, contracts, manages, or works with software developers, Working with Coders: A Guide to Software Development for the Perplexed Non-Techie delivers the understanding necessary to reduce friction and inefficiencies at the intersection between software development teams and their non-technical colleagues. What You'll Learn Discover why software projects are so commonly delivered late and with an abysmal end product Examine why the relationship between coders and their non-technical colleagues is often strained Understand how the software development process works and how to support it effectively Decipher and use the jargon of software development Keep a team of coders happy and improve the odds of successful software project delivery Who This Book Is For Anyone who employs, contracts, or manages software developers—such as tech startup CEOs, project managers, and clients of digital agencies—and wishes the relationship were easier and more productive. The secondary readership is software developers who want to find ways of working more effectively as part of a team.