books on coding and other computer languages and software?

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mewtwo55555
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28 Dec 2012, 7:43 pm

So i get bored easily with tv and i try and have books to read and such. mostly books on human culture and religion. Well i was wondering if anyone could recommend to me any books on coding and programming and other software stuff? The more books you list the happier i am, i love to read.



Brianm
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28 Dec 2012, 7:58 pm

The book that got me started in building software was Visual Basic 2008 Express editon. It came with the express edition of Visual Studio.



eric76
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28 Dec 2012, 9:07 pm

My impressions of the Deitel books on programming are quite good.

Check out http://www.deitel.com/

Considering your culture and religion interests, a writer named Tony Hillerman interesting murder mysteries about murders occurring on the Navajo Reservation. Their native culture and their religious practices are important parts of the books. You might enjoy them.



Trencher93
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29 Dec 2012, 6:49 am

This will keep you busy for a while:

An Introduction to Functional Programming Through Lambda Calculus
http://store.doverpublications.com/0486478831.html



Abstract_Logic
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02 Jan 2013, 12:32 am

You can start with these:
Learn Ruby the Hard Way
Learn Python the Hard Way
Learn C the Hard Way

If you have no experience with coding, you should do the first two (Ruby and Python) before you start on the C one. Also, if you'd like an introduction to the Bash command shell on Unix systems, read this: Learn CLI the Hard Way.

You can also check out the various programming courses at CodeAcademy.com. They provide a great way to get your feet wet before you start learning more advanced stuff.


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JBlitzen
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02 Jan 2013, 4:06 am

Those are language books.

For a thoughtful, enjoyable, and comprehensive book on why computers work, I *highly* recommend "Code", by Charles Petzold. Subtitle is something like "The hidden language of computers".

It's relatively short, targeted at non-programmers as much as programmers, and really explains what it is that these devices do, and why, starting at the very beginning of communication history.



stands2reason
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02 Jan 2013, 9:14 am

JBlitzen wrote:
Those are language books.

For a thoughtful, enjoyable, and comprehensive book on why computers work, I *highly* recommend "Code", by Charles Petzold. Subtitle is something like "The hidden language of computers".

It's relatively short, targeted at non-programmers as much as programmers, and really explains what it is that these devices do, and why, starting at the very beginning of communication history.


Just going based on the Amazon summary, it looks like it's about language theory, not how computers work.

If you want to learn how a computer works (as in, what exactly the CPU does, how memory and IO works), then you want to read a comp. organization or comp. architecture book. Patterson & Hennessy have a couple.



JBlitzen
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02 Jan 2013, 1:10 pm

No, Code is extremely broad in scope. It has large sections on logic gates, for instance, even though it's laid out non-technically. It's a difficult book to describe, but one that should be required reading for anyone who wonders what those little chips do.

By the end of the book, a layman will have 95% of the knowledge necessary to breadboard or homebrew a tiny computer, and will probably have an interest in doing so.

Remember that Petzold is a very well known author who's written, among other things, the definitive introduction to Windows API programming.