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Computer Science Computers Computers & Technology Programming Programming Languages SoftwareI bought this on a friend's recommendation, but expected yet another book rehashing the same standard rules: write comments, don't duplicate code, have plans for your projects, eat your vegetables.Hunt and Thomas vastly exceeded my expectations. This book is never dry, often humorous, and always educational. They don't always say what you expect them to say (e.g., about commenting code), and I didn't always agree with...
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...and what's the difference? I've often felt that the difference was attitude. Programmers (or "professionals" if you prefer) were continually thinking about what they did, why they did it and how they could do it better. And I don't just mean searching for a new language ("maybe I should learn Java this week?").The rest of us are just tooling around doing the best we can and wondering why it sometimes doesn't work."The...
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This is, simply, a wonderful book. It is a book that celebrates the real depth of great programming -- something that is too often forgotten or ignored. This is not an idiot's guide to anything -- it is a remarkably entertaining set of dozens of tips to becoming better at what you do, especially if that happens to be programming. The tips are deceptively simple at times, but only a truly naive or inexperienced reader...
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As a programmer, I like to think of myself as pragmatic. Programming is the most precise discipline there is and justifies the cynical joke, "How many character changes does it take to turn `success' into `failure'? Answer: Only one if you are a programmer." However, pragmatic is a very subjective word, so the obvious question that any reader interested in this book would ask is, "So what criteria do the authors use to...
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Someone said to me today:"Humans have been humans for a long time now, but we don't seem to be getting any better at it."The statement struck me because it is clear, concise, and absolutely true; So is this book. What's more, this book tells you how to be a better human.The Pragmatic Programmer explains, step by step, how to master the craft of programming. It describes tricks, techniques, but more importantly *attitudes*...
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