Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship - Book review

Sure, you can write program that works. Sometimes you are not sure if it works in every desired scenario but still you have your program working. Then you add some cool new feature and another feature and you might guess what happens to your code. Even you don't know what your app is doing and more importantly why?
Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship
is a book that will show you through reasoning that reading code is one of the crucial skills that every developer should master. It will present you with the beauty of well written source.


This book teaches you how to:

• Tell the difference between good and bad code
• Write good code and how to transform bad code into good code
• Create good names, good functions, good objects, and good classes
• Unit test and practice test-driven development 

   After finishing this book you will know unit testing best practices, how to write beautiful code, choose meaningful names for your variables, functions and classes, comment your code when and where you need and tons more!

Buy this book: Here

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Ruby Best Practices - Book review

Everyday you are faced with many problems while working on your project, helping ,some other developer or just having fun while programming. You might never think about it but many other developers around the globe face these same problems. What is important ,though not the only important thing, is the fact that common solutions emerge from common problems.
Ruby Best Practices
is THE book where you can find a huge set of common solutions. Creating beautiful code, well designed APIs and cool DSLs is just the start of it!


This book teaches you how to:

• Unlock the secret power of Ruby code blocks
• Bend Ruby code with modules and mixins
• Understand how you can fix things when they go wrong
• Write faster code by keeping things simple

   After finishing this book you will know unit testing fundamentals, how to write beautiful APIs, how to handle efficiently file management, many functional tricks and tons more!

Buy this book: Here

This book is available for free: Here

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Agile Web Development with Rails - Book preview

Writing web applications can be a messy business. There are many web frameworks that try to ease the development of web applications but one really outshines the others! Meet Rails. Ruby on Rails is a framework that builds on top of the Ruby programming language and makes web development fun and easy as it was intended to be in the first place. Now Rails 3 is behind the corner so even more cool features in Rails are added.
Agile Web Development with Rails
is the right place to start when you want to learn Rails if you are beginner or an advanced web developer.


This book teaches you how to:

• Install and configure Rails and Ruby
• What instant gratification really means
• Build advanced Rails 3 application

   After finishing this book you will know how to access database with Rails, send emails, manage users, how to add internationalization to your website, what unit testing is all about and tons more!  

   In general, "The Pragmatic Bookshelf" books are short, simple and contain all the knowledge that you might ask for.And especially this book, co-authored by the creator of Rails is a real gem!

Pre-order this book: Here

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Programming Ruby 1.9 - Book review

Some of you may have heard about Ruby. Some of the words describing it are "cool", "fun", "easy", "intelligent". That last one is what makes you really productive developer and your job - peace of cake! If you look for simple yet complete explanation of the Ruby concepts this book is definitely for you!
Programming Ruby 1.9: The Pragmatic Programmers' Guide
This book is truly a gem, one that will make you better rubyist and will give you some insights why Ruby is becoming so popular these days!



This book teaches you how to:

• Read and understand Ruby code
• Write simple code that solves tough problems
• Choose Ruby when it is the right tool for the job

   After finishing this book you will know what array and hashes are, how to write object oriented programs in Ruby, what unit testing and test driven development are, how to write simple web application and tons more!  

   In general, "The Pragmatic Bookshelf" books are short, simple and contain all the knowledge that you might ask for. Do not hesitate, try this book!

Buy this book: Here

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Concrete Mathematics - Book review

Behold, now this is some classic! Math is part of our everyday life and that is especially true for programmers. Some folks believe that math is tough subject and it doesn't worth the effort. Of course you can use your calculator or some built-in math functions but sometime you have to go deeper than that!
Concrete Mathematics: A Foundation for Computer Science
This book is here to guide you through your journey into the best parts of continuous and discrete mathematics. Donald Knuth himself took a great part of writing this book!


This book teaches you how to:

• Solve sums
• Solve recurrent equations
• Compute binomial coefficients
• Analyze algorithms

   After finishing this book you will know what mathematical induction is, different techniques for solving recurrent equations, thousands of ways to approach your next problem and tons more! 

   In addition, while any reasonably intelligent mathematics student can learn the topics covered in this book, it is written by three master programmers and discrete mathematicians and inevitably also contains enough to challenge just about anyone ,even them!

Buy this book: Here
 
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Introduction to the Design and Analysis of Algorithms - Book review

Have you heard about algorithms? They are the things that make our programs fast or slow! "But my computer is pretty damn fast", you might say? Correct, but even your computer wouldn't be able to compete with 386 machine if your algorithm suck! Don't believe me? Try this book!
Introduction to the Design and Analysis of Algorithms (2nd Edition)
Algorithm design and analysis is science, art and a lot of fun! Problem solving is just awesome! However, have you tried to read a book about algorithms? It's pretty hard to grasp the basics if the approach is incorrect. This book is especially suited for beginners.

This book teaches you how to:

• Understand what algorithms do, not just write them
• Classify algorithms
• Handle recursive algorithms
• Approach a problem that you don't know how to solve

   After finishing this book you will know what algorithm analysis is, the difference between recursive and non recursive algorithms, what data structures are and how to use them wisely  and tons more!   

   In general knowing how to solve a problem with other than the brute force approach is an art and science altogether. You will see the beauty of combining mathematical techniques with pure computer science wizardry in order to achieve the desired outcome.

Buy this book:  Here

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Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs - Book review

Behold, this is a classic! Do you know what is programming actually? Do you know what is in the heart of such a vast field of knowledge?
Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs - 2nd Edition (MIT Electrical Engineering and Computer Science)
This book can answer these questions and much more! It has had a dramatic impact on computer science curricula over the past decade. Moreover, it will have a dramatic impact on your understanding about programming and problem solving!



This book teaches you how to:

• Handle big problems 
• Write a lot of Scheme ( Scheme is a programming language ) applications
• Stateful objects
• Write modular programs

   After finishing this book you will know scheme/lisp syntax, how to write basic concurrent applications, what is lazy evaluation, functional programming  and tons more!  

   In general "MIT Press" produces high quality content that can broaden your knowledge significantly ,yet they are good explained so that everyone can understand the material.

Buy this book: Here

This book is available for free : Here

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Head First HTML with CSS & XHTML - Book review

Did you know that you can create your own custom Web site after just some days of practice? And I mean a REAL one! Well if you want one, this book is definitely for you!
Head First HTML with CSS & XHTML
Today, creating Web page is done using HTML and XHTML to structure your content and CSS for styling. This book will let you know how to incorporate everything correctly. Provides you with great step-by-step approach that is easy to understand.



This book teaches you how to:

• Pick beautiful colors for your page
• Fundamentals of HTML/XHTML
• Fundamentals of CSS
• Handle nasty browser issues

   After finishing this book you will know various css techniques and hacks, html tags, how to create compliant cross browser pages, what is "user friendly" and how to apply it and tons more!  

   In general the "Head First" approach to teaching has proven to be very successful and that opinion is shared among thousands of beginners around the globe! Using the latest research in cognitive science and learning theory to craft a multi-sensory learning experience, this book uses a visually rich format designed for the way your brain works, not a text-heavy approach that puts you to sleep.

Buy this book: Here

Head First Software Development - Book review

So you know the basics, right? You know the difference between variable and a function? You think you are ready for the real world? Not so fast! You are ready for:
Head First Software Development
   When you start new project you are thrilled, thousands of emotions come and go. You feel that you are on the right track. Well you are, but you must be careful too! Even the best programmers have seen projects failure. Instead of surrendering to the common problems, let this book guide you through the best practices of software development.

This book teaches you how to:

•  Handle endless customer request for changes
•  Get used to changes
•  Various development methodologies and how to choose the right one for job

  After finishing this book you will know various development methodologies, project planning, testing and test driven development, good design, version control and tons more! 

   In general the "Head First" approach to teaching has proven to be very successful and that opinion is shared among thousands of beginners around the globe! Using the latest research in cognitive science and learning theory to craft a multi-sensory learning experience, this book uses a visually rich format designed for the way your brain works, not a text-heavy approach that puts you to sleep.

Buy this book:  Here

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Head First Programming - Book review

So you are new to the magic of programming? You want something easy to grasp, full of real world examples, and pragmatic as well. You just found the right book!
Head First Programming: A Learner's Guide to Programming Using the Python Language






This book teaches you how to:

• Understand the basics of programming
• Follow good programming practices
• Create programs that talk to the web
• Not waste your valuable time

   After finishing this book you will handle with ease functions, data structures, algorithms, database programming, exceptions and tons more!

   In general the "Head First" approach to teaching has proven to be very successful and that opinion is shared among thousands of beginners around the globe! Using the latest research in cognitive science and learning theory to craft a multi-sensory learning experience, this book uses a visually rich format designed for the way your brain works, not a text-heavy approach that puts you to sleep.

Buy this book:  Here

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