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I don't understand why we "need" textbooks, specifically in the world of Computer Science. Most of the amazing work done to make computers are what they are tod

I don't understand why we "need" textbooks, specifically in the world of Computer Science. Most of the amazing work done to make computers are what they are today is available online.

danieldk 11y ago
Carefully crafted textbooks are comprehensive, balanced, and have a good learning curve (not too steep, not too shallow). Perhaps as importantly, they are edited and contain far fewer errors than a typical blog or Stack Overflow post. As such, they are invaluable as an introduction to new topics. Just to give an example: reading Hopcroft, Motwani & Ullman is far more effective than trying to scrape together automata theory via blog posts or Stack Overflow. As a beginner, you can't even identify what is correct and what is wrong.
- gravypod 11y ago
  Maybe it's just the books for my course, but I have never seen a book with up to day information, a lack of spelling/subject matter errors, and an easily digestible format. Every textbook I buy has turned into a huge paper weight. Can you recommend some textbooks that aren't like that? I'm interested in EE, CE, and CS (Software engineering, DSP, and concurrency).
  - danieldk 11y ago
    Maybe it's just the books for my course, but I have never seen a book with up to day information Basic CS theory does not really get outdated. There's a couple of dozens book that I could recommend. Anything from Sedgewick & Wayne to Hopcroft, Motwani & Ullman.
    - gravypod 11y ago
      The theory might not be out of date, but the notes on implementation are quickly outpaced.
- emmelaich 11y ago
  And Kernighan's writing really is a few levels above the typical quality of textbooks. K&R really is a classic; even as a beginning programmer it rewarded so much on first and almost every subsequent reading.
kaffeinecoma 11y ago
Particularly for "small" languages like Go and C, there is a benefit to sitting down with a comprehensive reference and reading it cover-to-cover. A few hours/days spent in quiet study will pay dividends over just searching Google/Stackoverflow for how to fix whatever your current problem is.
amorphid 11y ago
I recently bought a software learning book for the first time in years. It was nice to read from something other than a screen for the first time in years.
eru 11y ago
We don't need textbooks as dead trees. But the format is still useful, even if you read it on your kindle (or monitor).
- libria 11y ago
  Speaking of the Kindle version, caveat emptor: http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R5M8INIR1QJ63/ http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R5M8INIR1QJ63/

I don't understand why we "need" textbooks, specifically in the world of Computer Science. Most of the amazing work done to make computers are what they are today is available online.

danieldk 11y ago

Carefully crafted textbooks are comprehensive, balanced, and have a good learning curve (not too steep, not too shallow). Perhaps as importantly, they are edited and contain far fewer errors than a typical blog or Stack Overflow post. As such, they are invaluable as an introduction to new topics. Just to give an example: reading Hopcroft, Motwani & Ullman is far more effective than trying to scrape together automata theory via blog posts or Stack Overflow. As a beginner, you can't even identify what is correct and what is wrong.

gravypod 11y ago
Maybe it's just the books for my course, but I have never seen a book with up to day information, a lack of spelling/subject matter errors, and an easily digestible format. Every textbook I buy has turned into a huge paper weight. Can you recommend some textbooks that aren't like that? I'm interested in EE, CE, and CS (Software engineering, DSP, and concurrency).
- danieldk 11y ago
  Maybe it's just the books for my course, but I have never seen a book with up to day information Basic CS theory does not really get outdated. There's a couple of dozens book that I could recommend. Anything from Sedgewick & Wayne to Hopcroft, Motwani & Ullman.
  - gravypod 11y ago
    The theory might not be out of date, but the notes on implementation are quickly outpaced.
emmelaich 11y ago
And Kernighan's writing really is a few levels above the typical quality of textbooks. K&R really is a classic; even as a beginning programmer it rewarded so much on first and almost every subsequent reading.

kaffeinecoma 11y ago

Particularly for "small" languages like Go and C, there is a benefit to sitting down with a comprehensive reference and reading it cover-to-cover. A few hours/days spent in quiet study will pay dividends over just searching Google/Stackoverflow for how to fix whatever your current problem is.

amorphid 11y ago

I recently bought a software learning book for the first time in years. It was nice to read from something other than a screen for the first time in years.

eru 11y ago

We don't need textbooks as dead trees. But the format is still useful, even if you read it on your kindle (or monitor).

libria 11y ago
Speaking of the Kindle version, caveat emptor: http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R5M8INIR1QJ63/ http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R5M8INIR1QJ63/