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I wrote this about the pragmatic programmer a while ago https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17031609#17031874 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17031609#17

I wrote this about the pragmatic programmer a while ago https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17031609#17031874 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17031609#17031874 Long story short, great book if you read it in the first year of your career but you'll get alot less out of it if you read it later on in your career. Again it wasn't a knock on the book, I also put the Mythical Man month in the same category. The "problem" these books have is that they cover alot of foundational concepts about being a programmer that you'll eventually learn on your own if you are even half way introspective. Reading them early can really jumpstart your programming abilities, reading them later on in your career could have you wondering why everyone recommends a book that just lists out all the common sense ideas that you already know because you earned that knowledge.

vram22 8y ago
A lot of what you say about The Pragmatic Programmer, applies to the book Code Complete too, particularly your last paragraph, however, it has so many "good practices" points, that it is worth reviewing now and then, even for experienced programmers, IMO.
- chollida1 8y ago
  > A lot of what you say about The Pragmatic Programmer, applies to the book Code Complete too Agreed, that's why I listed that book in my linked comment:)
  - vram22 8y ago
    Oh cool, I did not read it since I thought you gave a summary of it in the comment I was replying to. Now I will :)
manaskarekar 8y ago
And this was my reply to that post, which I feel bears repeating: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032446 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032446 - A quick reference for the important points in Pragmatic Programmer :https://blog.codinghorror.com/a-pragmatic-quick-reference/ https://blog.codinghorror.com/a-pragmatic-quick-reference/ - Code Complete: http://codecourse.sourceforge.net/materials/Code-Complete-A-Detailed-Book-Review.html http://codecourse.sourceforge.net/materials/Code-Complete-A-...
maxxxxx 8y ago
I think these books are very valuable for people in management and leadership roles. Instead of just working with the often misguided processes and setups in a lot of companies it’s good to go back to the basics and rethink how things are being done.
DantesKite 8y ago
That’s a good point about books in general—not every book is worth reading and the information inside is only as valuable as the interest it generates or problems it solves.
TimesOldRoman 8y ago
Most companies I've worked at fail at the fundamentals in PP. If you can't do the fundamentals, no way to do more.

vram22 8y ago

A lot of what you say about The Pragmatic Programmer, applies to the book Code Complete too, particularly your last paragraph, however, it has so many "good practices" points, that it is worth reviewing now and then, even for experienced programmers, IMO.

chollida1 8y ago
> A lot of what you say about The Pragmatic Programmer, applies to the book Code Complete too Agreed, that's why I listed that book in my linked comment:)
- vram22 8y ago
  Oh cool, I did not read it since I thought you gave a summary of it in the comment I was replying to. Now I will :)

manaskarekar 8y ago

And this was my reply to that post, which I feel bears repeating: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032446 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032446 - A quick reference for the important points in Pragmatic Programmer :https://blog.codinghorror.com/a-pragmatic-quick-reference/ https://blog.codinghorror.com/a-pragmatic-quick-reference/ - Code Complete: http://codecourse.sourceforge.net/materials/Code-Complete-A-Detailed-Book-Review.html http://codecourse.sourceforge.net/materials/Code-Complete-A-...

maxxxxx 8y ago

I think these books are very valuable for people in management and leadership roles. Instead of just working with the often misguided processes and setups in a lot of companies it’s good to go back to the basics and rethink how things are being done.

DantesKite 8y ago

That’s a good point about books in general—not every book is worth reading and the information inside is only as valuable as the interest it generates or problems it solves.

TimesOldRoman 8y ago

Most companies I've worked at fail at the fundamentals in PP. If you can't do the fundamentals, no way to do more.