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Ask HN: Best software books written before 2000

Seeking knowledge from before programming became pop culture mainstream. Please share. My list thus far. Mythical Man Month Soul of a new Machine Thx

pinewurst 3y ago
The latter isn't a software book :)
- hnthrowaway0328 3y ago
  If microcode can be considered as software too...
bombcar 3y ago
Code Complete, 1993 edition ;)
mooreds 3y ago
Computer Power and Human Reason https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_Power_and_Human_Reason https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_Power_and_Human_Reaso... The Pragmatic Programmer (makes the cut by being released in 1999, even though there's a second edition) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pragmatic_Programmer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pragmatic_Programmer Refactoring by Martin Fowler (also a 1999 book with a more recent edition) https://martinfowler.com/books/refactoring.html https://martinfowler.com/books/refactoring.html
thecrumb 3y ago
Think it was published in 2000 but https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_Make_Me_Think https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_Make_Me_Think
mindcrime 3y ago
Rapid Development - Steve McConnell - https://www.amazon.com/Rapid-Development-Taming-Software-Schedules/dp/1556159005 https://www.amazon.com/Rapid-Development-Taming-Software-Sch... The Art of Computer Programming Vols 1-3 - Donald Knuth - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Art_of_Computer_Programming https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Art_of_Computer_Programmin... Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code - Martin Fowler - https://www.amazon.com/Refactoring-Improving-Design-Existing-Code/dp/0201485672 https://www.amazon.com/Refactoring-Improving-Design-Existing...
mitchbob 3y ago
Smalltalk-80: The Language and Its Implementation The Unix Programming Environment LISP 1.5 Programmer's Manual Computer Lib/Dream Machines Papert: Mindstorms
epirogov 3y ago
quake 1 source code
jdougan 3y ago
Death March, 2nd Ed. - Ed Yourdon Peopleware, 2nd Ed, - Lister and DeMarco Art of the Meta-Object Protocol

Seeking knowledge from before programming became pop culture mainstream. Please share. My list thus far. Mythical Man Month Soul of a new Machine Thx

pinewurst 3y ago

The latter isn't a software book :)

hnthrowaway0328 3y ago
If microcode can be considered as software too...

bombcar 3y ago

Code Complete, 1993 edition ;)

mooreds 3y ago

Computer Power and Human Reason https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_Power_and_Human_Reason https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_Power_and_Human_Reaso... The Pragmatic Programmer (makes the cut by being released in 1999, even though there's a second edition) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pragmatic_Programmer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pragmatic_Programmer Refactoring by Martin Fowler (also a 1999 book with a more recent edition) https://martinfowler.com/books/refactoring.html https://martinfowler.com/books/refactoring.html

thecrumb 3y ago

Think it was published in 2000 but https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_Make_Me_Think https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_Make_Me_Think

mindcrime 3y ago

Rapid Development - Steve McConnell - https://www.amazon.com/Rapid-Development-Taming-Software-Schedules/dp/1556159005 https://www.amazon.com/Rapid-Development-Taming-Software-Sch... The Art of Computer Programming Vols 1-3 - Donald Knuth - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Art_of_Computer_Programming https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Art_of_Computer_Programmin... Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code - Martin Fowler - https://www.amazon.com/Refactoring-Improving-Design-Existing-Code/dp/0201485672 https://www.amazon.com/Refactoring-Improving-Design-Existing...

mitchbob 3y ago

Smalltalk-80: The Language and Its Implementation The Unix Programming Environment LISP 1.5 Programmer's Manual Computer Lib/Dream Machines Papert: Mindstorms

epirogov 3y ago

quake 1 source code

jdougan 3y ago

Death March, 2nd Ed. - Ed Yourdon Peopleware, 2nd Ed, - Lister and DeMarco Art of the Meta-Object Protocol