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My cycle to learn new stuff: Google –> Book –> Google again

Thanks,
Bodom

@MikeH:
Gavin gave good point on the Oreilly subscription. In fact, my company gives each associate a Books24×7 account - and I find it very helpful so far. On the other hand, I still think that book is a very reliable resource, as long as people do the homework to pick the most suitable books to their needs (e.g. to not purchase Effective Java without having written a Java’s Hello World).

@Michiel:
I agree. People need to learn from multiple sources instead of rigidly sticking to one or another.

@Tai:
Good point, but that may not work in all contexts. It may be more time-efficient if you simply pick a good book (say, based on your colleagues’ recommendations) and read it cover-to-cover without having to decide in advance what you need to specialize, esp. when you have absolutely no prior knowledge about the topic in discussion (like Java).

@OJ:
Completely agree. People need to master how to learn from multiple sources.

@Squall:
Books for any good developers: Code Complete, Refactoring, Design Patterns (GoF), Extreme Programming Explained, Algorithms in C/Java. Books for Java/JEE developers: Core Java 2, Effective Java, J2EE without EJB. Those are on the top of my head, I am thinking of posting a specific blog about recommended book read. Stay tuned.

@Dave:
Well, SICP is a good book but I’ve seen many others just as excellent (e.g. those in the list above in answer for Squall). Thanks for suggesting the software-related books though, will consider them.

Thank

Papert: Mindstorms: Children, Computers, and Powerful Ideas

Resnick: Turtles, Termites, and Traffic Jams: Explorations in Massively Parallel Microworlds

Hofstadter: Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid

Alexander: Nature of Order

etc.

Books are great for giving a good introduction and coverage on a particularl topic. The added advantage of books is that it can cover topics that the reader wouldn’t have otherwise known or read about (for whatever reason). A book that’s been paid for is one that the reader will make an effort to read through entirely (at least once) to get their money’s worth. The bad thing about them is that they can be behind the times, and lack quality. The quality issue is actually less of a problem with books that it is for Internet resources.

Internet resources are great as they are much more lively and up to speed with what’s going on in the industry. The bad thing is that it can be tough to separate the wheat from the chaff. There’s a lot of crap content on the web. Avoiding it and learning from the non-crap content is part of the issue.

So, I say again. Reading both books and online resources are key, sticking to one or the other (imho) isn’t a good move. I’m not sure I’d use books as a benchmark in an interview though

Cheers!
OJ

“When learn new things, learn from books, and start with an encyclopedia.”

I suggest going to Wikipedia or Citizendium or any site which can provide a substantial summary of the area you want to explore. Then familiarize yourself with major topics and terminologies of the subject. After that, look for books on such specific topics and proceed with your learning plan.

That’s how I’ve been combining learning from books and Internet resources.
Additionally, discussion with peers during learning, absolutely, is indispensable.

Tai

Using the Internet has its merits, but, if you are passionate enough and want to be a top person at whatever the field you are choosing. then there is absolutely no substitute for books.

I spent some time looking for information regarding Windows Event object but couldn’t find a good enough answer on the web. I am sure the information is out there in some book but I am not going to buy a book for one piece of information.

I created this after spending some time searching.

http://fahdk.wordpress.com/2007/08/17/about-windows-events-synchronization/