Do you like it Hard or Soft?
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- harrisonad
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- Joined: Fri Oct 15, 2004 4:58 am
- Location: Philippines
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Do you like it Hard or Soft?
Nowadays, students and professionals alike take advantage of electronic (soft copy) references, such as PDF files, web pages and other files, to learn their things. I want to know if how many of you still use manual book for studying.
My question is this: what type of references do you like most? books or online references? Then explain why.
My question is this: what type of references do you like most? books or online references? Then explain why.
Well I voted for manuals/books.
I like a quick web tutorial for getting started with something; and I like this forum for expanding my viewpoints on different programming issues.
However, nothing comes close to a good textbook/reference book for helping me truly internalize and understand the material.
The books that sit by my side while code:
Refactoring by Martin Fowler, Test-Driven Development: A Practical Guide by David Astel, PoEAA by Fowler, Design Patterns by GoF, Introduction to Algorithms by CLR (still have to older edition so no S), and Introduction to Database Systems by Date.
The bookshelf behind me has the collected essays of Date, all of Meyers CSS books, and the three volumn Knuth set, not to mention a zoo's worth of O'Reilly....
I like a quick web tutorial for getting started with something; and I like this forum for expanding my viewpoints on different programming issues.
However, nothing comes close to a good textbook/reference book for helping me truly internalize and understand the material.
The books that sit by my side while code:
Refactoring by Martin Fowler, Test-Driven Development: A Practical Guide by David Astel, PoEAA by Fowler, Design Patterns by GoF, Introduction to Algorithms by CLR (still have to older edition so no S), and Introduction to Database Systems by Date.
The bookshelf behind me has the collected essays of Date, all of Meyers CSS books, and the three volumn Knuth set, not to mention a zoo's worth of O'Reilly....
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crazytopu
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- Location: London, UK
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Lucky you! Whatever books you want to have you can have them in your collection. I always think of it as one of my biggest drawbacks to equal with the knowledge of fellow programers. In the country's biggest book store I didnot get any of those Meyers CSS books. There is not adequate amount of books on web development. If one book store has wrox's PHP, every other store is happen to have that but getting different publications books on PHP is next to impossible. I once searched for a book that covers all three- PHP+MySQL+Apache , there was none, thogh I took 10 reference with me that I got after searching the web and forum.
To make it even worse, Our national bank has restrictions on trade over the Internet. So, can't buy those books online and with so limited money (bad economy)I can't even think of buying books in Dollar. Sometimes I really wish there were some guys making their own resources accesible to people like us who have so many restrictions.
As you see, I have to rely on the e-resources a lot more than hard manual. It's not that I prefer it, I am just pretty much out of any suitable alternative.
To make it even worse, Our national bank has restrictions on trade over the Internet. So, can't buy those books online and with so limited money (bad economy)I can't even think of buying books in Dollar. Sometimes I really wish there were some guys making their own resources accesible to people like us who have so many restrictions.
As you see, I have to rely on the e-resources a lot more than hard manual. It's not that I prefer it, I am just pretty much out of any suitable alternative.
- harrisonad
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Books are so portable. You can bring them almost everywhere, except for under the sea of course. And you don't have to worry about your eyes corrupting after hours of reading online documents.
Plus you can read books even without electricity, like in uncivilized places,
well just in case you visit one.
Plus you can read books even without electricity, like in uncivilized places,
Depends.
I think it depends on the type of book….
If it is a novel or something like that, I would like a hard copy.
So that I can enjoy it and give my eyes something a bit different
to look at as opposed to my Laptop screen.
If it is something I need to learn, something like news or something
that I am using as reference while working, then I like to have an
electronic copy so that I can search easily or even …. Copy / Paste.
If it is a novel or something like that, I would like a hard copy.
So that I can enjoy it and give my eyes something a bit different
to look at as opposed to my Laptop screen.
If it is something I need to learn, something like news or something
that I am using as reference while working, then I like to have an
electronic copy so that I can search easily or even …. Copy / Paste.
Copy Code
Yip,
It is a bad idea to copy code....
Even if it is you own,
it is very easy to copy mistakes
But if you are compiling research or have a list of
amounts / transactions, etc. then copy/paste is useful.
It is a bad idea to copy code....
Even if it is you own,
it is very easy to copy mistakes
But if you are compiling research or have a list of
amounts / transactions, etc. then copy/paste is useful.
I like books because of their smell and feel. e-resources are in most cases more handy, but still... Also books are easier to read while in toilet.
How much demand is there in your country for these books? Can you start your own business, importing books? If demand is high then the profit would be good. Or at least minimal profit and the main thing: books available for programmers and students.crazytopu wrote: There is not adequate amount of books on web development...
Sometimes I really wish there were some guys making their own resources accesible to people like us who have so many restrictions.
As you see, I have to rely on the e-resources a lot more than hard manual. It's not that I prefer it, I am just pretty much out of any suitable alternative.