Some Books About Programmers

Just read couple of reviews of my blogs at Weblog Review. Looks it aren't all that bad after all :).

This one is about the few cool books that I came across on programmer's life, passions, dreams and thoughts. To tell you the truth, all of them has kept me awake until early mornings since past few months. If you are hard core programmer from the roots, you are in for the real treat! Be hold!

The first on the list is Hackers. No, it isn't about breaking illegally in to some computer system. It's about the very first computer programmers who put their foot steps in to this new world - like a little curious girl entering in the wild magical world of fairy tales. But more than the technicality, the thing that will touch you, cut your skin and swirl through your soul is the stories of passion that these people had - stories that are now permanently carved in to every page of this little book. A wonderful work. After coming from work, I would usually tell myself that I'm gonna read couple pages and then I'll got to sleep and almost always I ended up staying awake until 5 in the morning with my face little tired of all those smirks that passed by. I can see myself and my career like a mirror in this book. It's like reading stories of your ancestors and identifying yourself - or more like explaining yourself why the way you are. I believe you don't have to be techie to read this book - it's more a testament than a technology on the heights of human passion that this profession somehow inherently needs you to posses.

Second on the list is Hard Drive. It's about Bill Gates and building of Microsoft during early years (1975-1990). Well, I never really cared about this (this is my first book on the subject) and my perception of Bill Gates was pretty much like "smart business man who got super lucky". Above book, Hackers, however changed all that. I was actually shocked to know that Bill Gates is really just another hacker - a hard core geek - just like many of others around. And I was just hooked up in to those stories - probably some of the coolest one in Software industry. Author has like picked up all tiny hilarious interesting details. I used to find myself spending hours in conversations about bits from this book and spreading laughs. You just can't put it down!

Last one and which I haven't finished yet (I'm kind of saving it from reading it entirely) is the Show-Stoppers. It's hilarious. detailed, passionate and revealing inside stories of one of the biggest software project ever under taken. After reading the Hard Drive I just can't get enough to know about the Microsoft. This book takes from where Hard Drive leaves - the after 1990 era. And this one is very detailed and that's why it's more fun to read. I almost felt like a team member who lived in the NT team - feeling same pressure, finding ways to curse, getting ashamed for blunders and rejoicing for the final target that would be achieved. If you happen to live in programming world, this book is an absolute must Don't Miss. For others, take it as an optional.