The Forever War
Joe Haldeman, George Wilson, et al.
4.4 on Amazon
7 HN comments
The Soul of A New Machine
Tracy Kidder
4.6 on Amazon
7 HN comments
Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software
Charles Petzold
4.6 on Amazon
7 HN comments
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions: 50th Anniversary Edition
Thomas S. Kuhn
4.5 on Amazon
7 HN comments
Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World
Cal Newport
4.6 on Amazon
7 HN comments
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones
James Clear and Penguin Audio
4.8 on Amazon
7 HN comments
Operating Systems: Three Easy Pieces
Remzi H Arpaci-Dusseau and Andrea C Arpaci-Dusseau
4.7 on Amazon
7 HN comments
Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software
Erich Gamma , Richard Helm , et al.
4.7 on Amazon
7 HN comments
The Origin of Species: 150th Anniversary Edition
Charles Darwin and Julian Huxley
4.6 on Amazon
7 HN comments
The Manager's Path: A Guide for Tech Leaders Navigating Growth and Change
Camille Fournier
4.6 on Amazon
6 HN comments
Open: An Autobiography
Andre Agassi, Erik Davies, et al.
4.7 on Amazon
6 HN comments
Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In
Roger Fisher , William L. Ury, et al.
4.6 on Amazon
6 HN comments
Lonesome Dove: A Novel
Larry McMurtry
4.8 on Amazon
6 HN comments
How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need
Bill Gates
4.5 on Amazon
6 HN comments
Working in Public: The Making and Maintenance of Open Source Software
Nadia Eghbal
4.6 on Amazon
6 HN comments
ZelphyronJune 20, 2021
alexgmcmonJune 20, 2021
I think Code by Petzold is decent in that it's a book you can read in bed etc. but it spends a long time discussing mechanical relays as an analogue and later discusses various processors in depth.
I think Nand2Tetris is slightly better in that it focuses on what I'd consider to be the most important stuff, but it's an actual course and requires significantly more effort.
Nand2Tetris is probably the best course I've ever done though, including my university studies in Physics and ML. It's fun and you learn loads.
runjakeonMar 30, 2021
https://www.amazon.com/Code-Language-Computer-Developer-Prac...
2. Learn C.
3. Learn whatever interests you next.
throwamononMay 28, 2021
https://www.amazon.com/Code-Language-Computer-Developer-Prac...
Minor49eronAug 17, 2021
I would also recommend the book "Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software" by Charles Petzold as a general introduction.
TwinklebreezeonApr 14, 2021
I read for escapism, or to explore other worlds in my imagination. Reading gives me something fantastical to think about. If I want something real to think about I use the internet. Books have never filled that role, and I've never really considered them for it. Am I missing out? Should I try and shake my prejudice against non-fiction?
[1]: Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software
cfmcdonaldonMay 28, 2021
There's a bit of crossover insofar as Code uses relays to build an understanding of how digital logic works and has a few brief historical asides. Likewise The Switch provides a few brief technical explanations to help the non-expert reader along. But in general The Switch will not tell you much about how computers work and Code will not tell you much about where they came from.