i need your input, amigos...

[inkedmn]

so, my wife told me that i can pick out one book for my birthday (which is a little over a week away), and i'm trying to decide which one to get...

- something dealing with XML
- python cookbook from o'reilly
- maybe a book on SQL

i've only got one shot at this, any suggestions? :)

[Strike]

I thought you were getting DSL?

Anyway, those all sound pretty good to me, no real preference one way or the other.

[Dru Lee Parsec]

Screw the techie stuff. Get a really good novel.

Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephanson

;)

Or the Core Java 2 book. Either one is cool

[Bradmont]

If you get an XML book, don't make it O'Reilly's Learning XML. Only bad O'Reilly book I've ever seen.

[inkedmn]

yeah, i think the dsl think kinda flopped (no $$)...

is there another beginning XML book that somebody can endorse?

[jemfinch]

If I had all my book-buying money to spend again, I wouldn't have bought any technical books. They go out of date too quickly. Buy some good fiction or some entertaining nonfiction.

Jeremy

[Bradmont]

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/014044615X/qid=1029469623/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-6375397-6071357

[inkedmn]

Bradmont: i've got that one :)

even if tech books do become obsolete quickly, i'd rather have an obsolete book than do all of my technical reading in front of a computer.

that's just me though...

[Bradmont]

Originally posted by inkedmn
Bradmont: i've got that one :)


really? Read it yet?

[sans-hubris]

Originally posted by jemfinch
If I had all my book-buying money to spend again, I wouldn't have bought any technical books. They go out of date too quickly. Buy some good fiction or some entertaining nonfiction.

Jeremy I beg to differ. If the book explicates on some standard (e.g. C/C++, SQL, network protocols such as TCP, UDP, etc.) or is extremely general in purpose (e.g. how operating systems work, how programming languages work, etc.) then the book won't lose its value for a while.

With that said, I suggest getting a book on how operating systems work. I can't think of any right now, but I think its interesting.

[fish]

Neal Stephenson has a tendency to ramble about crap :P (EG. three pages about how whatshiface likes cold milk with cereal)

[kmj]

I have Learning XML and XML in a nutshell, and though I haven't read much of either of them, I'm not convinced anymore that a whole book on XML is needed. Python cookbook would be neat. Don't discount Jeremy's recommendation: the big bonus is that fiction books are much much cheaper. And some are so good that you really have to read them. For example: Life of Pi by Yann Martel. Read that a couple weeks ago - best book I've ever read.

[inkedmn]

my wife's uncle had a book called "How to Write your own 32-Bit Operating System".

don't know if i'm ready to tackle that one just yet...

[gufmn]

I thought you wanted to get "Code Complete"

And I have SQL books you can borrow if you'd just friggin' ask!

[sans-hubris]

Originally posted by gufmn
I thought you wanted to get "Code Comlete"
A lot of people have told me that, contrary to one's intuition, "Code Complete" is actually a pretty good book.

[inkedmn]

it's been recommended to me lately, as well...

thinking about it. :)

[unruly]

Dirk Gently books == hilarity in dead tree format

[Strike]

Oooh, that's a good call, unruly. Any Douglas Adams stuff would be choice. Ultmate Hitchhiker's Guide runs for $15 at every Barnes and Noble I've seen.