Our 8 favorite software development books

23 april 2020 om 10:17 by ParTech Media - Post a comment

Software development can be a tough job, but also a rewarding one. Like practice, learning is integral to hone and advance in the art of software development.

Whether you are a tech professional or a student aspiring to be a software expert someday; if software development interests you then you must read our favorite 8 software development books!

Without further ado, here are our favorite picks:

1. Clean Architecture: A Craftsman’s Guide to Software Structure and Design

Author bio – Robert C. Martin, a.k.a. Uncle Bob is a celebrated author and an established American software engineer and instructor. A popular advocate of the SOLID principles, Martin has penned several on-point, widely-popular books on software development.

Highlights:

  • Capabilities and limitations of various programming paradigms, such as object-oriented, functional, imperative, and logical.
  • Essential software design principles for component separation and data management.
  • Organizing components and services.
  • Software architecture best practices.
  • The crux of software development, design, and programming.
  • Typical do’s and don’ts of software architecture and design, deep study.

Why this book – The Clean Architecture book by Uncle Bob is a must-have book for any software developer deciding to go down the path of commercial software development. It is effective for refreshing the basics while double checking the do’s and don’ts, time and again.

Take a look at this book on Amazon

2. Code Complete: A Practical Handbook of Software Construction

Author bio – An expert in software engineering and project management, Steve McConnell is the author of several popular software development books, including Rapid Development and Software Estimation.

Highlights:

  • Combines theory with day-to-day examples and academic research.
  • Designing for minimizing complexity and maximizing productivity.
  • Explores the most effective principles and techniques of software development and programming.
  • Guide to quick and effective debugging.
  • How to refactor or evolve code safely.
  • Reducing flush out errors with the application of defensive programming techniques.

Why this book – The Code Complete is a lengthy book that educates learners in writing computer programs for people first, and machines thereafter. It covers all the basics of software development and programming, making it one of the fitting, practical references for software developers.

Take a look at this book on Amazon

3. Head First Design Patterns: A Brain-Friendly Guide

Author bio – Eric Freeman is a computer scientist, also known for the Lifestreaming concept. Elisabeth Robson is a computer scientist, software developer, and author of 5 books on software development. Kathy Sierra is an American game developer and programming instructor. She is the co-creator of the Head First book series along with Bert Bates, who is a certified Java programmer and software developer.

Highlights:

  • Dives deep into the tried-and-tested software design patterns for creating elegant, flexible, fully-functional, and reusable software.
  • Explores software development best practices.
  • Follows a unique, visually-rich format.
  • Goes in-depth into the following design patterns:
    • Adapter and Facade
    • Command
    • Decorator
    • Factory
    • Iterator and Composite
    • Observer
    • Proxy
    • Singleton
    • State
    • Template Method
    • Compound Patterns
  • Special emphasis on Java and object-oriented design principles.

Why this book – When it comes to illustrating the software design patterns perfectly using elaborative, attention-grabbing analogies and examples, Head First Design Patterns: A Brain-Friendly Guide is second to none. The software development book explores common development pitfalls and how to sidestep them.

Take a look at this book on Amazon

4. Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture

Author bio – Martin Fowler’s 1999 book Refactoring helped to popularize the practice of code refactoring. In addition to being a reputed software developer, he is also a world-class public speaker on software development.

Highlights:

  • Detailed examples in C# and Java.
  • Exhaustive references to architecture patterns.
  • Focuses on enterprise-level software structure.
  • Replete with richly-illustrated UML diagrams.
  • Comprehensively covers:
    • Accessing data in an application
    • Data source architectural patterns
    • Handling concurrency and avoiding deadlocks
    • Organizing the domain and business logic
    • Web presentations patterns

Why this book – Since 2002, the Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture book has been teaching software developers about developing and designing robust enterprise applications by leveraging proven architecture patterns. It is a book that focuses on software design patterns through an enterprise-oriented lens.

Take a look at this book on Amazon

5. The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master

Author bio – Andrew Hunt, a.k.a. Andy Hunt has several books on software development under his name. He is a co-author of the Agile Manifesto and co-founder of the Agile Alliance. Dave Thomas is a computer programmer, author, and editor who coined the terms Code Kata and DRY.

Highlights:

  • Emphasizes on version-tracking.
  • Estimating time and effort for software development projects.
  • How to integrate testing effectively into software development.
  • The importance of regular expression syntax.
  • Why one should learn a text-manipulating language.

Why this book – The Pragmatic Programmer is a classic book that has been enlightening software developers, engineers, architects, and programmers for the past 2 decades. It is a worthy addition to the bookstore of any software developer owing to its rigorous knowledge and plethora of practical advice for mastering the art of software programming.

Take a look at this book on Amazon

6. The Art of Computer Programming

Author bio – Donald E. Knuth is professor emeritus at Stanford University. The computer scientist/mathematician is the recipient of the 1974 ACM Turing Award. Other than popularizing the asymptotic notation, he also contributed to many branches of theoretical computer science.

Highlights:

  • A comprehensive overview and analysis of various types of algorithms.
  • A timeless software development classic.
  • Interesting analogies for adaptability, structure, reusability, and maintenance of software programs.
  • Rigorous exercise regime.
  • Teaching concepts using practical examples.

Why this book – Although published in 1968, The Art of Computer Programming book is still relevant to contemporary software development; programming, in particular. It is a tried-and-trusted book for building a robust understanding of the workings of programming algorithms.

Take a look at this book on Amazon

7. Introduction to Algorithms

Author bio – Thomas H. Cormen is a professor of computer science at Dartmouth College with research interests in algorithm engineering and parallel computing. Charles E. Leiserson is an American computer scientist, specializing in distributed computing and parallel computing. He developed the multithreaded language Cilk. Ronald L. Rivest is a cryptographer, Institute Professor at MIT, and co-inventor of the RSA algorithm. Clifford Stein is a computer scientist and professor at Columbia University with a research interest in the design and analysis of algorithms.

Highlights:

  • Algorithms defined in English and pseudocode decipherable by even basic programmers.
  • Combines a rigorous exercise regime with comprehensive knowledge.
  • Covers:
    • Role of algorithms
    • Probabilistic analysis
    • Randomized algorithms
    • Linear programming
    • Multithreaded algorithms
    • Van Emde Boas trees
  • Features an appendix on matrices
  • Goes in-depth into a range of algorithms and their workings.
  • Self-contained chapters.
  • Used extensively as a reference for professionals and coursebook for learners.

Why this book – Algorithms form the backbone of software programming. The Introduction to Algorithms book not only covers a range of algorithms but also makes their design and analysis accessible to readers of all levels. The software development book is easy-to-read, well-structured, and replete with exercises.

Take a look at this book on Amazon

8. Soft Skills: The Software Developer’s Life Manual

Author bio – John Sonmez is the man behind the awesome Simple Programmer blog, now a full-fledged website, and The Complete Software Developer’s Career Guide book. He is a coach, consultant, software developer, and a flamboyant speaker.

Highlights:

  • Easy and fun to read.
  • Each chapter accompanies a unique Take Action section.
  • Focuses on the all-round growth of a software developer.

Why this book – The Soft Skills book is a trusted partner of a software developer for leading a fulfilling professional life. This book, like none other, gives practical advice on career, productivity, managing finances, investing, fitness, and relationships, all from a software developer’s POV. A must-have for any professional software developer.

Take a look at this book on Amazon

Conclusion

That concludes our list of the best 8 software development books. Remember, software development is an ever-expanding and evolving field that requires ardent practice, remaining up-to-date with the latest practices and methodologies, continuous learning, and never giving up.

Keep learning!

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