February 2011
Intermediate to advanced
504 pages
11h 46m
English
Introduction
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to notice the recent serious decline in the publishing of computer books, to say nothing of computer magazines. I enjoy reading books about software and visit the nearby Barnes and Noble at least twice a month. During the last three years the number of bookcases dedicated to computer books has shrunk substantially.
Today newly baked programmers prefer Google to books. They don’t realize that Google is OK when you know what you are looking for, while books can give you a new perspective on how other people develop software.
During a recent visit to a major bookstore I noticed a series of books on digital photography. I’m one of the legions of people who are thinking of replacing a point-and-shoot camera with a digital SLR such as a Nikon D90. There were about 10 different thin books on that shelf, and I picked the one on the D90. It was about 65 pages long. I quickly skimmed the pages, learning that compared to a pocket camera one of the main advantages of D-SLR is the ability it gives you to change lenses. On top of that, these cameras use a small mirror that enables you to see exactly what you’re shooting, plus you can take more shots per second. Not much information for a $25 book.
The secret was that the book came with a DVD, which contained 80 minutes of instructional videos! The printed part of the book and the DVD complemented each other. The wannabe photographers don’t want to read books.
The new generation of computer programmers ...
