Texts you'd recommend?

I'm pretty new to everything; I know I don't know shit. What would you recommend as a good foundation to work off of?



(Ignore all this shit, it doesn't really matter)
Up to now I've just been using these required texts assigned by my university.
Foundation of Program Design 7th
Data Structures Outside In With Java
Absolute C++ 5th
Concepts of Programming Languages
SICP

Now that I have time to dedicate to my programming, I'd like to invest my time wisely. By no means have I gleaned everything from these texts, but I'm curious what someone with more experience would recommend if they knew back then what they do now.

The Talmud. The Sussman recommends it to increase programming speed and accuracy.
http://web.mit.edu/~gjs/random-quotes/talmud

How much time do you have? What are your goals?

I'm a SWEN student if it makes any difference. My current courseload is relatively lax so a semester's worth of generous free time is available to me. Learning a particular language is less important to me than getting a broader knowledge of conventions, strategies, planning, design, paradigms, problem analysis and standards. I want to become knowledgeable enough about the field to provide confidence in my ability to work with a team. I don't have a great concept of whats important to know to become more competent. I've performed excellent on everything assigned but I don't have enough context to know its relevance.

install gentoo

>>4

"conventions, strategies, planning, design, paradigms, problem analysis and standards..." most of those things really only exist within a language. It might sound stupid, but its true. The only things constant across languages are algorithms and datastructures and not even that thanks to the "pure functional programming" people. If you're lucky the word "variable" might mean the same thing to two different communities of programmers centred around two different languages.

You're good enough to work in a team already.

None of the books you listed (except SICP) are considered classics of the field, but I assume they're not terrible if your university assigned them.

However, I get where you're coming from.

My advice to you is:
1. Work through the books "Pharo by Example" and "Deep into Pharo".
2. Read the book "Patterns of Software" by Richard Gabriel.
3. Give yourself some small challenge e.g. "Write a multiplayer Bomberman clone" and do it using what you have just learned.

All the resources are available for free.

Originally you asked "what someone with more experience would recommend if they knew back then what they do now". Well I spent a lot of time trying to "get" the utility of design patterns, architecture, development methodologies etc. before getting very frustrated at it all and henceforth scoffing whenever such things are mentioned. It was only later when I learned Smalltalk that I realized that the reason I found it so infuriating applying these things was that I was taught them incorrectly, and more importantly in the wrong context. This is because many of the techniques come from the Smalltalk community, and appear to you in a game of Chinese whispers from less talented programmers in another community. If you want to understand almost all the techniques used in software development today, and actually understand them (advantages, disadvantages, required context) work through those two Pharo books I mentioned. Look up the history of Smalltalk. You will be greatly enlightened.

The other book I recommended for balance ;)

Also it's highly important that you give yourself challenges and fulfill them while working through the Pharo books. The challenges I give myself are usually video game clones because I'm lame like this, but maybe you can think of other ones?

Woody's got wood