How do the experts solve difficult problems in software development? In this unique and insightful book, leading computer scientists offer case stu...
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Jan 28, 2008
John
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Beautiful Code is another non-animal O'Reilly volume, with high aspirations. As the sleeve submits: "How do the experts solve difficult problems in software development?" If this book (or any) had been able to have answered that question, reading it would be a head-spinning experience indeed.
The book's chapters are each the domain of a different prominent software developer or writer, and several are elegant outlines of what is unarguably some of the best code out there - A More...
The book's chapters are each the domain of a different prominent software developer or writer, and several are elegant outlines of what is unarguably some of the best code out there - A More...
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Mar 05, 2008
Robert
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In Yukihiro Matsmoto's chapter on Ruby he says "Most programs are not write-once ... it is therefore more important by far for humans to be able to understand the program than it is for the computer." That's the essence of beautiful code to me. Unfortunately the book is littered with code that's clever, but not beautiful. There are plenty of chapters that are neither... exercises in what the author hacked together in Perl on their holiday. It's still a fairly interesting read, and I'd
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Jan 24, 2008
Joshua
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An enjoyable book, but really mis-titled. A more descriptive title would have been:
"Leading programmers describe code they've worked on and are proud of, and then awkwardly wrap some discussion of 'beauty' around it."
However, that's a good book too, and this was. I liked the cross-disiplinary flair, and the ideas that were presented as 'beauty'. It's not a good 'skills' book, but it's a good 'mindsets' book.
"Leading programmers describe code they've worked on and are proud of, and then awkwardly wrap some discussion of 'beauty' around it."
However, that's a good book too, and this was. I liked the cross-disiplinary flair, and the ideas that were presented as 'beauty'. It's not a good 'skills' book, but it's a good 'mindsets' book.
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Sep 09, 2011
Shaun
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The idea behind the book is sound: experienced programmers tell you about how they solved complicated programs and unique and efficient ways. In practice, the book reads more like a series of success stories, and it almost feels like the programmers are gloating rather than teaching at times. The useful information contained in this book isn't really anything I haven't carried away from other books in a much clearer context. This might be an interesting book if you like the historical factor of
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Aug 29, 2010
Brad
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If I were to pick one word to describe this book, it would be "uneven". First, the book is supposed to be about code, yet many chapters are better classified as architecture discussions. Some chapters are beautifully written and clearly convey the problem and the solution, along with alternatives and clear statements about beauty in the context of the problem. Other chapters are weighed down in domain-specific jargon and detailed code listings, and it can be difficult to see the forest
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Dec 10, 2008
Leif
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This book is sort of a mixed bag. On the one hand, Matsumoto's outstanding essay on lightweight languages links the two words in the title in a clear, creative, and general way ; on the other, Patzer's piece on business integration through REST is dry and basically just full of code. (I'm not trying to pick on him specifically ; there are many others in the book like it.) Somewhere in between are Dean and Ghemawat's groundbreaking MapReduce paper, an interesting-in-its-simplicity Kernighan essay
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May 18, 2008
Kian
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The good, the bad, and the "ow my head hurts".
This is not a light book. It is not an easy book. It is not a book that I would recommend to those uninitiated into the rather painful world of computer science, rather than software engineering.
The book asked leading programmers to contribute commentaries on what they considered butiful code, and why they consider it beautiful. Some of the authors have managed to succeed in this (dare I use the word?) beautifully More...
This is not a light book. It is not an easy book. It is not a book that I would recommend to those uninitiated into the rather painful world of computer science, rather than software engineering.
The book asked leading programmers to contribute commentaries on what they considered butiful code, and why they consider it beautiful. Some of the authors have managed to succeed in this (dare I use the word?) beautifully More...
Jul 04, 2011
While I didn't finish the whole book, I have read Douglas Crockford's essay on writing a JavaScript parser in JavaScript, and Tim Bray on using regular expressions to extract data from log files.
The Crockford essay is the first article I've ever read on parsing. It's not the first article I've seen on the subject, just the first one I've managed to get through all the way. Crockford's a really good explainer in general, plus the familiarity of the language helped a lot. Now I actual More...
The Crockford essay is the first article I've ever read on parsing. It's not the first article I've seen on the subject, just the first one I've managed to get through all the way. Crockford's a really good explainer in general, plus the familiarity of the language helped a lot. Now I actual More...
Nov 26, 2007
Mark
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A collection of essays from programmers, some about beautiful aspects of code, some about how a programmer thought about a problem, and some about whatever aspect of programming the writer felt like writing about. Royalties from the book are donated to Amnesty International, which explains why the theme isn't the driving force behind this collection.
This is not a book for beginning-level programmers. Mastery of the fundamentals, such as Code Complete, The Pragmatic Programmer, and More...
This is not a book for beginning-level programmers. Mastery of the fundamentals, such as Code Complete, The Pragmatic Programmer, and More...
Dec 14, 2009
James
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I've read a few chapters from this book so far (not sequentially) and found them to be quick and interesting analyses of how programmers tackle and resolve some pretty complex problems. Definitely not for the average reader but you probably know if this is the kind of book you'll enjoy.
Jan 13, 2009
Nick
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I read select chapters from this book but plan to go back and hit them all. Each chapter is from a different author so some are better than others but overall there's a lot of good stuff to be learned from the programming designs and ideas walked-through in this book.
Jul 02, 2008
Chris
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Jan 16, 2009
Alpha
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Not as good as I had hoped, although there are a few gems between the covers. There's a lot of actual code in this book though, so be prepared to do some serious reading and thinking should you pick it up. Overall, it was fun to read, but I'm not sure how much I took away.
Aug 13, 2011
David
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A collection of 30+ essays on various definitions of what constitutes 'Beautiful' code. Some of the essays are outright brilliant; none is mediocre. One of them helped me break through a programming job I was working on.
The book could be going slowly at some points. Some essays are particularly hard to read/understand. But overall I definitely think that this book will make you a better programmer.
The book could be going slowly at some points. Some essays are particularly hard to read/understand. But overall I definitely think that this book will make you a better programmer.
Dec 17, 2009
Mike
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Sectioned into 33 short chapters, each differing in authorship, the book covers a diverse range of programming topics. "Leading Programmers Explain How They Think" was an apt choice of subtitle. This tome is geared towards one who actually uses code to solve problems, practicing developers who are still improving their craft and the like; for others it is likely to be an extremely trying exercise in patience and ultimately not very rewarding.
In a way reading this book is li More...
In a way reading this book is li More...
Aug 28, 2009
Jeroen
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Looking to other great code that is totally unapplicable for me, is boring!
Jun 20, 2009
Nancy
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Reading...hoping for inspiration. Am currently out-of-love with coding, which happens periodically.
Jan 04, 2008
Patrick
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The idea of this book is excellent since many programmers need to think more about how to build beautiful (not necessarily clever) code. However, not all of the chapters really strike rise to the standard I expected. Overall, it's a nice book to have and to read, but several of the chapters could have been removed, so read the ones that interest you, skip the ones that don't.
Aug 28, 2009
Deryck
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There are some great essays here and some long and winding, less interesting, essays here. I read them out of order and sporadically and enjoyed the book, but there was a part of me that was disappointed. Perhaps there's no way to avoid too high of expectations with a title like this. But overall, certainly worth a read.
Oct 29, 2007
Chip
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starts strong, but not all examples stack up to it. seems to lack clear focus, with some essays being about specific code that is beautiful and others being vague hand-waving opinion pieces. worth reading.
Apr 03, 2008
Michael
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Nov 05, 2007
Andy
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A great collection of essays, don't read it straight through, pick out authors you know or topics that are interesting to you and don't feel bad if you don't read every single essay.
Sep 18, 2007
Salim
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Beautiful Concurrency, and the Santa Elf Reindeer mutex problem;
Distributed programming models, a version of the MapReduce paper by Jeff and Sanjay from Google;
Distributed programming models, a version of the MapReduce paper by Jeff and Sanjay from Google;
Nov 24, 2007
Scott
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This is really fun to read on takes of what people think is beautiful code.
Dec 17, 2009
Nicholas
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I've only read bits and pieces of this, but some of the articles I found TRULY WONDERFUL . I suspect, though, that which articles are "wonderful" will depend very much on each individual reader.
My friend Mark Bernstein will probably write a lengthier review on one of his blogs. I will include a link to it when I run across it.
My friend Mark Bernstein will probably write a lengthier review on one of his blogs. I will include a link to it when I run across it.
Feb 11, 2012
