Hey folks, any ideas about a nice book on general computer science?
Random answering member: "Please define 'nice.'"
Alright. I don't want the kind of academic stuff with lots of rigorous proofs, or the stuff you are supposed to study for formal examinations. I want a book that I can bring to my armchair at night and read kind of like a novel, so lengthy code examples that require a computer to understand will not do. Short snippets that I can work out in my head are OK. I'm also OK with abstract theory, as long as the first condition (not too academic) is met. The physical size and weight is also a concern, so below 500 pages is best (up to 800 is acceptable if the paper is lightweight). I don't need bleeding edge technology stuff either, so some classic from last century (80s or 90s) will fit the bill.
What do you want to learn? I don't have any Arduino-specific books but someone else can recommend one.
Note that the Arduino doesn't run standard C++.
I also don't have (and I've never seen) a "general" computer science/programming book or website. They are all language-specific. In fact, I don't know of a book or website that covers the "big picture" or programming concepts. They all just jump-in and teach the programming language. My 1st programming class was the same and I was confused most of the time, although it didn't really seem that hard.** I assume some classes do cover this stuff, but I don't remember if I learned those things from a class or if it's just something I "picked up".
I have a few C++ books you might want to check out - The C++ Standard Library covers most of the "++" part of C++ and I'd say it's "readable" and well organized. (But it shouldn't be your 1st programming book.) C++ Distilled is also readable and broken into short sections. Thinking In C++ is supposed to be readable, but I wasn't that impressed... I think it's available free online (legally) if you want to check it out before buying a hard copy
** It's pretty easy to get started with Arduino programming but in general programming IS HARD! It's abstract and "different" from any other subject/field. Compliers are "picky" and one little mistake/typo can cause the compiler to report hundreds of errors! Professional programmers make more mistakes (or "bugs") every day than any other professionals. (Thankfully, most errors are corrected immediately.)
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@DVDdoug Thanks for the suggestions, I'll take a look.
Hard to say. I'm certainly no expert, but I'd rather call myself an intermediate learner, if that makes any sense.
Yes, I've noticed this trend. But books can have one of two spins: either (#1) a book on a specific language with some general concepts thrown in every now and then or (#2) a book about language-agnostic, generic CS and programming concepts, with either some pseudocode or an actual language just as examples for the concepts explained. I have got a shelfful of books of type #1 already, so I'm more after a #2 book.