I used to read books PAGE BY PAGE. But it seems not that appropriate.
I was
always confused by some knowledge point and then can not step forward.
So I
really wonder how masters read book.
I think HOW TO THINK and HOW TO STUDY is important in programming
zone.
I haven't found the answer yet.
What a pity!

Roof wrote:
I don't read them, I absorb them through the skin. (... chirrup, chirrup)

Reading page to page is often necessary to understand what the heck the
author is talking about. I find myself buying programmers' books because
I think there are a few interesting chapters in it -- usually near the
end --, and when I jump in at that point, I'm lost at the very first
mentioning of some earlier principle/statement/example. I should really
always start at the beginning, but most of that are tedious rehearsals
of stuff I already *know* -- too tedious to work through.

My remedy? ... I stuff the book, hoping to get back to it later, when
I'm either confident enough in the topic to understand what's it all
about, or bored enough to /really/ start at the top.
I have piles of expensive programmers' books by now, holding up coffee cups.

Fortunately I don't program for a living, or else I might be in trouble.

[Jw]

[Jongware] wrote:
I'm just another C hacker, so I don't know.

At this moment my yerba mate cup with bombilla
is resting on a 1978 K&R,
which is on top of a 1988 K&R,
which is on top of
an Intel 80286 and 80287 Programmer's Reference Manual.

--
pete

"Roof" <roofalison@gmail.com> wrote
I usually read them page by page (even Intel manuals)
which may not be the appropriate way for everyone
it works for me though (but I'm an aspie, may have something to do with it)

I have. I hash all the characters in the book and read each bucket in turn.
Much faster. And no loss of information...

Stephen Howe

In article <32afa87d-cab6-492e-8f98-8d73121bbad5
@w5g2000prd.googlegroups.com>, roofalison@gmail.com says...
I don't read books, you can google everything.

On Jun 24, 10:17 am, Roof <roofali...@gmail.com> wrote:
Depends on the book. Some books are reference, meant to be read on a
as needed basis. Once past the intro section, you write programs and
look up the details of what you need as you need it. As a result you
jump around. The PERL book (the pink one) had a great introduction
(the examples of Job's database were great).

Other books are more tutorial style. These often are better read front
to back. K&R is one.

But you remark on the right idea. You need first to know how to think
and study. It takes some practice and study habits differ among
people. Some need top quietly read. Others need to program, reading
only what they cannot figure out from others code. Most of us are
somewhere between those extremes. The fact you see a problem with your
study skills is actually good. That means you want to improve, which
is the real key.

So find what works for you and do it.
HTH,
ed