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baseline bum
07-10-2006, 01:57 AM
I just got a hold of the first three volumes of Donald Knuth's The Art of Computer Programming...


These three have to be some of the clearest, most well-written, and rigorous algorithms books I've ever seen.

It unfortunately doesn't have any numerical analysis in it (ie interpolation, FFT, ode/pde, etc.), but this guy's writing style is outstanding... it's a way better style than Sedgewick or MIT Press's book. The only CS book I've ever read that I enjoyed as much as this one is SICP (http://mitpress.mit.edu/sicp/full-text/book/book.html) (Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs)
Kori Ellis
07-10-2006, 02:20 AM
:nerd
Nbadan
07-10-2006, 02:20 AM
Algorithms and database writing techniques have never been my forte'. I would rather visualize with with SQL and code with DB2 than writing intricate system code raw. My hats off to you. I've never read the books, but of course, you know that Knuth is writing future volumes to The Art of Computer Programming and later updating his first three volumes
2Blonde
07-10-2006, 03:20 PM
Let me guess, was this your high school picture?????
http://www.snowbizz.com/images/Review/Nerd.jpghttp://www.iamanerd.org.uk/nerd.gif
Ed Helicopter Jones
07-10-2006, 03:23 PM
Damnit, 2Blonde, where'd you get my yearbook pic??!!

Now I'm pissed!
2Blonde
07-10-2006, 03:28 PM
Damnit, 2Blonde, where'd you get my yearbook pic??!!

Now I'm pissed!:lol
SpursWoman
07-10-2006, 03:30 PM
Speaking of books ... I think I'm going to stop by the Great Exchange after work and pick up some good blouse-rippers. :spin
1Parker1
07-10-2006, 03:31 PM
Speaking of books ... I think I'm going to stop by the Great Exchange after work and pick up some good blouse-rippers. :spin

:lol Jackie Collins?
SpursWoman
07-10-2006, 03:33 PM
:lol Jackie Collins?


:lol

I was just going to go Googling to see if she has anything new out.
ShoogarBear
07-10-2006, 03:33 PM
Speaking of books ... I think I'm going to stop by the Great Exchange after work and pick up some good blouse-rippers. :spin

If that's what you're looking for, why waste money on a book . . . :eyebrows
ShoogarBear
07-10-2006, 03:36 PM
BTW, bb, I never had cause to read The Art of Computer Programming, but I did enjoy The TeXbook, which was also phenomenally well-written.
SpursWoman
07-10-2006, 03:36 PM
If that's what you're looking for, why waste money on a book . . . :eyebrows


True ... I have an awesome blouse-ripper at home. :smokin
1Parker1
07-10-2006, 03:39 PM
:lol

I was just going to go Googling to see if she has anything new out.

You should try reading Susan Mallery if you're interested in those kinds of books...:angel
E20
07-10-2006, 04:11 PM
I tried learning C++ and mostly anything related to programming video games, then I'm like fuck it I'm only 15. Now I realize it's much harder and most games have there own engines they create from scratch and I'm now thinking of fucking it.
baseline bum
07-10-2006, 05:53 PM
I tried learning C++ and mostly anything related to programming video games, then I'm like fuck it I'm only 15. Now I realize it's much harder and most games have there own engines they create from scratch and I'm now thinking of fucking it.

What do you expect? Games are far and away the most difficult programs to write. You have to do everything in real time, you have to manage constant input from the user, you have to constantly update the environment, you need an AI that constantly updates every character around you, you need to optimize the hell out of everything since you will have tons of objects you need to keep track of.

You have to know inheritance out the ass since you'll have so many related forms of objects.

You can't just pick up a book and expect to be a game programmer in a few months or even a year. You can always start small with tetris, side-scrollers and so on that aren't going to require the amount of organization that C++ gives, and as you learn more work up to doing more complicated things such as DirectX, code profiling, coding critical blocks in highly-optimized assembly, and so on. To do game programming you have to know your data structures.

It's a really cool job that almost anyone would love to do if they could, but it's not something easy. Then again, anything rewarding isn't going to come easily to you, and if you can program games, you can write anything.

I'm pretty sure Vashner is a game programmer. You should pm him about where would be a good starting point if you're really interested. Lots of math should dedinitely help you. Programming is like math, except you're more concerned with how to do the computation and how to do it most quickly or using the least resources than you are with the end result of the computation.
baseline bum
07-10-2006, 05:56 PM
Let me guess, was this your high school picture?????
http://www.snowbizz.com/images/Review/Nerd.jpg

http://img92.imageshack.us/img92/2383/icyhotstuntaz1wx.jpg

Nah, that was me in the middle, bee-yoch :lol
ShoogarBear
07-10-2006, 06:08 PM
Actually, they look like the same guy. :lol
baseline bum
07-10-2006, 06:11 PM
Awf-uck.... now you know my double life of playing D&D between pimpin' hoes and slammin' Cadillac doors.
SpursWoman
07-10-2006, 07:16 PM
You should try reading Susan Mallery if you're interested in those kinds of books...:angel

I went to Borders on my way home ... both Stephen King (Cell) and Jackie Collins (Lovers & Players) have new books out. And I stopped by HEB and the new Cosmo was there, too. So I'm set for a few days. :tu :lol



:oops @ BB.
1369
07-10-2006, 07:30 PM
It unfortunately doesn't have any numerical analysis in it (ie interpolation, FFT, ode/pde, etc.), but this guy's writing style is outstanding... it's a way better style than Sedgewick or MIT Press's book. The only CS book I've ever read that I enjoyed as much as this one is SICP (http://mitpress.mit.edu/sicp/full-text/book/book.html) (Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs)

Well, it looks like English...