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My school doesn't progress fast enough for me so i branch out on my own. I would read the free online articles, but i find it just more effecient, and more resourceful to read the book.
However i rarely buy brand new books, half price books is my primary source (1000 page books for $6) The only books i buy new are ones on graphics programming, since half price books NEVER has anything on them.
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You know the problem with being the coolest dude in the computer world? It really doesn't set the bar very high. (This post is meant in jest and not as a personal attack)
"Until the day of his death, no man can be sure of his courage" -- Jean Anouilh
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Firstly, because of the fast pace of technology the book will be out of date about one month after I buy it.
Secondly, a lot of the articals, tutorials etc. are non-commercial (I mean they're writen by people who don't want to make money writing books) - hence, they're only available online (In many cases the articals on this site make better Windows training material than commerically written books  )
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ed welch wrote: the book will be out of date about one month after I buy it
Sometimes they are out of date before you buy it. There are so many out of date books in my local bookstore.
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It has been said (blatant wiki parody) that one must read 3 books on a subject per year to be considered an expert. If I buy one industry/programming book per month what does that make me? (Other than egotistical) Actually, all jest aside. Books really are a crucial tool and a large library provides a handy reference and in a lot of cases more so than the web. Sometimes authors will mention something obscure that is nearly impossible to find on the web. For example: how big is an integer in c++?
"Until the day of his death, no man can be sure of his courage" -- Jean Anouilh
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You can read books 'til your ass bleeds (to paraphrase Eric Cartman  ), but I would not consider anyone an expert, until they get in the trenches and apply what they've learned.
Ennis Ray Lynch, Jr. wrote: Sometimes authors will mention something obscure that is nearly impossible to find on the web. For example: how big is an integer in c++?
True, but it will probably end up in someone's blog anyway, so someone will find it. Use sizeof(int) - assumptions makes an ass of the compiler and me. 
This is all in jest, of course, reading is fundamental and knoweledge is power!
- S
50 cups of coffee and you know it's on!
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The last two programming books I bought were The C++ Programming Language 3rd edition by Stroustrup and the CSS Pocket Reference by Eric Meyer.
I don't bother with the screen-dump mega-tomes or the Major Hot Technology De jour for Dummies books. For the one or two pages that are worthwhile, they're awfully expensive and either poorly written or a scraping of the application help text (which can also be poorly written, but that's another rant).
I only buy basic references, since they seem to be the only books that have any utility, and hold their value long enough to be worth the price.
Software Zen: delete this;
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Ten years ago I would get through about one book every week. I still have some of them - they are the perfect weight for holding doors open. The last IT book I've purchased or had purchased for me (excluding those shipping with software) was in 2001. Since then the Internet and networking has been the provider of information for me. Having the ability to bug talk directly to people involved in just about every speciality area in the industry is worth more than any library, and there is a lot of good information out there on the web (present company included).
I still can't get used to reading large bodies of text on a computer screen though. If it's more than four or five pages I have to print it out to absorb it properly. I think it is because I'm used to having e-mails arrive and tasks that constantly need monitoring when I am using a computer, whereas with a piece of paper there is nothing to distract you.
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...but nowadays, with technology constantly updating, trends shifting every 6 months, it's hardly worth buying any books, unless the coverage is deep and the technology has matured.
Never send a human to do a machine's job Agent Smith
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I just read e-books they so easy to find on the net just hurts your eyes after a while.
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