The Design and Evolution of C++
A very interesting read. It details the road from early C with objects designs to the first ANSI C++ design. Gives insight into how the language arrived where it is today and why some of the rough edges that are still present evolved.
The Annotated C++ Reference Manual
The original (pre-ANSI) C++ reference manual from Bjarne Stroustrup. Not particularly useful today, but a neat historical document.
The Unified Modeling Language User’s Guide
Code Complete
Introduction to Parallel Algorithms and Architectures
I picked this up out of curiosity at the MIT coop. Interesting material, but nothing I’ve needed for practical purposes to date. Now likely very out of date.
Herding Cats: A Primer for Programmers Who Lead Programmers
Managing Humans –
User Interface Design for Programmers
and here for a newer version.
Programming as if People Mattered
Software Project Survival Guide
Digital Image Processing, Second Edition
There appears to be a third edition here.
Developing WMI Solutions
WMI is the only way to perform many system level activities programmatically on windows. The digital press books are better, but I bought this one first. All COM based interfaces with a query structured interface in general.
Inside COM+ Base Services
One of the three or four final COM books I keep around. This one got a lot of use over the years and is still a go-to volume for COM related information.
Programming Microsoft Windows with C#
The Petzold book in C# for windows forms.
Generic Programming and the STL
The Linear Interface Circuits Data Book
Gigabit Ethernet
Yet another networking standard. Gig-E was a bit of a messy compromise where jumbo datagrams and long streams of information are needed to make the faster speeds useful. From ten meg to one hundred meg, the total length of a collision domain was reduced by a factor of ten. Doing that again would have reduced the span of the network to a uselessly small size. Instead the number of bits per minimum size packet was bumped up. This resulted in a network design where small packet data runs at effectively 100 meg rates with lots of wasted time for padding.
Also perhaps this.
Understanding SONET/SDH Standards & Applications
Long haul, isochronous data transport with fixed bandwidth slices and provisioned flows. Important information for high speed telecom networks with a huge amount of legacy baggage making it messy to deal with.
Geometric Algebra for Computer Science
A very interesting approach to manipulating geometry. I bought this when we were designing the three plane graphic prescription facility for the MRI scanner at Oni. I have browsed through it, but never fully assimilated the tools it describes. Perhaps one day…
English Syntax, Second Edition
I’ve long had a passing interest in linguistics and this is a pretty good formal analysis of english language syntax. Interesting to rummage through and potentially a useful reference.
Programming Windows, Version 3
Advanced C++
I was looking for books that provided a broader view of C++ idioms. I had high hopes for this volume but in the end found it to be disappointing. The Meyers books ultimately filled that void (and now there are more decent options for specialized topics of course).