Conversation

🔎Julia Evans🔍
@b0rk
random poll: have you ever learned a computer topic primarily by reading a book? (for example something like Rust or React or OpenGL) I'm curious because I struggle a lot with tech books, I almost always read 1 chapter and then give up immediately.
  • yes
    55.9%
  • no
    44.1%
9,426 votesFinal results
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Tom Schouten
@tom_zwizwa
Replying to
@b0rk
yes, but it takes a _lot_ of effort. payoff is proportional: i've reached much deeper understanding from reading books and doing exercises as opposed to learning in "pull mode": identify what i need to know, then learn by building. books are "push mode", a bigger challenge.
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🔎Julia Evans🔍
@b0rk
Replying to
@tom_zwizwa
that's super interesting -- what's one thing you learned from a book that you don't think you would have learned in 'pull mode'?
5
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Tom Schouten
@tom_zwizwa
Replying to
@b0rk
I'll give you two: 1. how Scheme is implemented (Essentials of Programming Languages), and 2. relationships between programming paradigms from Concepts Techniques and Models of Computer Programming (harder to summarize). 1/2
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