For the past few weeks I've been reading from several books in attempt to learn more about becoming a better developer in general instead of just coding efforts. So far I've learned a lot about aspects of developing web applications and software than most of the nerd community cares to even acknowledge exists. There are three books I've purchased so far that sparked my interest through other developers and then reading the reviews on
Amazon.com and if you are involved in any aspect of building a web site then I'd recommend reading them:
Each one has its own purpose so I won't tell you that you should buy one over the other. So far in reading
Coder to Developer has helped me slow down and think about the entire process of implementing features as well as entire projects;
Don't Make Me Think has pointed out the blatantly obvious way that people use web sites and I will be making changes soon to ease the minds of visitors (as well as myself); and
The Pragmatic Programmer is a must to anyone writing any code on any level - once you can write more than three lines of code you gotta read this book.
These books are helping me to realize that it's just as important to plan, track, and pay attention to how apps/software are used - as it is to write great code. If nobody knows how to use the code you've written, what good is it to anyone? And if you didn't solve the problem that arised in the first place, then was the project a success - even if it's 'finished'? Think about it, then go get the books. Besides, how much time have you spent in the past month downloading the latest gadget just because it was the latest, greatest? Invest that time back into actually improving yourself instead of looking for a tool to accomplish great things.
I'll get off my soapbox now - let me know what you think - or if you have other resources to help improve the web app/software world at large!
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