This is not a list of top ten information technology (IT) books published during 2008 nor a list based on any objective criterion (like number of copies sold). It is a list of top ten IT books at the end of the year 2008. The books are also of general interest, that is, non-technical IT books and the list excludes DIY manuals and technical texts. The only criterion of selection I have used is that the book should have excited me when it came to my notice for the first time and sustained my interest in reading it. When I decided to prepare the list, I did not realize that the task was so difficult, for I would have loved to include many more books but couldn’t due to limitation on number! So here is my list, subjective as it is:
1.Negroponte, Nicholas (1996): Being Digital, London, Hodder and Stoughton. First published in 1995. (http://www.amazon.com/Being-Digital-Nicholas-Negroponte/dp/0679762906/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1230054110&sr=1-1)
(Told me about the difference between atoms (physical world) and bit (electronic world).
2.Gates, Bill with Nathan Myhrvold (1995): The Road Ahead, London, Penguin.
(http://www.amazon.com/Road-Ahead-Completely-Up-Date/dp/0140260404/ref=reader_auth_dp)
(The first visionary account of IT I read by Gates Version 1.0 when he was an IT missionary. Gates Version 2.0 turned out to be a pure businessman).
3.Dertouzos, Michael L. (1997): What Will Be: How the New World of Information Will Change Our Lives, New York, Harper Collins.
(http://www.amazon.com/What-Will-Be-Information-Change/dp/0062515403/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1230055100&sr=1-1)
(A guide to the future speculating about wide varieties of technologies and gadgets. It has a chapter on government too).
4.Gilder, George (2000): Telecosm: How Infinite Bandwidth Will Revolutionize Our World, New York, The Free Press.
(http://www.amazon.com/TELECOSM-Infinite-Bandwidth-Revolutionize-World/dp/0684809303/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1230055329&sr=1-2)
(The first book which told me about the telecom infrastructure, particularly fibre-optic cables and subsequent promise of availability of cheap bandwidth).
5.Hafner, Katie and Matthew Lyon (1996): Where Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet, New York, Simon and Schuster.
(http://www.amazon.com/WHERE-WIZARDS-STAY-LATE-INTERNET/dp/B000UDUVDS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1230055736&sr=1-2)
(The first “definitive” history of the origin of Internet I read which kept me awake too.).
6.Brooks, Frederick (2000): The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering, Addison Wesley Longman. Anniversary edition. First published 1975.
(http://www.amazon.com/Mythical-Man-Month-Software-Engineering-Anniversary/dp/0201835959/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1230056113&sr=1-1)
(The fact that it was widely quoted aroused my curiosity and when I read it I found it pure gold!).
7.Raymond, Eric S. (2001): The Cathedral and the Bazaar: Musings on Linux and Open Source by an Accidental Revolutionary, Sebastopol, CA, O’Reilly. Revised edition. First published 1999.
(http://www.amazon.com/Cathedral-Bazaar-Musings-Accidental-Revolutionary/dp/0596001088/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1230056375&sr=1-1)
(All about hackerdom and propriety versus open source debate).
8.Moody, Glyn (2001): Rebel Code: How Linus Torvalds, Linux and the Open Source Movement Are Outmastering Microsoft, London, Penguin
(http://www.amazon.com/Rebel-Code-Linux-Source-Revolution/dp/0738206709/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1230186314&sr=1-1)
(A thrilling history of open source movement).
9.Himanen, Pekka (2001): The Hacker Ethic and the Spirit of the Information Age, London, Random House.
(http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b?url=search-alias=stripbooks&field-keywords=Himanen,+Pekka+(2001):+The+Hacker+Ethic+and+the+Spirit+of+the+Information+Age,+London,+Random+House&x=13&y=15)
(All about hackerism by an author who got his Ph.D. at the age of 20 years!).
10.Penrose, Roger (1994): Shadows of the Mind: A Search for the Missing Science of Consciousness, London, Random House. First published in 1994.
(http://www.amazon.com/Shadows-Mind-Roger-Penrose/dp/0099582112/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1230058536&sr=1-5)
(All about human consciousness and the still continuing debate about man versus computer by a powerful mind).
(Note: The cited books and their hyperlinks may some times not match due to place of publication).
Does any book qualify to be called a “classic,” a book which does not date and invites you to be read again? I am afraid not. The nearest a book goes to the level of a classic is Brooks’ Mythical Man-Month but the book has become out of date. No other book attracts you to be read again, their arguments, insights, etc. having become familiar and thus uninviting. Note also that no book published during last seven years (2002-08) figures in the list. Is it a sign of a decline in creativity? It appears that an IT classic is yet to be written. Any takers?
Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Dr D.C.Misra
Note: This is a revised post as it gives hyperlinks too!
Looks like a list worth checking out. Thanks. I will be going to the library to look these up. Would be more broke if I bought them all.
The list is a labour of love and my own fancy. Do check up these books before making up your mind to buy any off them. The good news is that all of them are available at very reasonable prices provided you decide to buy them second hand. Happy reading and Merry Christmas.
Dr D.C.Misra
Going to have to check some of these out as well. I think we often focus on the latest business bestsellers and forget some of the big hits from a few years back.
Right.