Software Internals Book Club

This is so neat, as Phil mentioned in the How to run a software bookclub post, out of a group of 500, only 1-2%, 5-10 people may contribute with comments. But he lets the group grow in size because it is minimal overhead and many "lurkers" say they really appreciate reading the comments and get a lot out of it.

I am left wondering is there any way to see past comments on book discussions? I would love to read the discussions as I go through a book already done by the club on my own.

People like me may be more interested in this blog post:

https://notes.eatonphil.com/2024-05-30-how-i-run-book-clubs....

Lol, requires LinkedIn and can't parse valid email addresses. This is what senior+ software development looks like.

It looks amazing as a reading list. I am also reading the OS book by Tanenbaum since the three piece book got very boring after a bit of reading

This is great. I sort of feel a lack of fora for discussing technical books over a longer lifetime than merely say, the HN front page.

While there is a very good selection of readings, it's unfortunate that both LinkedIn and Google are being used here, especially if the discussion is text-only.

"High Performance Browser Networking"

I wish there was an update to this book, reading it a while back I think it covered some proposed HTTP/2 features but definitely not HTTP/3.

Many of the issues discussed had to do with TCP itself.

I would love to see a maths version of this bookclub

Well I don’t have Linkedin so that’s a shame. The idea is very good.

I am left wondering is there any way to see past comments on book discussions? I would love to read the discussions as I go through a book already done by the club on my own.

People like me may be more interested in this blog post:

https://notes.eatonphil.com/2024-05-30-how-i-run-book-clubs....

This is great. I sort of feel a lack of fora for discussing technical books over a longer lifetime than merely say, the HN front page.

While there is a very good selection of readings, it's unfortunate that both LinkedIn and Google are being used here, especially if the discussion is text-only.

"High Performance Browser Networking"

I wish there was an update to this book, reading it a while back I think it covered some proposed HTTP/2 features but definitely not HTTP/3.

Many of the issues discussed had to do with TCP itself.

Well I don’t have Linkedin so that’s a shame. The idea is very good.

I expect if you use www.linkedin.com/i-do-not-have-linkedin as the URL Phil will let you in anyway.

My sentiment too: a nice idea worth supporting but the execution has something to improve. In addition to LinkedIn:

   "All discussion is via a Google Group."

It looks amazing as a reading list. I am also reading the OS book by Tanenbaum since the three piece book got very boring after a bit of reading

Weird. I got bored with the Tanenbaum books (because they are very abstract and theoretical). The 3 piece book OS was very refreshing and I actually learned stuff

The Stallings book is very good.

I remember reading Tanenbaum, the dino book right? It is amazing

Lol, requires LinkedIn and can't parse valid email addresses. This is what senior+ software development looks like.

I would love to see a maths version of this bookclub

Famously valid email address parsing is far from trivial[1] - I wouldn't be so quick to judge!

1. https://www.regular-expressions.info/email.html

My sentiment too: a nice idea worth supporting but the execution has something to improve. In addition to LinkedIn:

   "All discussion is via a Google Group."

Weird. I got bored with the Tanenbaum books (because they are very abstract and theoretical). The 3 piece book OS was very refreshing and I actually learned stuff

Famously valid email address parsing is far from trivial[1] - I wouldn't be so quick to judge!

1. https://www.regular-expressions.info/email.html

I expect if you use www.linkedin.com/i-do-not-have-linkedin as the URL Phil will let you in anyway.

confirmed

(I help host nycsystems w/ Phil- we don't mind, just an easier way to know who is who other than email)

I wonder if someone could be arrested for gaining unauthorized access to a computer system via fraud under US law for doing that.

The Stallings book is very good.

I found it mentions too many out of context things. I’m not in a position to judge if it is technically good

I remember reading Tanenbaum, the dino book right? It is amazing

Dino book is written by someone else. Also found that one boring

confirmed

(I help host nycsystems w/ Phil- we don't mind, just an easier way to know who is who other than email)

I wonder if someone could be arrested for gaining unauthorized access to a computer system via fraud under US law for doing that.

I found it mentions too many out of context things. I’m not in a position to judge if it is technically good

Dino book is written by someone else. Also found that one boring

The computer fraud and abuse act is extremely broad to the point of absurdity.

I run a little email book club reading the highest-caliber books that we might otherwise be intimidated to read on our own; typically covering topics in databases, distributed systems, and software performance.

We are currently reading Operating Systems: Three Easy Pieces.

There are over 2,500 members from around the world and between 300-800 join for any given book. Members include undergrads, grad students, early-career programmers, experienced programmers, founders, and everyone in between. Everyone who is interested is welcome to join.

I try to always find interesting and experienced discussion leaders of diverse backgrounds that help make the discussions the most valuable part of the club, even beyond the books themselves.

Sign up here to stay in the loop.

How it works

All discussion is via a Google Group. There will be no Zoom or Google Hangout, it will purely be over text email.

Each weekend, one person will send out an email recapping the chapter or asking questions to start discussion. It can be as short as a paragraph or two just to get discussion going. Anyone else can chime in afterward.

I will solicit these chapter discussion leaders before we start each new book.

Loose criteria

The focus is on books that would be interesting and useful to senior+ developers (whatever that means to you), though anyone is welcome.

Between 350-550 pages
Focused on a specific software topic, not on philosophy of software in general
Generally not textbooks
Completable in around 3 months reading 1-2 chapters per week

Potential future books

Have a book that fits the above criteria? Let me know!

In the past we've read

Feedback

As always, please email or tweet me with questions, corrections, or ideas!

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