Book picks similar to
Game Development and Production (Wordware Game Developer's Library) by Erik Bethke
software
game-design
computer
graphics
The Soul of a New Machine
Tracy Kidder - 1981
Tracy Kidder got a preview of this world in the late 1970s when he observed the engineers of Data General design and build a new 32-bit minicomputer in just one year. His thoughtful, prescient book, The Soul of a New Machine, tells stories of 35-year-old "veteran" engineers hiring recent college graduates and encouraging them to work harder and faster on complex and difficult projects, exploiting the youngsters' ignorance of normal scheduling processes while engendering a new kind of work ethic.These days, we are used to the "total commitment" philosophy of managing technical creation, but Kidder was surprised and even a little alarmed at the obsessions and compulsions he found. From in-house political struggles to workers being permitted to tease management to marathon 24-hour work sessions, The Soul of a New Machine explores concepts that already seem familiar, even old-hat, less than 20 years later. Kidder plainly admires his subjects; while he admits to hopeless confusion about their work, he finds their dedication heroic. The reader wonders, though, what will become of it all, now and in the future. —Rob Lightner
Cocoa Design Patterns
Erik M. Buck - 2009
Although Cocoa is indeed huge, once you understand the object-oriented patterns it uses, you'll find it remarkably elegant, consistent, and simple. Cocoa Design Patterns begins with the mother of all patterns: the Model-View-Controller (MVC) pattern, which is central to all Mac and iPhone development. Encouraged, and in some cases enforced by Apple's tools, it's important to have a firm grasp of MVC right from the start. The book's midsection is a catalog of the essential design patterns you'll encounter in Cocoa, including Fundamental patterns, such as enumerators, accessors, and two-stage creation Patterns that empower, such as singleton, delegates, and the responder chain Patterns that hide complexity, including bundles, class clusters, proxies and forwarding, and controllers And that's not all of them! Cocoa Design Patterns painstakingly isolates 28 design patterns, accompanied with real-world examples and sample code you can apply to your applications today. The book wraps up with coverage of Core Data models, AppKit views, and a chapter on Bindings and Controllers. Cocoa Design Patterns clearly defines the problems each pattern solves with a foundation in Objective-C and the Cocoa frameworks and can be used by any Mac or iPhone developer.
User-Centered Design: A Developer's Guide to Building User-Friendly Applications
Travis Lowdermilk - 2013
With practical guidelines and insights from his own experience, author Travis Lowdermilk shows you how usability and user-centered design will dramatically change the way your application interacts with people.You’ll learn valuable strategies for conducting each stage of the design process, from interviewing likely users and discovering your application’s purpose to creating a rich user experience with sound design principles. User-Centered Design is invaluable no matter what platform you use or audience you target.- Explore usability and how it relates to user-centered design- Learn how to deal with users and their unique personalities- Clarify your application’s purpose, using a simple narrative to describe its use- Plan your project’s development with a software development life cycle- Be creative within the context of your user experience goals- Use visibility, consistency, and other design principles to enhance user experience- Gain user feedback of your prototype with surveys, interviews, and usability studies
Real-World Functional Programming: With Examples in F# and C#
Tomas Petricek - 2009
Microsoft's new F# is a true functional language and C# uses functional language features for LINQ and other recent advances.Real-World Functional Programming is a unique tutorial that explores the functional programming model through the F# and C# languages. The clearly presented ideas and examples teach readers how functional programming differs from other approaches. It explains how ideas look in F#-a functional language-as well as how they can be successfully used to solve programming problems in C#. Readers build on what they know about .NET and learn where a functional approach makes the most sense and how to apply it effectively in those cases.The reader should have a good working knowledge of C#. No prior exposure to F# or functional programming is required.Purchase of the print book comes with an offer of a free PDF, ePub, and Kindle eBook from Manning. Also available is all code from the book.
Eloquent JavaScript: A Modern Introduction to Programming
Marijn Haverbeke - 2010
I loved the tutorial-style game-like program development. This book rekindled my earliest joys of programming. Plus, JavaScript!" —Brendan Eich, creator of JavaScriptJavaScript is the language of the Web, and it's at the heart of every modern website from the lowliest personal blog to the mighty Google Apps. Though it's simple for beginners to pick up and play with, JavaScript is not a toy—it's a flexible and complex language, capable of much more than the showy tricks most programmers use it for.Eloquent JavaScript goes beyond the cut-and-paste scripts of the recipe books and teaches you to write code that's elegant and effective. You'll start with the basics of programming, and learn to use variables, control structures, functions, and data structures. Then you'll dive into the real JavaScript artistry: higher-order functions, closures, and object-oriented programming.Along the way you'll learn to:Master basic programming techniques and best practices Harness the power of functional and object-oriented programming Use regular expressions to quickly parse and manipulate strings Gracefully deal with errors and browser incompatibilities Handle browser events and alter the DOM structure Most importantly, Eloquent JavaScript will teach you to express yourself in code with precision and beauty. After all, great programming is an art, not a science—so why settle for a killer app when you can create a masterpiece?
Beginning Ruby: From Novice to Professional
Peter Cooper - 2007
However, it is an extremely powerful and versatile programming language in its own right. It focuses on simplicity and offers a fully object-oriented environment."Beginning Ruby" is a thoroughly contemporary guide for every type of reader who wants to learn Ruby, from novice programmers to web developers to Ruby newcomers. It starts by explaining the principles behind object-oriented programming and within a few chapters builds toward creating a genuine Ruby application.The book then explains key Ruby principles, such as classes and objects, projects, modules, and libraries, and other aspects of Ruby such as database access. In addition, Ruby on Rails is covered in depth, and the books appendixes provide essential reference information as well as a primer for experienced programmers. What you'll learn Understand the basics of Ruby and object-oriented building blocks. Work with Ruby libraries, gems, and documentation. Work with files and databases. Write and deploy Ruby applications. Explore Ruby web frameworks and aspects of network programming with Ruby. Develop desktop and GUI applications with Ruby. Who this book is forBeginning programmers, programmers new to Ruby, and web developers interested in knowing the foundations of the language. "
The Art of UNIX Programming
Eric S. Raymond - 2003
This book attempts to capture the engineering wisdom and design philosophy of the UNIX, Linux, and Open Source software development community as it has evolved over the past three decades, and as it is applied today by the most experienced programmers. Eric Raymond offers the next generation of hackers the unique opportunity to learn the connection between UNIX philosophy and practice through careful case studies of the very best UNIX/Linux programs.
Tmux 2: Productive Mouse-Free Development
Brian P. Hogan - 2016
The time you spend context switching between your editor and your consoles eats away at your productivity. Take control of your environment with tmux, a terminal multiplexer that you can tailor to your workflow. With this updated second edition for tmux 2.3, you'll customize, script, and leverage tmux's unique abilities to craft a productive terminal environment that lets you keep your fingers on your keyboard's home row.You have a database console, web server, test runner, and text editor running at the same time, but switching between them and trying to find what you need takes up valuable time and breaks your concentration. By using tmux 2.3, you can improve your productivity and regain your focus. This book will show you how.This second edition includes many features requested by readers, including how to integrate plugins into your workflow, how to integrate tmux with Vim for seamless navigation - oh, and how to use tmux on Windows 10.Use tmux to manage multiple terminal sessions in a single window using only your keyboard. Manage and run programs side by side in panes, and create the perfect development environment with custom scripts so that when you're ready to work, your programs are waiting for you. Manipulate text with tmux's copy and paste buffers, so you can move text around freely between applications. Discover how easy it is to use tmux to collaborate remotely with others, and explore more advanced usage as you manage multiple tmux sessions, add custom scripts into the tmux status line, and integrate tmux with your system.Whether you're an application developer or a system administrator, you'll find many useful tricks and techniques to help you take control of your terminal.
Hadoop Explained
Aravind Shenoy - 2014
Hadoop allowed small and medium sized companies to store huge amounts of data on cheap commodity servers in racks. The introduction of Big Data has allowed businesses to make decisions based on quantifiable analysis. Hadoop is now implemented in major organizations such as Amazon, IBM, Cloudera, and Dell to name a few. This book introduces you to Hadoop and to concepts such as ‘MapReduce’, ‘Rack Awareness’, ‘Yarn’ and ‘HDFS Federation’, which will help you get acquainted with the technology.
JavaScript: The Definitive Guide
David Flanagan - 1996
This book is both an example-driven programmer's guide and a keep-on-your-desk reference, with new chapters that explain everything you need to know to get the most out of JavaScript, including:Scripted HTTP and Ajax XML processing Client-side graphics using the canvas tag Namespaces in JavaScript--essential when writing complex programs Classes, closures, persistence, Flash, and JavaScript embedded in Java applicationsPart I explains the core JavaScript language in detail. If you are new to JavaScript, it will teach you the language. If you are already a JavaScript programmer, Part I will sharpen your skills and deepen your understanding of the language.Part II explains the scripting environment provided by web browsers, with a focus on DOM scripting with unobtrusive JavaScript. The broad and deep coverage of client-side JavaScript is illustrated with many sophisticated examples that demonstrate how to:Generate a table of contents for an HTML document Display DHTML animations Automate form validation Draw dynamic pie charts Make HTML elements draggable Define keyboard shortcuts for web applications Create Ajax-enabled tool tips Use XPath and XSLT on XML documents loaded with Ajax And much morePart III is a complete reference for core JavaScript. It documents every class, object, constructor, method, function, property, and constant defined by JavaScript 1.5 and ECMAScript Version 3.Part IV is a reference for client-side JavaScript, covering legacy web browser APIs, the standard Level 2 DOM API, and emerging standards such as the XMLHttpRequest object and the canvas tag.More than 300,000 JavaScript programmers around the world have made this their indispensable reference book for building JavaScript applications."A must-have reference for expert JavaScript programmers...well-organized and detailed."-- Brendan Eich, creator of JavaScript
Mathematics for 3D Game Programming and Computer Graphics
Eric Lengyel - 2001
Unfortunately, most programmers frequently have a limited understanding of these essential mathematics and physics concepts. MATHEMATICS AND PHYSICS FOR PROGRAMMERS, THIRD EDITION provides a simple but thorough grounding in the mathematics and physics topics that programmers require to write algorithms and programs using a non-language-specific approach. Applications and examples from game programming are included throughout, and exercises follow each chapter for additional practice. The book's companion website provides sample code illustrating the mathematical and physics topics discussed in the book.
The Rails Way
Obie Fernandez - 2007
Now, for the first time, there s a comprehensive, authoritative guide to building production-quality software with Rails. Pioneering Rails developer Obie Fernandez and a team of experts illuminate the entire Rails API, along with the Ruby idioms, design approaches, libraries, and plug-ins that make Rails so valuable. Drawing on their unsurpassed experience, they address the real challenges development teams face, showing how to use Rails tools and best practices to maximize productivity and build polished applications users will enjoy. Using detailed code examples, Obie systematically covers Rails key capabilities and subsystems. He presents advanced programming techniques, introduces open source libraries that facilitate easy Rails adoption, and offers important insights into testing and production deployment. Dive deep into the Rails codebase together, discovering why Rails behaves as it does and how to make it behave the way you want it to. This book will help you Increase your productivity as a web developer Realize the overall joy of programming with Ruby on Rails Learn what s new in Rails 2.0 Drive design and protect long-term maintainability with TestUnit and RSpec Understand and manage complex program flow in Rails controllers Leverage Rails support for designing REST-compliant APIs Master sophisticated Rails routing concepts and techniques Examine and troubleshoot Rails routing Make the most of ActiveRecord object-relational mapping Utilize Ajax within your Rails applications Incorporate logins and authentication into your application Extend Rails with the best third-party plug-ins and write your own Integrate email services into your applications with ActionMailer Choose the right Rails production configurations Streamline deployment with Capistrano "
The WoW Diary: A Journal of Computer Game Development
John Staats - 2018
It was written by the game's first level designer, John Staats, from notes he took during WoW's creation. The WoW Diary explains why developers do things and debunks popular myths about the games industry. In great detail he covers the what it took to finish the project; the surprises, the arguments, the mistakes, and Blizzard's formula for success.
Programming Ruby: The Pragmatic Programmers' Guide
Dave Thomas - 2000
When Ruby first burst onto the scene in the Western world, the Pragmatic Programmers were there with the definitive reference manual, Programming Ruby: The Pragmatic Programmer's Guide.Now in its second edition, author Dave Thomas has expanded the famous Pickaxe book with over 200 pages of new content, covering all the improved language features of Ruby 1.8 and standard library modules. The Pickaxe contains four major sections:An acclaimed tutorial on using Ruby.The definitive reference to the language.Complete documentation on all built-in classes, modules, and methodsComplete descriptions of all 98 standard libraries.If you enjoyed the First Edition, you'll appreciate the expanded content, including enhanced coverage of installation, packaging, documenting Ruby source code, threading and synchronization, and enhancing Ruby's capabilities using C-language extensions. Programming for the World Wide Web is easy in Ruby, with new chapters on XML/RPC, SOAP, distributed Ruby, templating systems, and other web services. There's even a new chapter on unit testing.This is the definitive reference manual for Ruby, including a description of all the standard library modules, a complete reference to all built-in classes and modules (including more than 250 significant changes since the First Edition). Coverage of other features has grown tremendously, including details on how to harness the sophisticated capabilities of irb, so you can dynamically examine and experiment with your running code. Ruby is a wonderfully powerful and useful language, and whenever I'm working with it this book is at my side --Martin Fowler, Chief Scientist, ThoughtWorks
Working with UNIX Processes
Jesse Storimer - 2011
Want to impress your coworkers and write the fastest, most efficient, stable code you ever have? Don't reinvent the wheel. Reuse decades of research into battle-tested, highly optimized, and proven techniques available on any Unix system.This book will teach you what you need to know so that you can write your own servers, debug your entire stack when things go awry, and understand how things are working under the hood.http://www.jstorimer.com/products/wor...