What are your favorite types of books to read on vacation?
Welcome to the 2021 Opensource.com Summer reading list. This year’s list contains eight wonderful book recommendations from members of the Opensource.com community. From classics such as frank Herbert’s new translations of _ Dune _ and _ Beowulf, to nonfiction books about the cultural history of the tech industry, the list offers books for readers with different tastes and interests.
Each recommendation provides valuable insight into why the person recommending the book found it worth reading. As always, the book selections and reviews shared by my peers were insightful and inspiring. I always learn a lot from their sharing, and I always like to read what new and interesting books I will add to my “reading” list without exception. I hope you find something to add to your pile of “to read” books, too.
Please appreciate
Beowulf. KJV
By Maria Davana Headley. Recommended by Kevin Sunny
From the first line, you know this isn’t the same Beowulf you pored over in grade school.
Brothers! Tell me we also know how to talk about Kings!
Before I entered the IT field, I was an English major with a deep and abiding love for Beowulf. It may be hard to read, and (in the US at least) it is required reading in high school, but many are under the impression that it is a boring read, with language and structure getting in the way of the story. In this translation, Headley puts the story first while maintaining a modern translation that is structurally and meaningfully identical to the original. From the opening lines of “Brother! To the occasional (appropriate!) Swear words to “Hashtag.” Blessed “Queen,” readers will find themselves hanging on every line, wondering what will happen next. Headley’s translation, more than any other, lends itself to reading aloud, as did the bards told in honey-taverns and longhouses of long ago.
It is a well-researched, well-written translation and, above all, one of the most important historical works in English literature. Headley makes Beowulf fun to read, immersing the reader in the story as listeners long ago did over drinks and meals.
Competition in the Internet age. Lessons from Netscape and its battle with Microsoft
By Michael A. Cusumano and David B. Yoffie. (Suggested writing by Gaurav Kamat
If you’re reading this right now, chances are you’re using a Web browser. In fact, if you use a computer in any form today, can you imagine computing without a web browser? Today, we use it most of the time — for work, connecting with friends, surfing the Web, watching movies, playing music, finding directions, ordering food, and so on. Of course, apps have replaced some functions on mobile devices; However, when it comes to the Internet and the web, browsers in many ways have become operating systems.
There was a time when the Web was taking root and browsers weren’t mainstream. Few people can imagine the potential of the Internet and its impact on mankind. Browsers make the Web truly accessible to everyone, not just tech-savvy people. If you’re curious about the process that developed this exciting technology, the company that created it, and the battles it’s waged against formidable rivals along the way, read on.
Competition in the Internet Age tracks events from 1994 to 1998. It revolves around two companies. Netscape (known today as Mozilla), then a new startup with a radical new product (web browser), popped up and grew rapidly, capturing 90% of the browser market; And Microsoft, a known giant (even at the time), was known for its dominance in the operating system market. The authors interviewed many key people at both companies and provided their analysis of what happened. The book is an interesting read from a technical and business point of view. It delves into business strategy, decision-making, the benefits of speed, technology choices, and, most importantly, the cultures of these two different organizations.
One of the book’s key takeaways is how Netscape really embraced and used the Internet as a competitive advantage while others, including Microsoft, had long ignored it. Another takeaway is that Netscape, as the smaller of the two, has the flexibility to roll out new products quickly. The third lesson is how Microsoft has exploited its dominance of the operating system market to beat Netscape in the browser game. Netscape tried to fight back by becoming an advocate for cross-platform technology, introducing and pushing open standards, putting Microsoft at a disadvantage. In the face of fierce competition, Netscape changed its business strategy from being a browser company to moving into the Intranet, extranet and enterprise software markets, and ultimately lost the battle. All this and more has happened in just four years.
The sand dunes
By Frank Herbert (Suggested writing by Matthew Broberg
My first review of Dune was that it was a creative, solid read. Friends on Twitter didn’t think much of the comment. On reflection, I don’t think this assessment is fair. Dune is a very influential work from the mid-1960s that interweaves culture, empire and religion of the future. It also played with the timeline. Each chapter weaves in the future as the present unfolds. As Arakis’s world gradually comes into focus, the layered promise is a pleasure to read.
I have since finished the second book in the series and plan to move on to the third. The world is big and thoughtful and feels modern and timeless.
The diversity of hackers. Inclusive politics in open technology culture
Christina Dunbar Hirst (recommended by Brian Berenshausen)
What drives this critical anthropological work on the open source technology community is not the question: Why isn’t there more diversity in the open source community? Or _ or even _ how can we _ get more underrepresented minorities involved in open source? Instead, Dunbar-Hester sought an answer to a more complex question. How is the way the open source community talks about diversity and inclusion inadvertently limiting their ability to make those communities more inclusive and diverse?
By delving into various open technology communities — visiting their maker Spaces, attending their gatherings, listening to their meetings –Dunbar-Hester offers a wealth of insights to help readers understand how well-meaning and well-meaning diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives can produce results contrary to their own wishes. If you’re interested in making the open source community more engaging and inclusive, you’ll want to read this book.
Letters to new developers. Things I wish I had known when I started my development career
By Dan Moore. Recommended by Joshua Allen Holm
If you found yourself entering (or re-entering) the job market last year, you found that many of the traditional guiding structures for starting a new job were severely damaged. It’s harder to get solid career advice when parties and conferences are virtual, so, as an alternative, I recommend reading _ Letters to New Developers. What I wish I knew when I started my development career. _
The book is divided into 10 chapters covering your first month, Questions, writing, Learning Tools, Practices, Understanding the Business, Learning, Mistakes, Your Career and Community. Each chapter begins with a short introduction, followed by a series of letters to the reader on the topic of the chapter. The letters are interesting and fascinating to read.
Almost the entire book takes the form of letters, making it more personal than any other career guide. After a year of being lost to COVID-19, the letter-based human touch makes this book a pleasure to read. No book, not even one as good as _ “Letters to New Developers,” _ can replace some good human mentors who can adjust their recommendations on a case-by-case basis, but it’s a solid alternative to having ready access to the mentor in the next cubicle.
I highly recommend buying one, even if you don’t think you need career advice. There is a lot of insightful stuff in _ Letters to New Developers _ that will benefit even those already established in their careers.
The All-Consuming World
By Cassandra Khaw (Recommended by Kevin Sonney) Release Date: 7 September 2021; Comments are based on pre-reviewed copies
Hsiao, the author of ‘Lovecraftian_Hammers on Bone’ and the ‘Rupert Wong’ series, brings her own unique ‘Cannibal Chef’ series. The Cannibal Chef series, brings her unique style into a far-future space cyberpunk thriller. In the World of Everything, a group of criminals come out of retirement to return to the mythical planet that nearly destroyed them. Wallace huo is good at writing realistic, chaotic characters whose flaws are their greatest strengths. Alternately introverted and profane, Xiao builds a complex universe out of complex human beings — artificial intelligence, rogue hackers, robots, clones, heavily modified humans, and so on.
From the beginning of the heist, it’s a fast, violent and complicated journey. Wallace Huo adds her voice to recent modern cyberpunk authors with her unique mix of style, wit and chaos. This book may not be for everyone, but I love it.
A book for language lovers. Word puzzles and puzzles around the world
By Alex Bellows. Recommended by Joshua Allen Holm
Are you a word nerd? Do you like puzzles? If the answer to both questions is “yes”, then the Book for Language Lovers is for you. The book explores interesting facts about language through a series of puzzles and anecdotes.
Each of the book’s 10 chapters deals with a different aspect of language, such as numbers and family relationships. You’ll find puzzles about ancient languages like Babylonian and Egyptian, modern languages, and even construction languages like Dothraki. Each puzzle is a brain teaser that makes you think about how language works. The puzzles vary in difficulty, but each one presents an interesting challenge for the reader.
A book full of complex puzzles about language will certainly find a niche audience; But there are enough anecdotes to make “Enigma for a Language Lover” an enjoyable book, even for readers who aren’t interested in solving their own puzzles. Solving puzzles is very much the focus of the book, but the information is still fascinating, even for readers who don’t want to challenge themselves solving puzzles.
You can watch Alex Bellows’ lecture at the Royal Society for a preview of the puzzles and anecdotes in enigma for Language Lovers.
This review is based on the British edition of enigma for Language Lovers. The American edition is called the Book for Language Lovers. Will be published in November and can be pre-ordered now.
Learn about the digital world. What you need to know about computers, the Internet, Privacy and Security, 2nd edition
By Brian W. Kernegan. (Suggested writing by Jim Hall
I like to read understanding the Digital World. Although it’s listed as a textbook on Amazon, I wouldn’t call it an “academic” book. It is an almost casual introduction to technology, ranging from basic concepts such as “what is a computer” and “analog versus digital” to more advanced topics including mobile devices, Internet communications, artificial intelligence and cryptography.
Kernighan introduces each topic in a conversational way, so you don’t feel like you’re stepping into a more advanced topic. Rather, it is a natural progression, or flow, from one topic to the next.
I particularly enjoyed his demo of the toy computer, a hypothetical computer model you can experiment with in a Web browser. With this toy, Kernighan explains the fundamentals of assembly programming without getting lost in the details of macro assembly and specific registers. I find it an approachable way to discuss.
I also appreciate Kernighan’s further discussion of operating systems in the book. Kernighan explains this technical concept in clear language, breaking down the parts into easy-to-understand parts.
Understanding the Digital World will be a great gift for anyone of almost any age who is interested in technology.
Don’t see anything that interests you? Check out our previous list for more tips.
- Opensource.com Summer Reading List for 2020
- Opensource.com Summer Reading List for 2019
- Open Organization summer reading List for 2018
- Opensource.com Summer Reading List for 2016
- Opensource.com Summer reading List for 2015
- The 2014 Opensource.com summer Reading list
- The 2013 Opensource.com Summer Reading list
- The 2012 Opensource.com summer Reading list
- Opensource.com Summer reading List for 2011
- Opensource.com Summer Reading List for 2010