As programmers, we've all seen source code that's so ugly and buggy it makes our brain ache. And let's be honest, we've all written code like that. With this book, you'll learn to write code that's easy to read and understand. You'll have more fun and your coworkers will love you. The Art of Coding focuses on the nuts and bolts of programming, with simple and practical techniques you can use every time you sit down to write code. You'll find tips throughout the book, with easy-to-digest code examples, helpful illustrations, and cartoons for fun. * Learn to pick variable names that are "dense with information" * Organize your loops and conditionals so they're easy to understand * Make your comments short and sweet * Recognize when your code is doing too many things at once * Write tests that are concise, but thorough * Master the art of breaking hard problems into many smaller ones

2004年美国Jolt大奖入围作品。 如果你是个程序员的话，那么你就需要本书。可能导致我们阅读代码的原因是：我们不得不去修复它其中所包含的错误；或是对它进行遍查（inspect）；或者是改善它。我们阅读代码的方式可能和工程师检查机械的方式一样——找出它的工作原理。或者我们阅读代码的目的是对代码进行清理——找出其中可以被重用的部分。阅读代码有着它自身的技巧，并需要我们能够在重要场合对采用何种技术有着判断能力。在这本不可或缺的书中，Diomidis Spinellis使用了超过600个来自现实世界中的例子来向我们展示如何鉴别好的（或坏的）代码：如何去阅读它，从中去找寻什么，以及如何利用这种技巧来提升我们自身编写的代码的品质。记住这个事实：如果我们养成了阅读好代码的习惯，我们就能写出更高品质的代码。

In this unique work, leading computer scientists discuss how they found unusual, carefully designed solutions to difficult problems. This book lets the reader look over the shoulder of major coding and design experts to see problems through their eyes.

劳伦斯·莱斯格的著作《代码》 问世便震动了学界和业界，被人称为“也许是迄今为止互联网领域最重要的书籍”，也被一些学者称为“网络空间法律的圣经”。 《代码》挑战了早期人们对互联网的认识，即技术已经创造了一个自由的环境，因而网络空间无法被规制——也就是说，网络的特性使它押脱了政府的控制。莱斯格提出，事实恰恰相反。 代码的存在证明，网络并不是本制拷贝 ，不可规制的，它并没有什么“本质”，它只有代码可以创造出一个自由的世界，也可以创造出一个充满沉重压迫和控制的世界。尤其是那些出于电子商业目的而旨在将网络商业化有代码。 如果认识不到这一点，也就认识不到网络空间正在发生的变化。在商业活动的影响下，网络空间正在变成一个高度可规制的空间，在那里，我们的行为将受到比在现实空间还要严密的控制。 但这并非不可避免，我们可以选择所希望的网络空间类型以及要确保的自由。这些选择都与架构有关：哪一种代码将统冶网络空间，谁将控制这种代码。从这个意义上说，代码是最重要的法律形式，它所蕴含的价值将由律师、政策制定者，特别是公民来决定。

Paperback Edition What do flashlights, the British invasion, black cats, and seesaws have to do with computers? In CODE, they show us the ingenious ways we manipulate language and invent new means of communicating with each other. And through CODE, we see how this ingenuity and our very human compulsion to communicate have driven the technological innovations of the past two centuries. Using everyday objects and familiar language systems such as Braille and Morse code, author Charles Petzold weaves an illuminating narrative for anyone who s ever wondered about the secret inner life of computers and other smart machines. It s a cleverly illustrated and eminently comprehensible story and along the way, you ll discover you ve gained a real context for understanding today s world of PCs, digital media, and the Internet. No matter what your level of technical savvy, CODE will charm you and perhaps even awaken the technophile within.