Science · Similar reads

Books like A Philosophy of Software Design

The best books like A Philosophy of Software Design are The Art of Doing Science and Engineering, An Elegant Puzzle, and The Pragmatic Programmer. A Philosophy of Software Design by John Ousterhout is about software complexity, system design, programming. If that's what drew you in, here are 12 books that share its DNA — each summarized on Superbook, and ready to chat with in the app.

  1. The Art of Doing Science and Engineering
    The Art of Doing Science and Engineering

    01

    The Art of Doing Science and Engineering

    Richard Hamming · Science

    Richard Hamming's book is based on a course he taught at the Naval Postgraduate School in the late 1980s, after a long career at Bell Labs where he made foundational contributions to information theory and computer science — the Hamming distance, Hamming codes, and various contributions to numerical methods all bear his name.

    A kindred science read.

    Read the summary →
  2. An Elegant Puzzle
    An Elegant Puzzle

    02

    An Elegant Puzzle

    Will Larson · Business

    An Elegant Puzzle is Will Larson's guide to the craft of engineering management, written from his experience leading engineering teams at Digg, Uber, and Stripe.

    A kindred science read.

    Read the summary →
  3. The Pragmatic Programmer
    The Pragmatic Programmer

    03

    The Pragmatic Programmer

    David Thomas and Andrew Hunt · Science

    The Pragmatic Programmer is David Thomas and Andrew Hunt's distillation of what separates journeyman coders from craftsmen who consistently ship good work over long careers.

    A kindred science read.

    Read the summary →
  4. Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software
    Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software

    04

    Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software

    Charles Petzold · Science

    Code is Charles Petzold's explanation of how computers work, built from first principles.

    Both dig into programming.

    Read the summary →
  5. Point and Line to Plane
    Point and Line to Plane

    05

    Point and Line to Plane

    Wassily Kandinsky · Philosophy

    Point and Line to Plane is Wassily Kandinsky's systematic attempt to build a grammar of visual art from the ground up.

    Both dig into abstraction.

    Read the summary →
  6. A Brief History of Time
    A Brief History of Time

    06

    A Brief History of Time

    Stephen Hawking · Science

    A Brief History of Time is Stephen Hawking's attempt to explain the biggest questions in physics — where the universe came from, how it behaves, and where it might be going — to readers with no scientific training.

    A kindred science read.

    Read the summary →
  7. A Crack in Creation: Gene Editing and the Unthinkable Power to Control Evolution
    A Crack in Creation: Gene Editing and the Unthinkable Power to Control Evolution

    07

    A Crack in Creation: Gene Editing and the Unthinkable Power to Control Evolution

    Jennifer A. Doudna and Samuel H. Sternberg · Science

    A Crack in Creation is Jennifer Doudna and Samuel Sternberg's account of how CRISPR-Cas9 works, what it can do, and why its possibilities should give everyone pause.

    A kindred science read.

    Read the summary →
  8. A Pattern Language
    A Pattern Language

    08

    A Pattern Language

    Christopher Alexander · Science

    A Pattern Language is an extraordinary attempt to describe, in systematic form, the conditions that make human habitats feel alive.

    A kindred science read.

    Read the summary →
  9. A Short History of Nearly Everything
    A Short History of Nearly Everything

    09

    A Short History of Nearly Everything

    Bill Bryson · Science

    A Short History of Nearly Everything is Bill Bryson's attempt to understand the scientific story of everything — from the Big Bang to the emergence of modern humans — by spending three years talking to scientists and reading science history.

    A kindred science read.

    Read the summary →
  10. A Universe from Nothing
    A Universe from Nothing

    10

    A Universe from Nothing

    Lawrence M. Krauss · Science

    A Universe from Nothing is Lawrence Krauss's argument that modern physics has resolved, or at least reframed, the ancient philosophical question of why there is something rather than nothing.

    A kindred science read.

    Read the summary →
  11. A World Without Ice
    A World Without Ice

    11

    A World Without Ice

    Henry Pollack · Science

    Henry Pollack is a geophysicist at the University of Michigan who spent decades studying the Earth's heat flow and was a contributing author to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

    A kindred science read.

    Read the summary →
  12. About Face: The Essentials of Interaction Design
    About Face: The Essentials of Interaction Design

    12

    About Face: The Essentials of Interaction Design

    Alan Cooper · Science

    Alan Cooper's About Face, first published in 1995 and revised through multiple editions, is the foundational text of interaction design as a professional discipline.

    A kindred science read.

    Read the summary →

Books like A Philosophy of Software Design: quick answers

What are the best books like A Philosophy of Software Design?

The best books like A Philosophy of Software Design by John Ousterhout are The Art of Doing Science and Engineering by Richard Hamming, An Elegant Puzzle by Will Larson, The Pragmatic Programmer by David Thomas and Andrew Hunt, Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software by Charles Petzold, Point and Line to Plane by Wassily Kandinsky, plus 7 more below. Each was chosen for themes it shares with A Philosophy of Software Design, such as software complexity, system design, programming.

What should I read after A Philosophy of Software Design?

A natural next read after A Philosophy of Software Design is The Art of Doing Science and Engineering by Richard Hamming. A kindred science read. Other strong choices are An Elegant Puzzle by Will Larson, The Pragmatic Programmer by David Thomas and Andrew Hunt, Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software by Charles Petzold.

What books are similar to A Philosophy of Software Design by John Ousterhout?

A Philosophy of Software Design centers on software complexity, system design, programming. Books with a similar feel include The Art of Doing Science and Engineering by Richard Hamming, An Elegant Puzzle by Will Larson, The Pragmatic Programmer by David Thomas and Andrew Hunt, Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software by Charles Petzold, Point and Line to Plane by Wassily Kandinsky, A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking — all free to read and chat with on Superbook.

Chat with A Philosophy of Software Design

Ask questions. Adapt it to your life. Get answers based on your goals.

Download on the App Store