Software engineering for Internet applications
by Eve Astrid Andersson · first published 2006
71% recommend29% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Practical, end-to-end guide to building database-driven web applications, covering the reasoning behind design choices and the technical details; often recommended as a free online starting point for new web developers.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
"After completing this self-contained course on server-based Internet applications software, students who start with only the knowledge of how to write and debug a computer program will have learned how to build Web-based applications on the scale of Amazon.com. Unlike the desktop applications that most students have already learned to build, server-based applications have multiple simultaneous users. This fact, coupled with the unreliability of networks, gives rise to the problems of concurrency and transactions, which students learn to manage by using the relational database system." "After
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
Related books
2008–2026Philip and Alex's Guide to Web Publishing
Philip Greenspun
Recommended by 15 · mentioned by 2315 recommend · 23 mention15 recommend · 2315 recommend
2007–2026Practical Common Lisp
Peter Seibel
Recommended by 218 · mentioned by 294218 recommend · 294 mention218 recommend · 294218 recommend
2018–2026A Philosophy of Software Design
John K. Ousterhout
Recommended by 163 · mentioned by 232163 recommend · 232 mention163 recommend · 232163 recommend
2014–2026Designing Data-Intensive Applications
Martin Kleppmann
Recommended by 457 · mentioned by 659457 recommend · 659 mention457 recommend · 659457 recommend
2007–2026Coders at Work
Peter Seibel
Recommended by 126 · mentioned by 233126 recommend · 233 mention126 recommend · 233126 recommend
2007–2026How to Win Friends and Influence People
Dale Carnegie
Recommended by 579 · mentioned by 853579 recommend · 853 mention579 recommend · 853579 recommend
2007–2026Founders at work
Jessica Livingston
Recommended by 246 · mentioned by 385246 recommend · 385 mention246 recommend · 385246 recommend
2008–2026Clean Code
Robert C. Martin
Recommended by 298 · mentioned by 739298 recommend · 739 mention298 recommend · 739298 recommend
…you suggest i read, or tutorials to start with? ..." I'd suggest trying to change your "mindset" as well, building and reading supporting information at the same time. One such way is to read "SEIA" (Software Engineering for Internet Applications, Andersson, Greenspun & Grumet) which is online or in print and follow the book through ~ http://philip.greenspun.com/seia/ The book/course is easy to read and most important devoid of advocacy. The…
on “I have a great idea for a webapp, but hardly any programming knowledge. What should i do?” ↗SEIA, "Software Engineering for Internet Applications". - online, free http://philip.greenspun.com/seia/ - in print http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0262511916/pgreenspun... - test crashed dummied by armies of MIT grads - smart authors - easy…
on “If you don't know how to program” ↗It sounds like you are looking for Software Engineering for Internet Applications. http://philip.greenspun.com/seia/ I am working through this book right now, very slowly since I have a lot of other stuff going on right now. Links to my source code so far, as well as my running website-in-progress,…
on “Learn How to Create Web Applications” ↗Just the fact that he links to SEIA would be enough to make this the best post I have read all day. http://philip.greenspun.com/seia/ This is the textbook for the MIT course "Software Engineering for Internet Applications" ... The most concise statement of the course goal is that "The student finishes knowing how to build amazon.com by him or herself." I intend to spend the next few months reading through this book, completing…
on “Software Design Review” ↗…the original post are great starts. Anyone reading or writing these sorts of fundamental web programming tutorials should look at Philip Greenspun's books Philip and Alex's Guide to Web Publishing and Software Engineering for Internet Applications, both available free online (The latter is a stripped down version of the former, written for goal-oriented MIT students who don't want anecdotes or pretty pictures). They are around a decade old, so…
on “What is a Web Framework?” ↗…to get started quickly on developing a database-driven web application, I'd highly recommend grabbing a Python or Ruby framework like Django or Rails and then making your way through Phil Greenspun's Software Engineering for Internet Applications. (freely available here: http://philip.greenspun.com/seia/). Good luck!
on “Getting Started with Programming using the Internet” ↗I have a soft spot for books that I can read on my BlackBerry. SICP, The Art of Unix Programming, Software Engineering for Internet Applications, SQL for Web Nerds, Practical Common Lisp, Dive Into Python, now Simply Scheme. If only the Handbook of Applied Cryptography had their chapters in HTML.
on “How to Learn Stuff While Procrastinating Online” ↗Software Engineering for Internet Applications by Philip Greenspun http://philip.greenspun.com/teaching/one-term-web
on “Ask HN: How to learn to web dev for real ?” ↗Take a look at Software Engineering for Internet Applications: http://philip.greenspun.com/seia/ From the preface: "We assume that [prospective students] know how to write a computer program and debug it. We do not assume knowledge of any particular programming…
on “Ask HN: I'm an experienced developer but I don't understand the internet” ↗Another good resource that guides one through both the philosophy (why) and technical details (how) of building a web application is Software Engineering for Internet Applications: https://philip.greenspun.com/seia/
on “Ask HN: What overlooked class of tools should a self-taught programmer look into” ↗…definitely worth a glance. There are a lot of great utilities built right in: database connection pooling, a key-value cache, and more [0] Tangentially related, I've been making my way through Greenspun's Software Engineering for Internet Applications [1] and have especially found the metadata section to be enlightening [2]. I like to think of myself as a competent engineer, but this quote hit too close to home If you're programming one Web page at…
on “Introduction to AOLserver, Part 1 (1999)” ↗Software Engineering for Internet Applications About Face / The Inmates Are Running the Asylum
on “Ask HN: Best book for software engineers (besides the well-known ones)?” ↗Some specifics are outdated, but I very much like a lot of the general theme of Greenspun’s Software Engineering for Internet Applications: https://philip.greenspun.com/seia/
on “Ask HN: Reading list for being a better engineer?” ↗…the right amount of time learning, without heaping an unattainable amount of work on my shoulders so that I can never get anywhere. (If I continue with python I'll probably also continue with the book "Software Engineering for Internet Applications" which I also started this spring.) Also feel free to let me know if I'm even asking the right questions. I just hate the idea of wasting months of my time on the wrong path.
on “Is it worth starting "from scratch" in web dev? Straight Python, or Django?” ↗I'm new to web programming and I'd like to fool around and try some things out. Currently I'm reading some Django tutorials and MIT's Software Engineering for Internet Applications (SEIA). What would be the best web hosting service? Or would it be better for me to just practice on my own PC (winxp)?
on “Ask HN: Best free web hosting?” ↗