NEWS

So, What's This All About?

-Jason Shinn {10/23/05}

Fair question. Grand ideas about creating a site that provides information on a level never before realized is one thing. Getting it done is an entirely different beast. So, here's the lowdown.

The basic idea is to create a 100% user accessible website wherein any user has the ability to review any given technical book. The review process will be structured to make sure the most crucial questions are answered before a review can be submitted. Once a book review has been posted, it is subject to the full review of all available peers present on this site. Any user will be able to comment on and rate the review. In this way a review can be shown as trustworthy or unstrustworthy.

Should all go to plan, a more accurate picture of a book's value and usefulness should be gained through this process. This is the goal. Stay tuned to see how well it works out.

Welcome to codingreview.net

-Jason Shinn {07/18/03}

Hello, and welcome to my little experiment in "self-help". In July of 2003 (I've pre-dated this entry to reflect that time) I was a recent college graduate with few job prospects and an interest in working in the computer industry. I had some experience with programming (and a comp-sci minor), but an extremely limited skillset which didn't qualify me for any of the positions that I could find advertised. I wanted to find books to help expand my knowledge, but, being a jobless college grad, couldn't afford to throw my money away on any old book.

Looking around the web afforded plenty of data on available books, and even offered a few reviews, but I never felt I could trust that a given book was really for me. I always had questions that were left unanswered, and (this being the internet) I was well aware that any moron could have written the reviews I was reading. I was looking for a site that could give me all of the information I wanted, and offer some sort of peer review over that information.

I couldn't find that site. So, being the resourceful lad that I am, I decided I would have to make it myself. Unfortunately, here my limited skillset reared its ugly head. Hence, I'm writing this now over 2 years after I initially had the idea for this site. My skillset has deepened, and I have a job now, but I still have a lot to learn, and I know there are others out there like me. I don't claim to be an expert in pretty much any language or technology I hope to have this site eventually cover, but the whole idea is that if something's missing, anyone should be able to ask for it, and anyone should be able to provide it.

This site has gone through many different design iterations, and different pieces have been in varying states of completeness for about a year, but while there is still plenty left to be done, the site has hit a level where I feel I can start to make progress updates, and in a way start claiming my work. Here's to hoping that, if you wander onto this site during this time of development, you'll see something you find interesting, and you check back to see how it's coming.

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, feel free to drop me a line.