[CS-FSLUG] Computer Science

[Nathan T.]

Hi list folk

I'm finding that although I do know how to program and use different
APIs, I don't know how to apply it so much. I think I'm missing a fair
bit of knowledge concerning standards on how things are done, for
example how different networking protocols work and how some common
problems are solved. I was wondering if someone could point me to the
right kind of books to learn that from, I'm going to be looking for
good post-secondary courses on it later on; however, in the mean time
I'd like to pursue it myself.

The books I'm looking for should be geared more towards the programmer
mentality, they shouldn't necessarily be programming books, but
technical books explaining how different things (hardware *and*
software related) work. An example of this I came across recently
would be how Telnet works, I tried writing a network enabled program
and for some reason the telnet client in Windows didn't work very well
with it. I'd like to learn how to apply what I know, rather than
cramming more syntax and API rules into me head. Basically I need a
couple of "how stuff works" books for computers that explain it in
enough detail to actually be useful. Books that simplify ideas too
much like the actual "How Stuff Works" web site wouldn't help me out
at all. Some free sites would also be good as long as the articles are
short enough, I really find reading off monitors to be difficult
because of how easily I get distracted.

I look forward to your input.