Books vs Online Tutorials

Ok...following on from another thread alexgeek suggested we have a poll for books vs online tuts.

So here goes...

I personally think books are the way to go. For reasons I pointed out in the other thread...but I will try summarise here.

- Copying and pasting code from websites is not learning its copying - by typing the code out your learning as you type and it embeds in your memory better

- Books are a good reference...there and then even without a internet connection

- they teach you the "why" as well as the "how" so you can apply the info to other situations

- contrary to some peoples belief you can search a book...its by a method called an index!

So there.

There should be a "Both" there.

I like Both. Online is great for quick stuff and there are ALOT!!! of resources online.

Books are a handy reference when you need them.

I wouldn't be in the position I'm in right now if it wasn't for the internet and the many forums that exists.

Yea but if I pout a "both" options EVERYONE would vote for both...which is boring!

But true!

Its books for me. Books are better for quick reference and besides I dont always have access due to kids wanting on MSN.

I think you can rely on books a lot more and the authors will put more effort into a book as they are getting paid for it. So where a tutorial or article on a certain subject for a blog or whatever may be done in spare time the author will set aside time to write a book. There is also the point that there is more info in a book, it has a start and a finish. They often go through things methodically and so you gradually pick up the skills.

Online tut's are great and so are online articles but usually only when you want to know a specific thing as they often miss out a lot of info. I've learned a lot from both though and the W3C specs are online and they are often my first port of call if I ever question any of my decisions.

So both but if I had to pick, books.

Pete.

I like the book I am using over a video that I also purchased.

Getting distracted, yes I have kids, with the video is a hassle if you need to recap: no problem with the book.

I guess it also depends on the quality and presentation of either. Having knowledge is one thing, knowing how to communicate that knowledge is a skill within it's self.

That is very true, that's why great teachers are so rare. It's also why a good book is not just full of knowledge but well written as well. Which isn't that common.

Pete.

id say both and just playing around making mistakes you learn alot books and online tutorials are simply lessons basically the same thing .
t

Go online-tutorials!

Personally, i go for online tutorials. I feel that i learn better whilst looking at things on a computer and i hate the thought of having 400+ pages still to read. Another reason i like online-tutorials is because they usually cut straight to the point unlike dumb authors of a book that blabber on about useless crap (you can probubly notice by now i hate books).

Saying that, i have been using books recently for ASP.NET as i cant find good online tutorials for it (hint, hint *).

* Does anyone know of any good ASP.NET online tutorials?

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Doesn't w3schools do a good one?

i like Online Tutorials you can copy code in.

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It seems like the internet would be the best resource for any information that is computer related since the most up to date changes can be found immediately. In theory, the internet should be the way to go for anything related to internet technologies. The thing is, it's hard to weed through the information overload that exists.

I do admit, though, that there is something about the tangibility of being able to hold a book. It's nice not to have to always sit in front of a screen. And having the book next to you while you use the computer seems more comfortable than going back & forth between tabs in a browser. Not everyone has dual monitors. heh heh.

I choose internet for it's potential, but books for their reality.

Well put stormko.

The internet is likely to have the most up to date information, but it has an awful lot of out of date and inaccurate information also. The trouble with the internet is that anyone can publish anything they want, whereas a book (unless it's self-published of course), has to go through some vetting first. You really have to have had a couple of good web books to appreciate their value. But on the other hand, some of those online tutorials are invaluable too, oh I don't know!

I refuse to vote here because I just can't pick, it's like asking me to pick between chocolate and ice-cream!

And I know better now than to mention chocolate ice-cream.

Pete.

Haha

I think my preference leans towards books...

With books I always feel I'm being given a deeper understanding and appreciation of the code I'm writing, and they nearly always give me the best-practice coding style.
I tend to use online tutorials by setting myself tasks and then learning how to code them with the most convenient tutorial I can find. It's fun and practical, but I tend to lose interest in the proper way I should be doing things once I can write the working programs I want.

Saying all that - It depends what I want to do - if I've something in mind I'd go for the practical tutorials approach, if I wanted to learn the language I'd go for a book...