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Which Computer Books For Prisoners? 257

Posted by timothy from the secret-guide-to-computers-from-russie-poo dept.
Brian D. writes "I've recently begun working with a group that sends books to prisoners in federal and state prisons. We try to match their requests as well as we can. One request that we consistently have trouble filling is for computer books. This is not for lack of books, but because the prisoners' requests tend to be vague and their computer resources are obviously severely limited. Keep in mind that we send prisoners all types of books — from gardening and landscaping to cooking and sailing — about topics they don't have the resources to experiment with. With basically one shelf devoted to books on computing, what types of books should I tell them we should keep? What are the best types of books to send a prisoner who requests a book on 'computer repair?'"
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Which Computer Books For Prisoners? More

Which Computer Books For Prisoners?

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  • Well... (Score:2, Funny)

    by DesScorp ( 410532 )

    ...they say that prison is nothing but a graduate school to make better criminals. So anything from Microsoft Press, I suppose.

  • Certification (Score:5, Informative)

    by Rinisari ( 521266 ) * on Saturday November 08, 2008 @06:31PM (#25690137) Homepage Journal

    Send them certification books, i.e. Network+, A+, Security+ study books, as well as theoretical computer science books. These materials rarely require access to an actual computer.

    If it's "computer repair" books that they really want, Mueller's Upgrading and Repairing PCs [amazon.com] is one of the best books. I've not used it in a long while, but I think it's not as much hands-on stuff. I know it covers a ton.

    • Re: (Score:2, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward

      I'll second that recommendation. "Upgrading and Repairing PCs" is inexpensive, thick, and full of useful information.

    • That's a bit advanced for all but a tiny fraction of prisoners.
      I'd say that most of the computer books should be basic things like how to use Office and send e-mail; or books introducing HTML.
      Due to the drug exception to the 4th amendment and my adventures in self medicating my social anxiety and Aspergers, I unfortunately had the opportunity to meet these people one month. It was quite clear that I was the only person in that facility (county, not prison) who knew how to do anything more advanced than
      • You don't have a social anxiety disorder or aspergers. None of your previous posts indicate that you're anything except a douche. And if you did have a social anxiety disorder, you'd know that there are specific names for specific disorders, and the 'general' term is PDD-NOS.

        Stop looking for sympathy, and get a life. Asshole. Douche.

        Honestly, I don't think there are words enough to describe how much of an asshole you are.
        • Here, prove my psychiatrist wrong.

          First, prove that I can't possibly have 3 of these items (diagnosis requires 2)

          (1) marked impairment in the use of multiple nonverbal behaviors such as eye-to-eye gaze, facial expression, body postures, and gestures to regulate social interaction
          (2) failure to develop peer relationships appropriate to developmental level
          (3) a lack of spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment, interests, or achievements with other people (e.g., by a lack of showing, bringing, or pointin

    • I was hoping someone would do this. Certification is something that is useful and rehabilitating. A+ is an awesome suggestion. There is not much chance for a prisoner to become a certified Honda mechanic inside, but they can become A+ certified. Fuck, the number of times I've had to fend off IT staff that didn't know that the connector on the end of a monitor cable is NOT a female 9-pin D-type is scary in the extreme. I'm certain that a prisoner who wants to learn can learn much more than some of the IT sta

  • Something timeless (Score:3, Insightful)

    by mongoose(!no) ( 719125 ) on Saturday November 08, 2008 @06:32PM (#25690145)
    How about a book that won't become obsolete like repair books would be. Perhaps a book on algorithms or the fundamentals of electronics.
    • Some concepts never or rarely get outdated. Such as Electro static precautions, what the motherboard is. What a bus is... etc, etc. Also you never know when your going to run across an MCA card [wikipedia.org]!

      In all seriousness though, I happened to pick up an older edition of this book [amazon.com] at the book store for like 7 bucks. It was current to the Pentium Pro, which was pretty good at the time. But regardless it had information there that was timeless and I'm really glad I had a chance to read and learn from it. So I wouldn'
    • I agree. A book on programming the latest version of java or something will get out dated. It would be better to have other types of books.

      I particularly think things on the history of tech companies would be good or some things about game design or things not specifically related to programming or a version of an operating system.

      • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

        by Tubal-Cain ( 1289912 )

        I agree. A book on programming the latest version of java or something will get out dated. It would be better to have other types of books.

        Too true. A few months ago I was given a 10-year-old C++ programming book. I thought I needed some files from the missing CD because the examples wouldn't compile. $100 later (bought C++ Primer Plus), I find out that the syntax has changed in the past decade, and #include <iostream.h> is no longer valid.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by plover ( 150551 ) *
      Assuming there may be some people motivated to become developers, "Design Patters" would fit the timeless bill better than most. So would books on analysis and design, like Booch's "Object Oriented Analysis and Design with Applications".

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by curunir ( 98273 ) *

      Perhaps a book on algorithms or the fundamentals of electronics.

      I would go even more fundamental than that. There is nothing that's applicable to computers that is as timeless as math. Books on statistics, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, calculus and boolean algebra and subjects like that will never become outdated and will make any book on specific computer technologies easier to understand. And the knowledge is applicable outside of the computer industry as well.

      Statistics could even be applicable prior

      • Logic is more integral to programming then raw mathematics. Most of the scut-work in programming is "dull" and not really algorithmic.

  • Obviously... (Score:5, Funny)

    by phillymjs ( 234426 ) <slashdot@stanTWAINgo.org minus author> on Saturday November 08, 2008 @06:33PM (#25690147) Homepage Journal

    ...nothing about tunneling protocols!

    ~Philly

    • Re:Obviously... (Score:4, Funny)

      by EvilNTUser ( 573674 ) on Saturday November 08, 2008 @06:49PM (#25690259)

      I recently read this excellent book called "The Art of Deception" by some guy called Mitnick. You might want to try it out.

      • Art books are great. I can also recommend "The Art Of Computer Programming", which is one of those books that needs very few computer room resources yet still has great practical applications.
    • On the other hand, the FreeBSD Handbook may fit quite nicely there. After all, if you're in prison, you are going to get some first-hand experience with jail administration...

    • Does that include "The Count of Monte Cristo"?
      (Only prisoners have time to actually read the entire thing without skipping a few entire chapters.)

      • Does that include "The Count of Monte Cristo"?

        Well, making all the prisoners read a book about how someone who's imprisoned on false charges gets revenge might help weed out and discourage the corruption in the police...

  • Linux File Systems (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday November 08, 2008 @06:36PM (#25690169)

    I know of at least one prison who will appreciate such a book.

  • Punishment or rehabilitation? (Score:4, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday November 08, 2008 @06:37PM (#25690179)

    It depends on if you think prisoners are in prison to be punished or rehabilitated.

    I think it's the former, so I recommend Miranda: The Craft Of Functional Programming by S. Thompson, which I encountered in my undergraduate course.

    Heh, you can't do the time...

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by jd ( 1658 )
      What about something on the complete ADA specification?

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by turgid ( 580780 )

        You may jest, but some of my colleagues were Ada programmers and have a lot of praise for that language, and Modula-2.

        If you wanted to inflict cruel and unusual punishment, I recommend FORTRAN-77, compiled on a VAX with source edited in emacs on a VT320 terminal.

        • Re:Punishment or rehabilitation? (Score:4, Interesting)

          by jd ( 1658 ) <imipak@ y a hoo.com> on Saturday November 08, 2008 @07:25PM (#25690483) Homepage Journal

          I've used Ada a fair bit, but the biggest joke in that particular line when I used the language tended to be that none of the compilers complied with all aspects of the specification because it was just too complex. Ada is powerful and I do like many aspects of Ada (including the fact that many common programming errors are impossible in the language) but it is... clunky in some respects and the runtime components tend to be heavy. Modula-2 I don't like at all - it has a tighter structure than Pascal but I've not seen any way in which it does so that is actually useful.

          When it comes to programming languages, I am not satisfied with any of the languages currently out there and feel they tend to either be over-engineered or over-reliant on evolution to fix a lack of engineering. There are some that seem to have a better balance, but they tend to be obscure and therefore insufficiently exercised to be sure that this appearance reflects reality. If they were better, it would seem they'd be used more.

          • I've used Ada a fair bit, but the biggest joke in that particular line when I used the language tended to be that none of the compilers complied with all aspects of the specification because it was just too complex.

            Ada is hardly unique in this respect. Try finding a 100% compliant C99 or C++ compiler. Heck, most likely the only languages with 100% compliant implementations are the ones who don't have a spec and are defined by their implementations, such as Perl.

  • With a metal file in them??

  • You know...

    - International Unix Environments
    - Computer security criteria, DOD standards
    - The Pink Shirt Book, Guide to IBM PCs
    - The Devil book a.k.a. The Unix Bible
    - The Dragon book, a.k.a. Compiler design
    - The Red Book a.k.a. NSA Trusted Networks

    /sarcasm

  • Do they have computers to try out what they're learning as they do so? If not, then learning practical things will be very hard; maths / logic / other general purpose theory might be more use (though without the ability to implement, "more use" might not be very much either...)

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by jd ( 1658 )

      I dunno - books describing how to analyze problems, produce flow charts, abstract data types and abstract state machines, common patterns, useful algorithms, jackson structured programming, and the like, could be applied to many situations and give a good grounding that could be used to then take a computer course or any other course that is based on the organization of processes. They are also techniques that require not a whole lot more than a pencil and paper to practice.

      The same would be true of books c

  • Definately certification books (Score:5, Insightful)

    by WiglyWorm ( 1139035 ) on Saturday November 08, 2008 @06:56PM (#25690297) Homepage
    Send them A+ certification books if they request something on computer repair. Maybe network+ as well. I would recomend All-in-One CompTIA A+ Certification Exam Guide, 6th Ed., by Michael Meyers [totalsem.com] I got my A+ cert using the 5th edition, and it was very well written (never too dry, and highly educational). I wouldn't go much beyond A+ or Net+, because A+ and net+ would be usefull books even if you had no computer to practice with. You could learn by rote and apply a lot of it when you had a computer later. Further exams such as MCSE would require, IMO, hands on while you are reading, as the concepts become more abstract.

    • I got mine back in 1999 but I don't imagine it has gotten any harder. It was a very easy, very introductory computer test. However, for all that it is a useful one. For one, the A+ is one of the oldest certifications, so it has recognition. One thing you find with some certs is that not a lot of people, especially PHBs, have heard of them so they aren't so useful for finding a job. Well the A+ is pretty well known. It isn't high level, but then that's not what we are talking about here. It is the kind of th

  • Can we assume... (Score:5, Funny)

    by shish ( 588640 ) on Saturday November 08, 2008 @07:01PM (#25690323) Homepage
    that they're already proficient in filesystem design? :P

  • Since Ted Stevens may very well end up there soon (Score:4, Funny)

    by antifoidulus ( 807088 ) on Saturday November 08, 2008 @07:08PM (#25690371) Homepage Journal
    I suggest books on how the internet actually works. Maybe while he is behind a series of bars he can see the folly in his series of tubes comment.
  • good luck passing the background check when they get out.

    I'd send them some books about the individuals and companies that make-up the industry. Also, you might consider books about starting businesses in the IT field.

  • An Excellent Introduction - Patterson and Hennessy (Score:3, Insightful)

    by turgid ( 580780 ) on Saturday November 08, 2008 @07:18PM (#25690429) Journal

    It's fairly up-to-date:Patterson and Hennessy [google.co.uk] Computer Organization and Design.

    It starts of really simply explaining the absolute basics, gradually going into technical details. Plenty of historical context, examples, lucid diagrams and a companion CD.

    Also cures insomnia.

  • ...would probably be well received.

  • How about... (Score:3, Funny)

    by mobby_6kl ( 668092 ) on Saturday November 08, 2008 @07:21PM (#25690461)

    something on jailbreaking iphones? Or maybe FreeBSD jails?

  • Clifford Stoll's (Score:4, Insightful)

    by bluestar ( 17362 ) on Saturday November 08, 2008 @08:01PM (#25690717) Homepage

    The Cuckoo's Egg?

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by j1m+5n0w ( 749199 )

      That's the best recommendation I could think of, and you beat me to it.

      Educational novels may be in some respects a better fit than actual technical references and how-to books, since prisoners can't really try out anything they learn. (My own experience contradicts this, though, as I read about half of a phonebook-sized tome on C++ programming before I ever compiled "hello world", thanks to the book shipping with a broken compiler.) I don't know of many novels that are as informative as Cuckoo's Egg, t

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by MrZaius ( 321037 )

        Nowhere near as educational, but you bring up another good point. The work of Cory Doctorow would introduce a number of technical concepts, and without requiring the reader to grok quite as much on the first pass as the Cryptonomicon - and would do it on the cheap. If you've got the capability to print his CC-licensed novels for gratis distribution to the prisoners it might very well be cheaper than some of the above.

    • Re: (Score:2, Funny)

      by iminplaya ( 723125 )

      Cuckoo's Nest [sfy.ru]

  • Probably be a good thing to pick general computer books, as probably some of them are looking for a more legal interest to keep them from returning.

    Something like the encyclopedia of computing (was a time-life set about a decade or two back) each volume covered a subject in reasonable detail (input/output, graphics, ai, robotics, software, hardware, transportation, etc.) Very good to get an idea of what forms of computing there is out there and to find your niche in the world of computers. Probably a good

  • and chill with Mister Warren G [mtvmusic.com]?

    (Nate Dogg is about to make some bodies turn cold.)

  • Don't know if it's still in print but Rosch's Hardware Bible used to be a pretty good stand-alone resource.

  • Because the last thing you want, in prison, is someone sniffing your ports, looking for an unguarded backdoor.

    Well, you know, unless you're the kind who's in to setting up "honeypots."

  • They could practice passing packets using jungle telegraph or the toilets.

  • regarding which books they will accept. as a former 'guest' of the state of texas, i had books sent in from family... html reference books, networking, linux, etc. this was in the late '90s, and i read these books for several months before i was finally able to get into a business computer information systems class, which was mostly just learning windows office apps. the stuff i learned from the books, however, i was able to apply in free time in class. i ended up talking the teacher into letting me teach a

  • One on hacking and system penetraion. Or "How to commit identity fraud".

  • How much use will they be? (the following is based on my loose understanding of Canadian law and may not apply to American law)
    A lot of entry level PC jobs are in retail shops (mom & pops, best buy, etc)
    Generally to work in a retail place you have to handle money and therefore be bondable
    if you have a criminal record you're not bondable

    About the only chance they'd have is to open a shop of their own, but with what money?
    Working at anything above a retail shop would generally require a degree and an expl

  • Well I could think of some algorithm books for which you need a good math background and no computer, "The Art of Computer Programming" comes to mind.

    If you find some sufficiently educated prisoners this could be something to pass their time with.

    But face it, about 20% of all Americans have a bachelors degree or higher. Academics tend to be underrepresented in prison so there is little reason to believe that you will find many takers for this kind of literature in prison.

    The degree percentage per person can

  • Start them off with network protocols, in particular, The Story of Ping

    http://www.amazon.com/Story-About-Ping-Marjorie-Flack/dp/0140502416 [amazon.com]

  • I just attended a lecture from a space scientist, who was explaining the importance of basic science in the society, that is, it helps promote rational thinking. I could not agree more.
    Computer has a "Science" in it. Try to get them easy, readable and popular computer books which not only teaches computers but also explains logical and rational way of doing things.

    - Fundamentals of Computers, whichever you find, written ideally for school students (10th grade)

    - Historical books on advancement in Computer F

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