Experience vs. Books

A couple years ago, when I was just getting started as a software developer, having to work within a multithreaded framework was probably the most intimidating part of my job.  I remember talking with my manager about getting a book to help get me up to speed.  A book like this, which, at the time, didn't exist.  In the two-plus years since then, I've probably taken in 70%-80% of the information in that book via the school of hard knocks.  I don't have all of the formality that would come with reading the book, but I can tell you what works, what doesn't work, and what sorts of pitfalls to look out for.

With that said, I still wish I'd had that book back in early 2005.  Multithreaded programming is a beast.  You can't stop it, you can only hope to contain it.