I'm the author of this book, and I am blown away that it currently ranks #36 on all of Amazon[1], right behind the very deserving Eric Ries, who is also launching today.

Thank you so much to the entire HN community for everything. I can't even list the number of ways you have helped me, and you certainly have come through today. Thank you.

UPDATE: It's now at #22[2]. Right by Tim Ferriss. OMFG. Thank you for buying the shit out of my book today, HN.

UPDATE 2: It's now at #18[3], which puts it on the first page of best-sellers (where more randoms will see it). This is huge!

[1] https://skitch.com/kadavy/f3bw8/reis-and-kadavy [2] https://skitch.com/kadavy/f3net/22-w-tim-ferriss [3] https://skitch.com/kadavy/f3nae/number-18

I was very fond of the idea that hackers cannot do design, because I am primarily a designer. It's good to feel special and look down on an otherwise very competent group of people. But if it were true it would mean I couldn't be both an awesome hacker AND an awesome designer, so after a while I rejected the idea entirely.

It doesn't hurt even for the amazing embedded system programmer to learn about design. If anyone tells you that those skills are mutually exclusive, turn 180 degrees and start running.

If you lack the eye for design, the strategy I would recommend to develop some sort of proficiency is to "harvest" materials and ideas (good fonts, well-proven rules about proportion, color palets etc). Treat it as a repo, throwing stuff out and putting new stuff in. Ask feedback from designers on your choices, and try art. Really, try art. The whole art vs design debate is for decadent old men, but just exercise your creativity in different ways.

"Hacker" has the gone the way of "geek" and "begs the question." Diluted to the point of having no meaning whatsoever. I'm pretty sure that in fewer than 5 years "hacker" will mean what "geek" means today, which is anyone with a cell phone or who has ever played Mario Bros.

I read TechCrunch, I'm a hacker I'm a hacker!

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Edit: I'll consolidate my responses into one post to keep the attack surface small and reply from here.

@dsmithn: The word 'hacker' hasn't been redefined. There isn't a governing body of words that decided one day to change what hacker means. It just changed with some people using it differently because they thought it made them sound cooler. Then other people wanted to sound cooler. Now everyone is cooler. At this point auto mechanics are hackers.

@budu: Excellent work, you've proven my point quite nicely. Thank you. And I don't worry about the down-voting. I saved up enough imaginary points so that I don't have to worry about nerd rage. My comment is just off-topic.

Big Question: will the Kindle version render decently? The preview, with no pictures, doesn't give me any hope.

Don't miss out on the hacker spirit of David getting this book published chronicled in his blog eg

http://www.kadavy.net/blog/posts/d4h-the-book/

All instructive reading in bending a system to work for you, getting things done, and building a business.

PS - Congrats David, I'll take the fact that Amazon went from "19 in stock" to "13 in stock" in the time it took me to order as a good sign :)

For those interested, David Kadavy is doing a GrubWithUs meal in NYC on the 23rd. Come join. It'd be fun to have a few HNers there.

http://www.grubwithus.com/restaurants/rubirosa-manhattan/mea...

I'd rather buy a PDF version. The problem with paper is that it takes space and is an instance of "stuff" when I'm not reading it. Kindle version is likely poorly formatted, I just can't trust that. A PDF on an iPad would be just great.

Food for thought.

Has anyone given this book a try? As a developer with no design mind I could benefit from a designer book targeted primarily for developers/hackers.

On a sidenote, what is a good place to meet designers as cofounders for a startup? I have a circle of friends who are primarily developers so I don't know of places where I could go and chit chat with designers.

Link for the UK store: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Design-Hackers-Reverse-Engineering-B...

I haven't gotten my hands on this book yet, but his talk was probably the best thing I saw at SXSW this year. I personally find design to be a hard nut to crack, but the way he thinks is appealing to my very logic-y brain.

Blog post: http://www.kadavy.net/blog/posts/design-for-hackers-the-book...

I've been waiting for this book since now we're closer to having hackers and designers speak a common language where each group can now truly appreciate each other's profession and discipline. Discussions will be more productive and a better user experience will happen. Also, it will further legitimize the designer/hacker and allow for leaner startups.

Hope this is just the beginning!

Does anyone have links to designs he's responsible for? Whether or not he's an amazing writer I'd still like to check out the products / portfolio it's based upon before I buy it.

Sounds a lot like the much praised Non-Designer's Design Book http://www.amazon.com/dp/0321534042/

Stuff like this, I hope they can always have on dead-tree format. No way this can feel right on the Kindle.

Cover isn't well designed ...

Warning: negativity ahead.

If you want to learn design, why don't you read something from a real designer, not Kadavy. I mean, look at his personal website, it has the shittiest design. Even his book cover has a crappy design (WTF is this horrible grey gradient with meaningless letters on the background?).

If you want to quickly learn the design, read about composition, color and how it works with other colors, go browse something like

http://webcreme.com/

http://designawardsgallery.com/

If you really want to learn how to design, go take drawing and painting classes, anybody can learn how to draw in 3-4 months, if you do it every day. Go to your local bookstore and browse endless books of art (not "how to" books though) - painters, photographers, illustrators.

The notion that design can be "hacked" is unfathomable to me, really. I can't think of a less hack-oriented profession.

If I said I want to read this book because I am a coder with bad graphical taste and all, but I can't buy it because damn we don't even have proper creditcards in our country, would anyone consider leaking the pdf version for free? Secretely, just for those guys like us who are physically unable to purchase stuff online. :)