Old computer programming books still useful?

[Kab2024]

Hi All

Last time when I was programming was abour 20 year ago. I changed my work, and had no time to do any programming for 20 years.
Now I have a bit of free time in my hand taking all things easy, I was maybe trying to go back to programming.
But the technology must have chnaged a lot for all that time, and I am not sure how much and what would have changed in computer programming.

When I was programming 20 year ago, C++, Java was the top dog, and C programming under UNIX was strong too.

When I was thinking of going back to programming in 2010, Apple's iOS was getting really popular, and I was trying to write the mobile apps for the iPhone.
I bought bunch of iOS and Cocoa programming books for iPhone app programming, but I got too busy with the other work, and abanoned programming again.

So looking at my bookshelf last week I still have all the programming books I had 20 years ago, and the iOS programming books I bought 2010 as well.
They look too much outdated, but having said that they are still very understandable and good books.

I am wondering if the old books would be still useful at all in any form. I even have a Python Reference book for Python 2.1 too.
The old books I see prima facie in the shelf now are,

Beginning Java 2.0 by Ivor Horton
Sams Teach yourself Java 2.0
J2EE
Javascripts
Python Essential Reference for Python 2.1 by S M Beazley, 2001
A Book in C
Accelerated C++
Primier C
Primer C++
Art of Computer Programming by Donald Knuth Vol 1-3, 1997

Would they be any useful for brushing up the PL these days? Or should they be binned, and get some newly published books?
What would you rather do. if you were me?

 

[JavaJames]

Knuth is still relevant, but the rest aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on. Languages, frameworks, libraries, toolkits etc are all evolving faster than publishers can get a book produced (and if they’re not evolving that fast then they’re dead). The only source of really current info is the web.
And what’s more… it’s free!

 

[Kab2024]

Knuth is still relevant, but the rest aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on. Languages, frameworks, libraries, toolkits etc are all evolving faster than publishers can get a book produced (and if they’re not evolving that fast then they’re dead). The only source of really current info is the web.
And what’s more… it’s free!

Ok cool. That sounds right. Maybe the Web can be the best resource for brushung up and learning Programming.
Yes, Knuth books are mostly mathematics in content, hence they would be valid forever.