[wegs]

This book ruined many hours of my childhood, when I was in high school. I read it. I didn't understand it. I reread it. I still didn't understand it. At the time, I didn't realize I needed to know basic differential equations, and I just felt dumb.

Then I went to college.

When I looked at it as a more mature engineer, I found it imprecise, sloppy, and also not very helpful. It doesn't embody good design practice, give a proper theoretical basis, and the choice of topics is random.

Many people love it, but I hate it.

[porknubbins]

Thank you this has been very consoling to read as someone who tried and failed many times with this book when I was young. I thought I was just not smart but now realize most people on the internet who get this stuff are not brilliant autodidacts, they are just educated adults. Even reading a datasheet which is so critical was out of my reach (or patience) without the math and vocab.