Extreme Programming (XP) may be the world's hottest software methodology: a lightweight, programmer-friendly approach that is delivering breakthrough results in a wide range of projects worldwide. This book brings together the proceedings of the first global XP conference: the collected "best practices" wisdom from the world's leading XP practitioners. This collection brings together case studies, experiences, and research related to all aspects of XP. It starts with the foundations, then moves on to process, practices, tool support, experiences, and the future: opportunities to apply XP in an even wider range of projects and applications. Among the many highlights: Martin Fowler's discussion of the role of design in XP methodologies; new insights into scalability and organization; an in-depth analysis of XP pair programming; new attempts to integrate XP with UML; and exciting new approaches to rapid modeling of software systems. For software professionals concerned with accelerating software development and improving software quality throughout their organizations.
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. Learn more. |
Book Description
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Product Description
Amazon Review
In Extreme Programming Examined the authors have chosen 33 papers from the first annual conference on Extreme Programming and Flexible Processes in Software Engineering. These examine XP issues in categories: Pair programming, testing and refactoring; flexible techniques and UML; Tools for XP development and so on.
The essays range from straightforward discussions, such as striking a balance between XP and existing methodologies--patterns for example--to the practical experiences of teams retrofitting testing methodologies during a project. Many of the papers address issues arising when trying to incorporate XP features alongside existing programming practices. This is likely to be the reality in most programming environments where managers are reluctant to abandon existing methods without proof of concept.
Perhaps more importantly for the target audience--those running software projects--there are detailed studies of costs and benefits in here. Among the findings discussed are that the number of man hours needed to produce the same code is similar for pairs and single coders--but pairs introduce 15 per cent less errors; and errors are far more costly to eradicate than introduce.
No one should expect a single approach to suit all projects though the essays in Extreme Programming Examined successfully argue for wider acceptance of the XP approach. This makes sense. When well-implemented XP appears to enable programmers to produce better, cheaper code to a deadline. You can't afford not to understand how your competitors are becoming more competitive. --Steve Patient
From the Back Cover
Extreme Programming (XP) is a flexible programming discipline that emphasizes constant integration, frequent small releases, continual customer feedback, and a teamwork approach. With considerable fanfare, XP has taken the mainstream of software engineering by storm. It has been adopted by an increasing number of development organizations worldwide. At the first annual Conference on Extreme Programming and Flexible Processes in Software Engineering, held in Italy in June of 2000, leading theorists and practitioners came together to share principles, techniques, tools, best practices for XP, and other flexible methodologies.
Extreme Programming Examined
gathers the 33 most insightful papers from this conference into one volume. With contributions from several visionaries in the field, these papers together represent the state-of-the-art in XP methodology as well as a glimpse at the future of XP.
Individual articles are organized into cohesive categories that allow the reader to learn and apply this material easily. Extreme Programming Examined addresses some of the most vital issues facing XP developers. It offers a high-level examination of XP programming theory and discusses specific methodologies, processes, techniques, tools, and case studies. You will find articles exploring specific—and often misunderstood—topics, including:
- The role of design in XP
- Just-in-time software development
- XP frameworks
- Combining flexible methodologies with the UML, including a novel approach to fast modeling software systems
- Design patterns and XP
- Tools to support pair programming, testing, and refactoring
- Case studies illustrating the transition to XP, XP in R&D, and the integration of XP into an existing C++ project
- An innovative approach to teaching XP
- Bringing legacy code into XP
- Flexible manufacturing for software agents
- Management of variants in an extreme environment
- Integrating XP with software product lines
Extreme Programming Examined is a valuable resource that offers the practical techniques and deeper understanding that developers and programmers need to initiate and implement successful XP projects.
0201710404B06042001
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
As a programmer I have read many books about programming and computer software, but this one is completely different. It refers to tools for XP development based on real-world case studies and experiments. Requires an advanced level of programming experience but it is well developed and easy used.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By yaa-aldo
Format:Paperback
The book is pitched as a collection of papers, and thats exactly what it is. It could well have been the bound proceedings of a single XP conference. As such it has little continuity of focus/purpose, terminology, language, style, etc.. You'll only find one or two articles that strike a chord or provide you with some insight, for me it was...
The article on Architectural Layering provides some useful insights into correlating design and source base suitable for large software systems and aimed at ensuring a high degree of component re-use is facilitated/enabled/employed.
The article on Extreme Frameworking has a nice simplistic model of a version policy that ties into the code management policy and can be used to explain version policy to non-techies.
The Flexible Software Development Process article nicely captures increasing functionality (feature points) of a software product or project over time and how XP adds value to the development process thus enabling closer match to the final requirements.
The team streams article also explains how a source code control system is used (in simplistic terms) to protect a teams development on a 'workspace' (read Branch) from other development activities, and yet to consolidate the various teams development intermittently on the 'team stream' (read Mainline).
The article on Architectural Layering provides some useful insights into correlating design and source base suitable for large software systems and aimed at ensuring a high degree of component re-use is facilitated/enabled/employed.
The article on Extreme Frameworking has a nice simplistic model of a version policy that ties into the code management policy and can be used to explain version policy to non-techies.
The Flexible Software Development Process article nicely captures increasing functionality (feature points) of a software product or project over time and how XP adds value to the development process thus enabling closer match to the final requirements.
The team streams article also explains how a source code control system is used (in simplistic terms) to protect a teams development on a 'workspace' (read Branch) from other development activities, and yet to consolidate the various teams development intermittently on the 'team stream' (read Mainline).
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.0 out of 5 stars
4 reviews
28 of 29 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
A collection of papers that will sway you to XP
17 Jun 2001
By Charles Ashbacher
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
When I first read a book about Extreme Programming (XP) a little over a year ago, I was unimpressed. Part of this was due to what I viewed as the inaccuracy of the title, but most of my skepticism was based on scalability and personality conflicts. XP is a style of development where programmers are paired and the program is built by iterating the sequence: small change, construct test, perform test, debug. In projects that involve millions of lines of code, I could not see how this would work. Granted, it is possible for the team to test the actions of their code, but performing such iteration testing on a package where the work of several programming teams has been merged seemed to be too tall an order.
The second and more fundamental difficulty I see is the act of pairing the programmers so that they can work together. In any set of developers, there will generally be a wide set of skills and personalities. Splitting that set into pairs that are matched so that they can effectively work together requires a wisdom that exceeds that of Solomon combined with a stick much bigger around than your thumb. As a veteran observer of the "style wars" at several companies, I have seen fierce arguments over where to put a curly brace, so the idea of paired teams of programmers working together all day every day seemed beyond expectations.
However, as I continue to read more, my skepticism fades and I am slowly moving to a conversion, although I am not there yet. The articles in this book moved me a good deal closer to that level, as some of the papers address those very concerns. Several of them deal very specifically with the problem of using XP in very large projects, describing in detail how it can be used and where it is of dubious value. The other problem, that of personal differences, is also examined but the arguments are not as convincing. One paper in particular describes a situation where the programmers were initially skeptical but after being paired, spontaneously began working well together. While I certainly will accept that it is possible, my experience indicates otherwise. I need to see more evidence before I will be convinced that this is an obstacle that can easily be overcome.
The basic principles of XP make a great deal of sense, although some of the arguments in favor have been known for many years. Evidence is put forward that pairing programmers causes an increase in productivity in both that is higher than if they worked separately. I have yet to meet a programmer who has not struggled for hours trying to find a bug only to show it to a colleague and have them find it in a matter of seconds. Sometimes, the action of simply talking about the problem is enough for our mental guards to be dropped long enough for the solution to appear.
Despite having already read three books on XP, I learned a great deal from the papers in this one. XP holds a great deal of promise, but like all other development strategies, it has limitations. If you are considering adopting it in your shop or are simply interested in what it is, then this book will help show you the way.
The second and more fundamental difficulty I see is the act of pairing the programmers so that they can work together. In any set of developers, there will generally be a wide set of skills and personalities. Splitting that set into pairs that are matched so that they can effectively work together requires a wisdom that exceeds that of Solomon combined with a stick much bigger around than your thumb. As a veteran observer of the "style wars" at several companies, I have seen fierce arguments over where to put a curly brace, so the idea of paired teams of programmers working together all day every day seemed beyond expectations.
However, as I continue to read more, my skepticism fades and I am slowly moving to a conversion, although I am not there yet. The articles in this book moved me a good deal closer to that level, as some of the papers address those very concerns. Several of them deal very specifically with the problem of using XP in very large projects, describing in detail how it can be used and where it is of dubious value. The other problem, that of personal differences, is also examined but the arguments are not as convincing. One paper in particular describes a situation where the programmers were initially skeptical but after being paired, spontaneously began working well together. While I certainly will accept that it is possible, my experience indicates otherwise. I need to see more evidence before I will be convinced that this is an obstacle that can easily be overcome.
The basic principles of XP make a great deal of sense, although some of the arguments in favor have been known for many years. Evidence is put forward that pairing programmers causes an increase in productivity in both that is higher than if they worked separately. I have yet to meet a programmer who has not struggled for hours trying to find a bug only to show it to a colleague and have them find it in a matter of seconds. Sometimes, the action of simply talking about the problem is enough for our mental guards to be dropped long enough for the solution to appear.
Despite having already read three books on XP, I learned a great deal from the papers in this one. XP holds a great deal of promise, but like all other development strategies, it has limitations. If you are considering adopting it in your shop or are simply interested in what it is, then this book will help show you the way.
8 of 10 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
A welcome look beyond evangelism
6 Aug 2001
By "gbenett"
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
This is the book to read after you understand enough XP to question its radicalism. Does it really make sense to abandon UML-style modeling? No, suggests OO guru Martin Fowler in an essay reconciling XP with heavyweight design. Is XP's Planning Game the ideal way to bring customers and IT management together? Maybe, but at Ford Motor Company it was "a total disaster."
Nearly all of the essays in this uneven but illuminating text advance XP's cause, not through blunt evangelism, but by questioning the new process and building bridges to it from traditional practice.
I happen to believe in class diagrams and other OO model artifacts. In contrast to other books in the Addison-Wesley XP Series, Examined shows that there plenty of smart, like-minded professionals out there striving to gain XP's benefits without jettisoning their tried-and-true belief systems. The sections "Methodology and Practice," "Flexible Techniques and UML" and "Practical Experiences," consisting of five essays each, were especially useful in this regard. I found other sections, notably the one on "Tools for XP Development," less distinctive.
While XP's 'extremity' may be a selling point in some circles, in others it is sure to provoke the same kind of immune response as 'hacker'. If you feel itchy at the prospect of spike solutions and pair programming, "Extreme Programming Examined," with its collection of balanced voices seeking rapproachement, is the book for you.
3 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Many outstanding contributions
6 July 2001
By A Customer
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
Unlike the other books of Addison Wesley's The XP Series, this is a collection of 33 papers, presented at an XP conference held in 2000. As one might expect, not all 33 papers are of the highest quality, and some of them are of interest only to a few specialists.
However, the book includes many outstanding contributions covering more advanced aspects of XP than the other books of the XP series. In my opinion, these are the chapters written by M. Fowler, P. Merel, D. Riehle, M. Collins-Cope, J. Eckstein, J. Kerievsky, A. Cockburn, T. Mackinnon, R. Johnson, T. Schummer, D. Wells, K. Boutin and A van Deursen (I quote only the first author). Many of them will become XP classics.
Also the Parts on XP and UML, Testing, and Practical Experiences are full of useful ideas and hints.
Overall, I found the book very helpful: it gave me all what expected, and more.
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 4 reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
