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After the Gold Rush: Essays on the Profession of Software Engineering (Best Practices)
 
 
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After the Gold Rush: Essays on the Profession of Software Engineering (Best Practices) (Paperback)

by S. McConnell (Author) "In 1975, Fred Brooks compared the development of large software systems to dinosaurs, woolly mammoths, and saber-toothed tigers fighting the glutinous grip of the tar..." (more)
3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 182 pages
  • Publisher: Microsoft Press,U.S.; illustrated edition edition (1 Nov 1999)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0735608776
  • ISBN-13: 978-0735608771
  • Product Dimensions: 23.1 x 18.8 x 1.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 1,082,659 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

Software developers are supposed to work insane hours, drink only caffeinated beverages, and have no personal lives, all in the interest of shipping the all-important Product. In the popular consciousness, the desperate programming team has acquired a status similar to that of the movie protagonist drinking whiskey alone at a bar--both are examples of ritual self-abuse deemed heroic. In After the Gold Rush: Creating a True Profession of Software Engineering, Steve McConnell argues that the methodical abuse of programmers causes bad code, unhappy people, and reduced profitability in the long run. In place of the existing system of crazy deadlines, clueless marketing, and scattershot programming strategies, McConnell proposes making software engineering into a "true profession". Such a profession would have a well-defined body of core knowledge, a system of professional certifications, and a code of professional ethics.

The question of whether such a "professionalisation" of software development is a good idea is up for debate, certainly. It seems that a lot of programming jobs involve standard problems and solutions, which would lend themselves to teaching and testing. On the other hand, quantum-leap innovation has often come from "cowboy" artisans who deviate from the standard practices. Similarly, aggressive technology investors aren't interested in deliberate, standardised work--they want world-beating products (and they want them to market immediately, if not sooner).After the Gold Rush makes a well-reasoned, well-supported argument for a more structured programming profession, and is worthwhile reading for any technology executive or project manager.

Topics covered: The problem with "code-and-fix" software development, the elusive nature of a body of knowledge in high-tech subjects, the structure of more traditional engineering professions (civil, chemical, and others), solution design versus implementation, and suggestions for how software engineering professionals might be trained and certified. --David Wall



Synopsis

A new addition to the Best Practices series presents an incisive reflection on and look at the future of software engineering, offering a collection of original essays on critical trends that will shape the industry. Original. (Beginner).
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In 1975, Fred Brooks compared the development of large software systems to dinosaurs, woolly mammoths, and saber-toothed tigers fighting the glutinous grip of the tar pit. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews

3 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
3.3 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Good, but nothing amazing, 27 Mar 2000
By A Customer
A quick and easy read. Whilst I agree with much of what the book says, I don't think it's anything brilliant as far as being a book goes - no amazing revelations to improve your development.

Basically, it says current software development is pants (no surprises there) because, although we know how software should be developed, we don't actually apply that knowledge in real life, ending up stuck in a rut with code-and-fix development. McConnell argues that for improvement we need to adopt an "engineering" approach, which ultimately will require certification and/or professional licensing of developers. He believes this should filter out the waste-of-space developers, leaving folk who know what they are doing.

Worthwhile reading, and all good advice, but no amazing insights that I hadn't heard before. I'd rate it at 3.5 stars.

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2.0 out of 5 stars Behind the times, 13 Mar 2003
This book is showing its age The author's fixation with 'code and fix' and it's attendant evils, notably starting coding early on in a project, whilst justified ignores the existence of Agile Methods, Test Driven Development and Refactoring which allow for a code-centric way of working that delivers early visible progress whilst keeping the software 'soft' and scalable.

I would recommend Martin Fowler's excellent 'Refactoring' instead. Having said that, McConnell's 'Code Complete' is brilliant.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Best practices at a glance, 15 Nov 2001
By A Customer
I am a software developer wit an BCS degree and 4 years experience in programming. I remember my time at the college, we used to learn how to make software by starting with concepts and then the implementation and testing.
But when I went out to the "real world" I started to work with start up's, so there were no time for a correct approach to the software, so we used the classical "code and fix" approach, after one year the company became a part of history, so became the second after two years.
After this I started to work as contractor doing some projects but I used the "code and fix" approach to do my projects, nice stuff came out but I was not really able to meet deadlines and the software I produced was not really easy to maintain.
I saw this book accidentally and decided to read it, while reading this book (I'm still on it) I changed my working style to the "correct" one, I'm not that fast at the first phase of the projects, but at the end I am able to meet almost every deadline, producing a scalable and reusable code most of the time. The software became scalable so I can really easy expand it to adjust the customer's demands.
My personal opinion about this book is that it's not an usual schoolbook teaching you how to do that or this. Steve McConnell explains you in a relaxed way how thing are done usually and how you can improve the process to reach the maximum output minimizing your efforts at the same time.
This book is really good for project managers who usually don't have a clue how to develop software efficiently, what they want to see are results and make pressure. What comes out is usually a high cost disaster we all know that. I recommend to read this book just to remember that not all what we used to learn at school was that bad and useless. You will see that I'm not wrong about this.
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