Re: Timeless Classics of Software Engineering

stevejohnson1972_at_yahoo.com (Steve Johnson) wrote:

>I'd like to hear thoughts on what books, in your opinion, are true
>classics in the field of software engineering. I read a lot on the
>topic - at least a book a month for many years. There are many good
>authors, however, the only book on making software that is truly
>timeless, in my opinion, is "Mythical Man Month" by Brooks. It never
>ceases to amaze me that something written over 20 years ago would be
>so relevant.

     Not quite timeless. It was revised in 1995. It is one of Those Books that I should read some day.

     One I like is Steve McConnell's "Code Complete". It is not that it was so informative for me (at my experience level), but it brought together so many points that a competent programmer needs to know. It is the sort of book that I would hand to a newbie and say, "Read this. Then, come talk."

Sincerely,

Gene Wirchenko

Computerese Irregular Verb Conjugation:

     I have preferences.
     You have biases.
     He/She has prejudices.