Customer Reviews

Code Complete (Microsoft Programming Series)

5 star:		(119)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

About previous comments: Verbose? Don't think so, every page has some piece of valuable information

For beginners only? Don't think so, but if you are a beginner this is a good place to start. After several years of programming you'll mostly stop thinking about style and follow your habits... so you better have some good habits!

Insistence on using hungarian naming convention? Not at all, did you read this book? The author did talk about this convention but he also gives examples why this is can be bad (and also why it can be good).

This book covers a wide range of material, from variable declaration to software estimation and probably everything concerning software construction.

Also as this book talks a lot about style, the best thing is it is backed up with hard facts not just because of personal preference.

The examples are written in several languages (such as C, Pascal and Basic). One chapter is devoted to object orientation. Although you're heavily into OOP then in no way should you skip over this book as the advices in this book can be applied to every methodology of programming. So this book is in no way out dated.

Each chapter has a 'recommended reading' section so you know where to go for more. This is extremely handy.

I've read this book several times and I just love it. I own every book written by the author. Check them out also - they are very good too.

Summary: This book teaches you how you can write good and self-describing code. I wished every program I've had to read had been written by programmers who read this book and applied that knowledge.

Thanks, ABO

I won't go into a review of the book as it has already been done so well by others here. Let me just say this:

As you read through the reviews, note those that give this book less than 5 stars (save one poor misguided fellow who must think 1 star is better than 5). These are people that I end up sending 'sorry you didn't get the job' letters to whenever I hire new programming staff.

The material in this book is so fundamental, so common sense, that it's easy to take it for granted. Don't. Buy a copy, and if you manage software projects and programmers buy copies for everyone involved (most of my people have copies of their own at home, I want them to have it available at work too). Then give them time to read it (or reread it). This will be the best investment in your staff you will ever make.

During interviews the mention of this book by a candidate when I ask about their personal professional reading counts as highly as any single other factor (and slightly ahead of most 'professional certifications' since I've found these to be a better indicator of ones ability to take tests than to perform in a production environment).

And don't forget to take your's down now and then as well.

Reading this book was an eye-opening experience for me! I started programming a couple years ago in BASIC, then I switched to C taking over many of the bad programming style I developed with BASIC. Lately I discovered my interest in programming once again, read through an MFC book and began programming for Windows, a whole new field for me. I always wondered how professional programmers are able to maintain programs that are more complex than Notepad.

I thought it's just the experience and knowledge of almost all the possible (MFC) functions that exist. Code Complete showed me that it's a lot more than that, beginning by designing your program, not just starting to write code right away, up to topics like naming conventions for variables, how to determine what code to put into a routine or how to make your program easier to debug.

Although Code Complete may sound like a very dry book only for expert programmers, it really isn't. Steve McConnell even managed to throw in a lot of amusing anecdotes or witty tests - like the one: "How many of these data structures do you know?". If you checked (almost) ALL of them, you're advised to read the section about intellectual honesty - because some of the data structures are bogus names made up by the author. :)

All in all, I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone , whether you're a professional programmer (for me that is any programmer whose job is programming <g>) or a hobbyist like me, wanting to create the applications you always dreamed of but thought you could never manage it.

Especially interesting for students or anyone trying to start a career as a programmer: this book contains a lot of 'further reading' advices with short descriptions of the books. So this book is also an excellent entry point for those wanting to become a professional programmer and are looking to fill the mind gaps where necessary.

Buy this book only if you are SERIOUS about programming. Because if you're not, you'll never get through it.

McConnell's book is an exhaustive guide to the nitty-gritty details of programming. There are entire CHAPTERS devoted to choosing names for variables, and dozens of pages covering every style of indenting since 1950. I am devouring programming books for my future career, and I am glad that I got this book. It covers all aspects of the design and coding process, with a heavy emphasis on readability and maintainability. It helped me to correct some bad coding practices that I developed.

I was most impressed by the references. McConnell has drawn together hundreds of papers, articles, and books written since the 60s and digested them all for you in this compact volume. He frequently quotes statistics and studies to support his claims. (Indenting lines 3-5 spaces boosts comprehension by 68%, but indenting by 6 or more spaces decreases it by 32%)

I got a real chuckle on his advice about how to deal with bosses who want to see code during the planning stages -- get printouts from previous projects and leave them around your desk, then lie!

I've been working in the software industry for 12 years now. I believe that a lot of bad practices have been creeping into programming. A lot of code is poorly written, full of "quick and dirty" fixes, poorly structured, and hard to comprehend. The IT industry is not as rigorous as it once was.

This is what Code Complete addresses. It is not a programming primer, it is an discussion of methods that can be used to make code more legible, more maintainable, and less buggy.

If you don't or can't buy the book then absorb this idea from the book: Programming is not the art of communicating with the computer, it is the art of communicating with other programmers who will read your code.

The subtitle of McConnell's book is "A Practical Handbook of Software Construction". I have found that it lives up to this claim excellently. Like Brook's classic "The Mythical Man-Month" Code Complete offers practical advice on the real-world challenges of software development. Code Complete contains 33 chapters, which can be read as separate essays.

To entry-level programmers and computer science students, this book is an excellent primer on the fundamentals of the industry. For experienced programmers, this book is an great way to review your own development strategies and best practices. For project managers, Code Complete serves as a great source of ideas for process improvement, as well as a great learning tool to pass on to new entry-level hires. My employer has used several chapters out of Code Complete as the basis for discussion topics.

McConnell writes in an easy-to-read, entertaining style that has made him one of the most popular authors in the field. His book "Rapid Development", is also an extremely popular book on software development, and many (including me) are anxiously awaiting his next work, "Software Project Survivial Guide".

In short, Code Complete belongs in the library of every serious developer

Although "Code Complete" is in many respects a worthwhile compilation of experience that is otherwise difficult to find in one place, when it comes to specifics of C programming its virtues are marred by numerous errors and un-C-like style. It is clear that the author had little experience, and was rather uncomfortable, with the language. Classic beginner blunders like incorrect end of file tests, macros which produce syntax errors in some contexts, sequence point errors, and confusion about null pointers are generously represented. We are advised to use names which begin with underscores (in ignorance of the C standard) and "cute" macros like "#define AND &&" which experienced C programmers hold in low regard for good reasons.

Granted, this is not written as a C programming text. Still, there is lots of C-specific advice and C programming examples, and readers deserve a more professional treatment. Given the popularity of this book it would be nice to see its flaws corrected in a second edition. In the meantime read it for its general advice, but learn your C from the experts. (Kernighan & Ritchie, Harbison & Steele, and Steve Summit's book length FAQ won't lead you wrong.)

I have been working as a software engineer for close to seven years, and have read many books on programming and software engineering. This is without a doubt the BEST book I have read about programming and software engineering that I have ever read. It is absolutely required reading for anyone that will be involved in writing code, reading code, or even working close to people involved with code.

This book is as close to perfect as you can get. I refer to this book very often, especially when an arguement comes up at work about how you supposed to do something. Just this week I referred to it about how the best way to conduct a code walkthrough is. The book pointed out several things that my group was doing wrong. Implementing some of the ideas in this book helped to make our code reviews more efficient.

I really like the examples and humor in the book. The writing is clear, and to the point. While quite a large book, it is both a page turner, and a great reference. Well organized, and to the point. I cannot say enough about how wonderful this book is. If I ever become a software manager I will buy a copy for every person on my team.

Considering the rapid-fire replacement/evolution of languages, versions, porgamming models, project management and design etc., it is good to see some of the most basic and direct things don't change.
Steve McConnell brings a wonderful, down-to-earth sensibility to a topic that is still not written about very often: software construction, aka building your code. I have to believe it's because he got it right the first time.
The tone is conversational, understandable and clear. The examples are presented in multiple languages, showing some differences between each, the pros/cons of one over another without becoming preachy but while still providing an approach for either that meets the objectives of the topic.
The beginner and the intermediate programmer need this book to get their coding skills up to speed quickly. The experienced programmer needs it handy to loan to the latest newbie and to refine a few bad habits with these well-defined reasons to change them. Project managers might want to look at large portions of this book if they want to try and understand why programmers become frustrated with their requirements, or lack thereof. Managers who have never been coders themselves would read it to begin to understand just what their developers are doing, why they ask the questions that they do, what their biggest roadblocks can be and why we become frustrated with unbridled & unchecked changes & feature creeps. It presents a good case for developing a flexible coding standard.
These days we have so much information coming at us on related but unique topics and are constantly trying to absorb new things that it is comforting to know that plain, old common sense survives. All in all, one of the best software books I have read, and that it is still in print and still of value cannot be overlooked. Having some of the best practices laid out for you makes it easier to remember them. Code well.

When I first heard about it, I wondered how a book on software engineering published in 1993, prehistoric by information technology years, could have such good reviews. I mean the bulk of these examples were written in Pascal or Fortran and Visual Basic, my main development tool, wasn't even available yet. Why should a hardcore VB programmer get this book?

I forced myself to get it because I think it's important to read the "classics" and because I was almost curious as to how it could get such great reviews. I haven't regretted it. There is such a diverse presentation of coding techniques and suggestions that it doesn't matter if it's in C, Basic, Pascal or Fortran. While I usually get a programming book that applies to one specific language, program or topic, this book is language independent. Perhaps that's why almost everyone unanimously agrees that this book is still extremely useful.

I would agree that this book would be considered most useful for new programmers, but I guarantee that any programmer or software engineer can learn something new from this book. There are too many good suggestions and principles contained within not to. Pick it up and see what everyone's STILL raving about 8+ years later.