Programmers at Work [Paperback]

Susan Lammers (Editor)

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Microsoft Press,U.S. (June 26, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0914845713
• ISBN-13: 978-0914845713
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,649,852 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent treatment of the programmer's craft, June 6, 2001

By 

Ron Porter (Saskatoon, SK Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Programmers at Work (Paperback)

This is a detailed account of how some of the world's most famous programmers did their work. While this is obviously dated material, there is no question in my mind that this book should be put back into print. The insights into what it takes to be among the best at something, not just programming, make this book required reading for everyone, not just programmers.

Through a series of biographical snapshots, we not only get glimpses into the personalities of some great and influential programmers, we learn about their thought processes. We also see that, as different as each person is from the other, they all share both a solution-oriented approach to the problems encountered and an incredible ability to persevere in the face of adversity. Most importantly, we learn that programming, like anything else in life, is but a means to an end and that it must be approached with the same vigour, creativity, and thoughfulness that guides the finest practioners of all human endeavors.

Highly recommended.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent treatment of the programmer's craft, June 6, 2001

By 

Ron Porter (Saskatoon, SK Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Programmers at Work (Paperback)

This is a detailed account of how some of the world's most famous programmers did their work. While this is obviously dated material, there is no question in my mind that this book should be put back into print. The insights into what it takes to be among the best at something, not just programming, make this book required reading for everyone, not just programmers.

Through a series of biographical snapshots, we not only get glimpses into the personalities of some great and influential programmers, we learn about their thought processes. We also see that, as different as each person is from the other, they all share both a solution-oriented approach to the problems encountered and an incredible ability to persevere in the face of adversity. Most importantly, we learn that programming, like anything else in life, is but a means to an end and that it must be approached with the same vigour, creativity, and thoughfulness that guides the finest practioners of all human endeavors.

Highly recommended.

5.0 out of 5 stars A great read!, September 29, 2011

By 

emile - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Programmers at Work (Paperback)

Its very interesting to read about how programmers thought about their work almost 20 years ago. Offers interviews with a wide range of brilliant and colorful personalities, as well as samples of code they've written. Many of the products these programmers were working on are now staples of daily life like the PDF file format, the Word suite, and the Mac operating system.