Solid Software [Paperback]

Shari Lawrence Pfleeger (Author), Les Hatton (Author), Charles C. Howell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 12, 2001 | ISBN-10: 0130912980 | ISBN-13: 978-0130912985 | Edition: 1

Solid Software presents realistic techniques for analyzing and improving the quality and robustness of any software system or software-intensive product. Solid Software isn't theoretical: it's a relentlessly practical decision maker's guide to making intelligent, responsible trade-offs that lead to the best software at the best cost. Solid Software draws upon dozens of real-world examples, based on the author's extensive experience as software quality consultants, and interviews with key software decision makers worldwide. Whether you're a developer, project manager, architect, executive, manager, or regulator, it's your single source for improving software quality in the real world.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

The practical guide to evaluating and improving the quality of mission-critical software.

Large software systems will never be perfect, but decision makers need better ways to evaluate and enhance software quality—especially where software is mission critical or used in life-or-death environments. Solid Software presents realistic techniques for analyzing and improving the quality and robustness of any software system or software-intensive product.

Solid Software isn't theoretical: it's a relentlessly practical decision maker's guide to making intelligent, responsible trade-offs that lead to the best software at the best cost.

• Understand what levels of quality are reasonable to expect at every stage of the software life cycle, including development, deployment, and maintenance
• Discover the key "design leverage points" that lead to robust software
• Learn sophisticated new ways to predict software quality and assess systems in production
• Make the most of hazard analysis, testing, design analysis, reviews, static code analysis, and other techniques
• Choose the best tools—and use them more effectively

Solid Software draws upon dozens of real-world examples, based on the authors' extensive experience as software quality consultants, and interviews with key software decision makers worldwide. Whether you're a developer, project manager, architect, executive, manager, or regulator, it's your single source for improving software quality—in the real world.

About the Author

SHARI LAWRENCE PFLEEGER is President of Systems/Software, Inc., a leading software engineering consultancy. She has been founder/director of Howard University's Center for Research in Evaluating Software Technology, visiting scientist at the City University (London) Centre for Software Reliability, principal scientist at MITRE Corporation's Software Engineering Center, and manager of the measurement program at Contel Technology Center.

LES HATTON is managing partner at Oakwood Consulting, advising clients such as Ford and Philips on software system safety.

CHARLES C. HOWELL, Chief Engineer at MITRE Corporation, has served as Director of Consulting Services at Reliable Software Technologies and as Java Technologist at Sun Microsystems.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 1 edition (July 12, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0130912980
• ISBN-13: 978-0130912985
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #754,750 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid Software, mushy in the middle, January 14, 2002

By 

R. Dameron "been-there" (Denver, CO United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Solid Software (Paperback)

I teach software engineering at the University of Colorado. I have begun a 3 course graduate series and am using Solid Software as one of two texts in the first course, Software Engineering of Stand Alone Programs. (Subsequent courses cover multiprogramming and distributed systems.) I have found Solid Software to cover the right topics but not to the right level of detail for my purposes. It is hard to find a general book on software engineering that covers adequately enough development factors that contribute to robustness such as requirements and design reviews, static and dynamic testing, etc. I was pleased when I read through the table of contents and saw the 9 areas addressed by the book. However, it is written to, say, first level managers of programming teams, not to the programmers themselves. On many topics, there are excerpts from books or papers that give a high level "hit". The good news is that the reference list at the end of each chapter includes excellent references. I think it's fair to say that my students' (all with industry experience) reaction is that it's not quite detailed enough to really understand. They are not expecting a how-to guide but ... more than this level. But you *can* follow the reference trail to get to more substance. If you ARE a 1st level manager, wondering what more can be done, what is reasonable to ask for, then this may be a great book for you.