Why Does Software Cost So Much?: And Other Puzzles of the Information Age [Paperback]

Tom Demarco (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 237 pages
• Publisher: Dorset House (December 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 093263334X
• ISBN-13: 978-0932633347
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #470,496 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Insightful, funny, and very readable, January 17, 2001

By 

B. Scott Andersen (Acton, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Why Does Software Cost So Much?: And Other Puzzles of the Information Age (Paperback)

The software industry has been cranking out books at a record pace. Any self respecting software professional reads anywhere from a handful to a pile each year. But, if an engineer could get upper management to read one book so they could better understand the engineer's world, which book would it be? This one comes to mind.

Why does software cost so much? DeMarco bristles at the question. Compared to what?! "[its] not a question at all; it's an assertion." In a series of essays DeMarco and others make observations that ring true. Here's one gem: "I suspect the typical software engineer doesn't work overtime to make the schedule, but in order not to feel so bad about not making it."

All of the essays are brief and to the point. The book was first published in 1995 and several of the essays are works published earlier. A few that mention particular technologies, languages, or management fads are showing signs of age. The essays that concentrate on the sociology of programming still hit home. And why not? Tools and technologies evolve quickly but people and their habits don't.

DeMarco's casual and fluid writing style make each of the essays easy to read but be careful not to confuse "easy to read" with "trivial." There is plenty here to make an engineer think and to give a CEO some insight into the complex and sometimes baffling world of software.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unspoken truths are still truths, January 4, 2000

By 

Charles Ashbacher (Marion, Iowa United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Why Does Software Cost So Much?: And Other Puzzles of the Information Age (Paperback)

It seems that in every field of human endeavor, there are things that are true, but for whatever reason are unspoken and ignored. The reasons for this are many, but a partial list includes: fear of failure, fear of losing face, time pressures, rigid rules and tradition. Software development is no different and Tom DeMarco is a speaker of the truth. In this collection of marvelous essays, he points out many of the well-known but neglected principles that generate problems in software projects.
The leading essay points out that software creation is hard and we demand a great deal from our software. So much of our societal infrastructure is controlled by software and most of it built in a relatively short time. Furthermore, there is no legacy of experience in building software that there is for building hard infrastructure items such bridges and roads. We are still conducting what is essentially on the job training.
Another simple, significant, yet overlooked point is that the sociology of a project is more important than the technology. The efficiency of a programmer during any individual day is often influenced more by the fight with a boyfriend or girlfriend than it is by having the latest tools. Software is built by the effective working of the human brains and the tools just make the output easier to capture.
Once again, DeMarco is at his best, namely when he is writing more about sociology and psychology than about the technical aspects of computing. This book should be mandatory reading for anyone in the process of building a development team.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very thought provoking essays on Software Engineering, July 13, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Why Does Software Cost So Much?: And Other Puzzles of the Information Age (Paperback)

Tom DeMarco has to be one of the most clear and lucid writers in software engineering. In this book he covers a wide range of material, all with the same light, easy to read style. Almost every essay raises questions or provides insight that I had not considered before. DeMarco has definitely changed my outlook (or at least made me think more critically) on many areas of my career in software.

The only reason I didn't give this book five stars was that some of the essays seem to have been thrown in as an afterthought to make the book thicker. A few didn't really flow together with the rest of the book.