This book deserves 5 stars because it is a comprehensive analysis of software construction, it is objective and scientific, it is well-written and well-organized and it carries a lot of weight in the software industry (yes, this is important).
Comprehensive Analysis of Software Construction
This book’s scope is the “construction” of software which primarily includes detailed design, coding, debugging, integration and developer testing. According to McConnell, there wasn’t a book written on the construction aspect of programming at the time of writing the first volume (in 1993). Also, according to McConnell, construction is the most important part of programming as it takes up the most time, it must be done, and it has the biggest impact on the success of a project. To sum it up, this book touches on everything you need to know during the construction phase and has a chapter devoted to each topic. My favorite chapters are Chapter 6 (Working Classes), Chapter 21 (Collaborative Construction) and Chapter 33 (Personal Character). Go look at the table of contents if you don’t believe this book is comprehensive.
Objective and Scientific
McConnell backs up most of his claims with scientific evidence (referencing the results of different programming studies) throughout the book. He is also objective and presents dissenting opinions when there isn’t a clear winner. He is also honest when there isn’t much evidence to support his claims (for example, there isn’t actually much evidence backing up his documentation techniques even though they are probably best practice). This builds trust between the reader and the author. We know he has done his due diligence and we don’t need to go fact check everything. His technique of backing up opinions with scientific studies is surprisingly lacking in most software communities. It makes me realize how often we spout opinions without backing them up with hard data.
Well-written and Well-organized
This book might be dry at times, but it’s very well-written and well-organized. You can skip around to different sections and use it more like a reference instead of reading cover-to-cover if you’d like. My favorite parts of its organization are the ‘Key Points’ highlighted throughout the text, the checklists and key points at the end of chapters, and helpful code examples which reinforce his points. Also, I love his metaphor that you should organize your code in a similar logical structure that you would organize a book (with table of contents, sections, chapters, etc.) Some will say the book is repetitive (and it can be), but repetition is important because you rarely remember anything after reading it once. Repetition is the way ideas are reinforced and remembered.
Carries a Lot of Weight in the Industry
Some might argue this shouldn’t be a factor when reviewing a book, but I disagree. When you are newer to the industry (I’ve been programming professionally for around 2 years), you need to learn from the best. The way you identify who is best is by someone’s reputation and status in an industry. This book (and McConnell himself) are held in high esteem by very influential people in the industry. This matters because you can trust the concepts he is advocating and move quicker in your learning.
Conclusion
Overall, this book is a must-read for programmers and will probably have the best ROI for programmers who have been working professionally for 1-2 years (because you’ve seen some of the good and some of the bad practices that McConnell talks about). Yes, this book is long, sometimes dry and repetitive, and some advice is obvious. But it absolutely helps give more confidence when constructing software, when giving code reviews, and when forming a culture of good habits on your team.
The main takeaway is this: your number one goal as a programmer is to manage complexity. Make things easier to understand, more readable and more maintainable - it will save time in the long-run. We spend much more time reading code than writing code. It’s important to think about the programmer who will be reading and maintaining your code (a lot of times it is yourself). We aren’t smart enough to understand entire codebases and we are limited by our brains. Use techniques like abstraction, encapsulation, self-documenting code, and collaboration with other programmers to make your code better.
ISBN-13: 978-0735619678
ISBN-10: 0735619670
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Customer reviews
Self-diagram of Topic Coverage from Book
Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2020
Bought it used and is in good shape!Haven't read through all of it, but off to a good start.Included a picture of a self-description of how much details it'll cover in each topic in this book.
Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2020
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Top reviews from other countries
Benedict Carey
Definitely worth a read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 24, 2012Amazon Customer
A very good introduction to non-computer sciency programming
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 8, 2019Sam
Why is this not in your library?
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 16, 2017John Walker
Easy to read. Packed with information. Brilliant!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 4, 2010
