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Writing Solid Code (Microsoft Programming Series) 1st Edition

by Steve Maguire (Author)
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 46 ratings
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Writing Solid Code (20th Anniversary 2nd Edition)
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For professional intermediates to advanced C programmers who develop software, here is a focused and practical book based on writing bug-free programs in C. Includes practical solutions to detect mistakes before they become a costly problem.
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  1. ISBN-10
    1556155514
  2. ISBN-13
    978-1556155512
  3. Edition
    1st
  4. Publisher
    Microsoft Press
  5. Publication date
    January 1, 1993
  6. Language
    English
  7. Dimensions
    7.37 x 0.85 x 9.07 inches
  8. Print length
    256 pages
  9. See all details
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Amazon First Reads | Editors' picks at exclusive prices

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Any programmer worth their silicon knows that it is wiser to invest time preventing bugs from hatching than to try to exterminate them afterwards. And this is one of the best books for developing a proactive attitude towards electronic entomology. Follow Maguire's advice, and your testers, supervisors and customers will love you. Recommended.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Microsoft Press; 1st edition (January 1, 1993)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1556155514
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1556155512
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.46 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.37 x 0.85 x 9.07 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 46 ratings

About the author

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Steve Maguire

Steve Maguire

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Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
46 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Joe
5.0 out of 5 stars I read it in 2013, and it was awesome
Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2013
Verified Purchase
This book is awesome. I think I liked it even more that it was written in 1993 because we got a peek into 1993 Microsoft. I feel that this was the turning point where they were saying "We have to start making our stuff not crash"

I couldn't put the book down. There's so much useful information mixed in with the war stories. Almost every guideline he puts forward is useful today. "This is what happened" and exactly shows the reasons why Microsoft 1993 was so crashy. They did all of their features up-front and encouraged them not to fix them until the end of project. The business saw the finished features and say "Why is the program at this state for so long? By golly, it looks complete, so we should release!"

You also got to read about things he did in DOS, the Macintosh, and the 16-bit to 32-bit transition. That was my favorite part. Microsoft was one of the first companies out there to release Macintosh software

If you are the top 10-25% of programmers, you probably don't need a book like this. Then again, a lot of them would read the book anyways to find out how to be better. The detractors of this book are usually the kind of people that need to read it.

Also, the C code can disorient readers just because of the nature of C code.

I would have paid 300 times more for this book. Okay, I bought it used for $0.07, but still, it was great
5 people found this helpful
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DragonJam
5.0 out of 5 stars A true classic going well beyond coding syntax.
Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2016
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A must read. You can master coding syntax, but can you write code that is maintainable and less prone to bugs? This book has many good insights into what coding styles work and what don't. One of the best books I've used.
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Roberto Ramirez
3.0 out of 5 stars Still recommended and current in many cases.
Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2015
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I'm a Linux software developer that uses the C programming language daily, but even when this book is written by Microsoft guys from a long long time ago, many of the advise and suggestions are still applicable.
2 people found this helpful
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Capt Hurls
4.0 out of 5 stars Good "old school" book
Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2008
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This book quickly reminded me that the "old school" rules to software development will always apply, no matter how many new labels you put on it (e.g. Agile). It was recommended to me by a college professor aside from the regular classroom reading we had to complete. And I was more than happy I purchased it and added it to my bookshelf.
One person found this helpful
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rdasxy
5.0 out of 5 stars Great concepts, good for technical interviews
Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2011
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Very good book to build core concepts for programming in C. Learned a lot of new things about writing secure, 'solid' code.
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Robert O Alexander
5.0 out of 5 stars Please ignore previous negative reviews
Reviewed in the United States on November 22, 2003
I was shocked to see this book get some negative reviews. Those that blasted Microsoft missed the point. This book provides invaluable advice in a quick read. For example, "If you have to look it up, the code is not obvious," or, "If you find yourself designing a function so that it returns an error, stop and ask yourself whether there's any way you can redfined the function to eliminate the error condition." This is the book that convinced me to single-step all my code. The heuristics on proactive bug prevention, which are summarized in the appendix by the way, will save your team time and let you move on to adding features rather than fighting fires.
30 people found this helpful
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Ed G
1.0 out of 5 stars I ended up returning it.
Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2018
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I ended up returning it. I found it superficial.
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James C. Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars Must have for anyone writing code in C or C++.
Reviewed in the United States on October 13, 2000
This book is a must have for anyone writing code in C or C++. It explains how to properly use debug code such as asserts and other techniques to write more reliable code. I learned several techniques that I now use every day without ever thinking about it. I shudder when I look at old code I wrote before reading this book. Writing Solid Code is literally required reading in many software engineering departments. Steve also relates several stories about bugs in Excel or other Microsoft products that were caught using these techniques or that would have been caught if the techniques were used. Any C/C++ programmer, no matter how much or how little experience, could benefit from reading this book.
13 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

embedeo
5.0 out of 5 stars The actual context is outdated, but it gives you valuable thinking directions
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 5, 2017
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When I first read the Bulgarian translated edition of this book, back in 1997, I concluded it is very helpful, yet very interesting and so easy to read. Then in 2014, I bought this original 1993 (English) edition, I read it again and I still support my initial impression -- helpful, yet easy to read.
However, since the context, which the book is written for, is outdated, you should not take it as a bunch of recipes, but you should rather take it as a direction of your thinking process. For example, instead of using specific methods for capturing memory leaks described in the book, you should think of using some contemporary measures or something that is already adopted by your management or R&D team. The important point of the book is that you should not miss or ignore the potential source of problems; you should think carefully (and pessimistically) in advance and it will pay off later.
Besides, in the world of embedded systems and plain C programming, the essential teaching of this book is more applicable than in other areas.
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Joseph
5.0 out of 5 stars Simply awesome, its age shows a bit but overall it's really a must read
Reviewed in France on May 10, 2016
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Indeed, the author speaks of C and takes memory management as an example.

For sure it's pretty C specific and "low level". Yet the advices, the overall feedback and contents fit for any language or developer and really rock. To me the book is better than Clean Code and the others books I've read on the matter.

And if you're writing C, it could still be valid ^^
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Antonio Pineda Cabello
5.0 out of 5 stars First book recommended for those who want to learn techniques in C/C++ development
Reviewed in Germany on March 9, 2016
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I find this book as a major reading for any developer that is starting working in a company and wants to learn techniques that assure its code over the time.
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Fuzzbox
5.0 out of 5 stars great
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 10, 2018
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great Some great info here
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Eddy Young
3.0 out of 5 stars This book is mostly relevant if you code in C ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 16, 2016
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This book is mostly relevant if you code in C. Having said this, I bought this to get more details about a few citations (from the book) that I read in blog posts.
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