Christopher Duncan's _Career Programmer: Guerilla Tactics for an Imperfect World_

[Albert Chou]

This review at Amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/review/RWABZHDTJW9ZG/ref=cm_cr_pr_viewpnt#RWABZHDTJW9ZG
mentions McBreen's _Software Craftmanship_, and I wonder if anyone
here who's read both would care to comment on Duncan's book? Reading
the sample chapter available at
http://www.PracticalUSA.com/Downloads.aspx#tcp does corroborate some
of what the above review says, but I'm still a little hopeful that the
rest of the book might be of some use/value. Or if not, that would be
interesting information as well.

Al

[kelly french]

I'm in the middle of reading Duncan's book.  I've been developing software for 18 years now and have not found anything I've disagreed with in it.  Junior developers might be who should read it but they may not believe things are as bad as he describes.  For everyone else, it is useful to have a frank discussion about all those things that affect coding but are irrational.  It's one thing to dismiss politics and try to get back to coding, it's another thing to explain why ignoring the problem will make it worse. 

Even though the details are depressing, I found Duncan's writing style to be useful in lightening the mood of the narrative. His references to things like the night watchman's attack Chihuahua to bring a smile even in the middle of a chapter on scope-creep or impossible schedules.

[Albert Chou]

Thanks, Kelly.  Duncan's book sounds like it gives the kind of advice I've at times given to people younger than me, in various fields of study/work.  And I agree that it's the sort of advice which, like youth, is "wasted on the young".  However, I've always wanted someone to throw that sort of advice at me, even if I'm not ready to benefit from it.  I think generally we are all left to re-learn the things that our predecessors were forced to re-learn because no one bothered to pass down the knowledge.  And frankly, I think that sucks and is unnecessary.

Al