The Pragmatic Craftsman
:: Simplicity from complexity ::
The Pragmatic Craftsman
:: Simplicity from complexity ::
The Best Software Writing I
by Joel Spolsky
ISBN 1590595009
Date Read 7/2005
My Rating
If you have been active in the software world, you probably have read most of the articles that are in this book (I had read around 40-50% before reading this book). In that case, this book will not be as beneficial to you, but you’ll enjoy it.
On the other hand, if you don’t know who Joel Spolsky is, or Eric Sink, or Paul Graham — this is a must read for you! You will get introduced to some of the finest writers in the software domain. This book will help get on track.
The one essay that I had not read before, and that left the most lasting impression on me is the EA: The Human Story, which talks about the horrible working requirements in the EA — the computer gaming company. Wow.
The article on outsourcing is great. Most of the articles are high quality. Most are worth reading.
It’s a weekend book. It’s a book that you take with you to the beach. I read the whole book while on vacation in Spain — it’s not technical, easy to read.
Great stuff, Joel.
If you don’t feel like buying the book, you can find the whole list with the links to all of the articles here.
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I second the sentiment that Joel Spolsky and Paul Graham are must reads.
With regards to EA workin conditions, I was chatting with a buddy who works at one of their studios recently and asked him about the sweatshop conditions. He said that each studio has its own culture and that he’s never experienced working conditions like what has been going around as the EA sweatshop…