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13th out of 38 books
—
28 voters
My rating:
add to my books
Joel on Software
by
Joel Spolsky
Someone once said that the task of a writer is to "make the familiar new and the new familiar". For years, Joel Spolsky has done exactly this at www.joelonsoftware.com.Now, for the first time, you can own a collection of the most important essays from his site in one book, with exclusive commentary and new insights from joel.
Paperback, 362 pages
Published
August 2nd 2004
by Apress
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If Jerry Seinfeld had decided to become a software professional, he might have written something like this. He observes the things that software developers and their colleagues do, skewers those practices with humor, and then says how it really ought to be done. Sometimes I agree with him, sometimes I didn't, but I like his writing well enough that it seemed worth buying a copy of the book. Most of the articles in the book are also available online on Spolsky's blog, but as I seem to recall f...more
What a great book! Every programmer and manager should read Joel - even if you don't agree with him, he brings up tons of points you just cannot ignore. For instance, one of my pet peeves is lack of up front planning. And when I say lack, I mean none. The amount of pain this has caused me in the past is impossible to measure (and there is a reason I'm reasonable good with time estimations - I plan what I can up front). Reading him talk about the lack of planning in software dev really warmed my ...more
Picked this up at the library while looking through the computer books.
This is one of the earlier blog-to-book jobbies that I'm aware of, and it's a good one. Joel Spolsky worked at Microsoft as a program manager, Juno as a programmer and manager, and now owns his own company, FogBugz.
During his career he formed some pretty strong opinions about the best way to do things, from how to hire a software engineer to how to enter a market with established competitors, which he desc...more
This is one of the earlier blog-to-book jobbies that I'm aware of, and it's a good one. Joel Spolsky worked at Microsoft as a program manager, Juno as a programmer and manager, and now owns his own company, FogBugz.
During his career he formed some pretty strong opinions about the best way to do things, from how to hire a software engineer to how to enter a market with established competitors, which he desc...more
i started out by just reading a couple of articles in this book, and ended up reading the whole thing over the course of a few days. totally awesome. ill go out on a limb and say it, a mythical man month for modern times. this book is similar to mythical man month in the sense that it is truly weird to hear somebody talking about writing software in a totally obscure environment. for brookes (mmm), it was the olden days of having to fit your software into tight memory spaces. for joel, it is win...more
Malik
added it
This is mostly a best of from the blog. I recommend this to people who like the blog. Joel is an experienced software guy with a talent for writing, so he manages to keep his opionated ramblings interesting. I've experiened many of the same issues he brings up and altough his descriptions of the problems are interesting, he is doing it all wrong! I disagree with most of his conclusions.
Also he is very biased toward ms, against linux firefox open source xp/agile methods etc. He admit...more
Also he is very biased toward ms, against linux firefox open source xp/agile methods etc. He admit...more
Joel Spolsky is an amazing writer, especially for a developer. This book mostly reprints entries he's already posted in his blog, but organized into a modern field guide for development. Despite being published 6 years ago, and mostly reprinting articles written in 2000 or 2001, his work is amazingly relevant today, a tall order for a technology book. His thoughts are organized and a joy to read. The second half of the book is a bit less cohesive, and specific to Windows development, but the fir...more
Darga
rated it
Recommends it for:
EVERYONE who makes software. yes even game designers.
Shelves:
work-make-build,
favorites
I wish Joel was my boss. If his company started making videogames, I'd apply there tomorrow.
Spolsky's an insightful and relentlessly reasonable guy. Either that or he has a way of describing ideas that make them seem like the most natural thing in the world.
There are small sections that will seem too technical for non-programmers, but the details of the specific technology or programming languages aren't really the important thing. Those sections can be interpreted thro...more
Spolsky's an insightful and relentlessly reasonable guy. Either that or he has a way of describing ideas that make them seem like the most natural thing in the world.
There are small sections that will seem too technical for non-programmers, but the details of the specific technology or programming languages aren't really the important thing. Those sections can be interpreted thro...more
Почему IE стал доминирующим браузером на рынке?
Почему Duke Nukem Forever так и не вышел.
Почему браузер Opera так и не стал популярным.
В чем причина провала Sun.
Почему Microsoft каждый год выдает новую версию .NET, и почему ее использует так мало настольных приложений.
Зачем крупный бизнес поддерживает Open Source.
Хотите узнать ответы на эти вопросы? Читайте книгу.
Почему Duke Nukem Forever так и не вышел.
Почему браузер Opera так и не стал популярным.
В чем причина провала Sun.
Почему Microsoft каждый год выдает новую версию .NET, и почему ее использует так мало настольных приложений.
Зачем крупный бизнес поддерживает Open Source.
Хотите узнать ответы на эти вопросы? Читайте книгу.
practical look into software as a developer, manager and creator; emphasis on practical - free of buzzwords, hot trends and latest, greatest methodologies - instead, the advice of creating one's own simple tools and processes border on cheap but eminently doable; advice on hiring, managing projects echo today's accepted best practices, but stated simply and grounded on common sense; reads like an outsider's guide to software development, but is actually a realistic view of what goes inside th...more
This is my bible of software management. I re-read it maybe twice a year because it's just that good. I can't say I agree with everything Joel writes but if nothing else, such disagreements allow me to exercise and explore my own opinions. Some stuff is dated, like the savage criticism of the Mozilla team for rewriting their browser from scratch and thus losing all hope of ever being a competitive internet browser again (sorry Joel, you were way off on that). Likewise, sometimes Joel's Micro...more
I remember reading lots of these pieces when they ran on Spolksy's blog ten years ago, but they hold up pretty well gathered together in a book. Some industry observations (like why Apple can't sell hardware, how Netscape starting from scratch) have proven to be wrong, but the track record is overall pretty good, and the material about managing programmers is still pretty sharp.
Good and applicable, even if some of the examples are dated. The most important insight for me is that internal, custom software should not (due to economy of scale, and control of the ecosystem in which it lives) ever be given the same level of polish as shrinkwrap software. It just doesn't make economic sense. Just like re-writing from scratch is almost never a good idea. Let programmers concentrate, not be interrupted. And so forth. Good stuff.
A great book for anyone who deals with software developers, designers, or ... well, like the title says: for just about anyone.
Make no mistake: the specific topics mentioned date this book quite a bit. But the essential concepts are nevertheless true: design specs are important, software developers should have their own offices with doors that close, and the twelve tenants of a successful company still seem like they withstand the test of time.
Perhaps the best review I ca...more
Make no mistake: the specific topics mentioned date this book quite a bit. But the essential concepts are nevertheless true: design specs are important, software developers should have their own offices with doors that close, and the twelve tenants of a successful company still seem like they withstand the test of time.
Perhaps the best review I ca...more
This book is best example how a good blog can lead to a successful book. Joel a software engineer and entrepreneur covers general software development issues in this book. joel`s recent venture stackoverflow.com is a huge success, i recommend to read by all IT professional`s.
The fact that these articles are still engaging and relevant ten years after they were first appeared on Joel's blog is a testament to his writing talent. Joel's background is in developing Windows software but his razor sharp and humorous observations should appeal to anyone who works in the web or software industries.
Recommended by Seth Godin in Linchpin.
Some articles aged better than others, some blog posts were not tidied up to the level expected for a book vs an internet blog. If it weren't for that it would have been five stars.
I don't always agree with Joel, but at least he's asking the right questions. Unfortunately, the same abrasive, brash tone that makes his writing work on the internet doesn't fit the printed page.
Even though this is just a collection of essays from Joel's blog, it is a great read and I don't mind having it in paper form as well.
Some of his articles are a little dated now, but almost all have useful, timeless advice for being and managing software developers.
Treat it like the Bible. Take only the good stuff out of it.
bit out dated now, some good general rules for project management
Joel's great, what can you say?
Joel's writing style is a pleasure to read and his insight is enlightening. Do I agree with 100% of the things he writes? No. Do I agree with 98.4% of it? Yes. :) Whether or not I agree with him, he's got some interesting things to say about the business of software--both technical and otherwise.
It's especially interesting to read now that several of the things he commented on are a little more "historical" in nature than they were when he originally wrote the book.
...more
It's especially interesting to read now that several of the things he commented on are a little more "historical" in nature than they were when he originally wrote the book.
...more
Insightful, well written and relentlessly practical. Spolsky's significant personal experience and crystal-clear thinking mean that his take on any topic tends to be novel, useful and accessible.
Most people interested in this book have probably already read all of this content. This book is a collection of articles/blogs from his website, and he does not add too much commentary on his posts. Easy writing style, and interesting points that he brings up. This writing gets more specific than things like "The Art of Project Management" and "Peopleware" at times, but covers similiar content.
The content is from 2000-2004.
The content is from 2000-2004.
Really 2.5 stars.
I like most of what Joel says about the management/developer schism... however, there are times when he says some truly cringe-worthy things. There are some pseudo-technical paragraphs at the end of the book that seem to be jammed in as some half-hearted attempt to appeal to developers.
-m
I like most of what Joel says about the management/developer schism... however, there are times when he says some truly cringe-worthy things. There are some pseudo-technical paragraphs at the end of the book that seem to be jammed in as some half-hearted attempt to appeal to developers.
-m
view 2 comments
If you are into software development / project management this is a must read. Joel has some great insights.
At VanDamme we used the Joel test to gauge ourselves and went from a 2/12 to an 11/12.
Joel has a great blog: www.joelonsoftware.com that is well worth reading
At VanDamme we used the Joel test to gauge ourselves and went from a 2/12 to an 11/12.
Joel has a great blog: www.joelonsoftware.com that is well worth reading
Joel is well-respected and all, and seems like a pretty smart guy. But the book is outdated and too Microsoft-centric. Aside from some timeless points about bootstrapping and backwards compatibility, this is a document of only historical intrest.
Kelley
marked it as to-read
This book has been around awhile, but it is the awesome. If you love Spolsky's products (Fog Creek Software) and his often irreverent writing about the trials and tribulations of building software, this book is for you.
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