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16th out of 129 books
—
50 voters
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, 384 pages
Published
August 16th 2004
by Apress
(first published August 2nd 2004)
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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 from...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 describes in these blunt...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 describes in these blunt...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
Dec 26, 2008
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 admits his experi...more
Also he is very biased toward ms, against linux firefox open source xp/agile methods etc. He admits his experi...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
Jan 25, 2009
Darga
rated it
5 of 5 stars
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 through context or taken in...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 through context or taken in...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 the d...more
This is the first positive review I'm giving while still reading a book. First of all, to fully enjoy the book I feel like I have to read it in tiny tiny chunks to let the content sink in, thus it's taking forever to get through it. The second reason is that it has been so consistent in writing level and quality of content that I am certain it will continue that way until the end.
In a nutshell, this book is a series of blog posts, written and curated by a known software persona. It deals with ev...more
In a nutshell, this book is a series of blog posts, written and curated by a known software persona. It deals with ev...more
Joel's writing should be required reading for anyone attempting to manage geeks, especially the programming variety.
The book is largely a collection of his blog posts, frequently more fleshed-out than what originally appears, put into some kind of coherent order. Some of these articles can be found in more than one of his books, which is kind of a downer. I mean, if I'm going to plunk for another book, I expect fresh content, not some of it re-hashed from the last one.
The book is largely a collection of his blog posts, frequently more fleshed-out than what originally appears, put into some kind of coherent order. Some of these articles can be found in more than one of his books, which is kind of a downer. I mean, if I'm going to plunk for another book, I expect fresh content, not some of it re-hashed from the last one.
Who would have thought taking five-to-ten year old blog entries, removing all the pictures, and printing them in a book would be a good idea? But Spolsky's essays are interesting and well-written, and the book works.
my favorite quote: "Sometimes, smart thinkers just don't know when to stop, and they create these absurd, all-encompassing, high-level pictures of the universe that are all good and fine, but don't actually mean anything at all."
my favorite quote: "Sometimes, smart thinkers just don't know when to stop, and they create these absurd, all-encompassing, high-level pictures of the universe that are all good and fine, but don't actually mean anything at all."
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 Microsoft...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 can give this book is thus...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 can give this book is thus...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.
Bought this book after reading his posts on interviewing. We always hear to hire people smarter than yourself, Joel shows you how to do it. The book can be a bit dense at times, but if you don't like the story skip to the next one.
The most uncommon thing in world is common sense. That's what this collection of essays on software engineering is about. A simple approach to many facets of software development without resorting to any jargons.
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.
Selected essays from Joel's blog. Delightful to read and informative. Up to now, one of the things that resonated the most with my experience is the bit on how important writing specifications really is.
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.
This will turn your thoughts about the business of software around. And turn your inner geek on.
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.
Just fantastic. Great insight, great explanations, and wonderful little stories.
Joel is funny and right on the mark. Not that there is anything wrong with that!
Первая часть книги интересна и содержит много полезного, далее - очень уныло, возможно из-за фокусировании на MS и её продуктах.
If you're a programmer, or you work with programmers, you should read this one.
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