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Hacknot: Essays on Software Development
Essays on Software Development
294 pages, Paperback
First published March 3, 2007
16 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 9, 2016
A collection of essays on software, written from the point of view of a seasoned software developer. He explains, sometimes seriously, others with more than enough snark, what he does not like about the software industry.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book (even if I didn't agree with all of it) since it dedicates considerable space to one of the great weaknesses of software developers: their infatuation with newness, fashion and coolness. People who are not programmers might think that programmers, when working, do rational and unbiased decisions about what tools to use, trying to choose what is the best tool for the job. Nothing farthest from the truth.
In reality, programmers gather around technologies the same way people gather around sport clubs or political parties. People choose tools because it has some "philosophy" that appeals to them; they try unproved, buggy technologies on their clients because they are new and cool; there are millions and millions of posts in the internet in quasi-religious discussions around technology where reason is thrown away and all is left is pure "fanboyism". In Hacknot, Ed (a pseudonym) recounts his experiences with such situations.
As a side-note, I was surprised by the positive view he had about academy, since usually it is the other way around. Instead of deriding academic practices as being out-of-touch with reality, he longed for some kind of systematic study and reproducible practices.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book (even if I didn't agree with all of it) since it dedicates considerable space to one of the great weaknesses of software developers: their infatuation with newness, fashion and coolness. People who are not programmers might think that programmers, when working, do rational and unbiased decisions about what tools to use, trying to choose what is the best tool for the job. Nothing farthest from the truth.
In reality, programmers gather around technologies the same way people gather around sport clubs or political parties. People choose tools because it has some "philosophy" that appeals to them; they try unproved, buggy technologies on their clients because they are new and cool; there are millions and millions of posts in the internet in quasi-religious discussions around technology where reason is thrown away and all is left is pure "fanboyism". In Hacknot, Ed (a pseudonym) recounts his experiences with such situations.
As a side-note, I was surprised by the positive view he had about academy, since usually it is the other way around. Instead of deriding academic practices as being out-of-touch with reality, he longed for some kind of systematic study and reproducible practices.
March 2, 2021
Too outdated. Looks like author wages a war against Agile and XP
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews