The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master

Andrew Hunt · David Thomas

Oct 1999 · Addison-Wesley Professional

About this ebook

What others in the trenches say about The Pragmatic Programmer...

“The cool thing about this book is that it’s great for keeping the programming process fresh. The book helps you to continue to grow and clearly comes from people who have been there.”

— Kent Beck, author of Extreme Programming Explained: Embrace Change

“I found this book to be a great mix of solid advice and wonderful analogies!”

— Martin Fowler, author of Refactoring and UML Distilled

“I would buy a copy, read it twice, then tell all my colleagues to run out and grab a copy. This is a book I would never loan because I would worry about it being lost.”

— Kevin Ruland, Management Science, MSG-Logistics

“The wisdom and practical experience of the authors is obvious. The topics presented are relevant and useful.... By far its greatest strength for me has been the outstanding analogies—tracer bullets, broken windows, and the fabulous helicopter-based explanation of the need for orthogonality, especially in a crisis situation. I have little doubt that this book will eventually become an excellent source of useful information for journeymen programmers and expert mentors alike.”

— John Lakos, author of Large-Scale C++ Software Design

“This is the sort of book I will buy a dozen copies of when it comes out so I can give it to my clients.”

— Eric Vought, Software Engineer

“Most modern books on software development fail to cover the basics of what makes a great software developer, instead spending their time on syntax or technology where in reality the greatest leverage possible for any software team is in having talented developers who really know their craft well. An excellent book.”

— Pete McBreen, Independent Consultant

“Since reading this book, I have implemented many of the practical suggestions and tips it contains. Across the board, they have saved my company time and money while helping me get my job done quicker! This should be a desktop reference for everyone who works with code for a living.”

— Jared Richardson, Senior Software Developer, iRenaissance, Inc.

“I would like to see this issued to every new employee at my company....”

— Chris Cleeland, Senior Software Engineer, Object Computing, Inc.

“If I’m putting together a project, it’s the authors of this book that I want. . . . And failing that I’d settle for people who’ve read their book.”

— Ward Cunningham

Straight from the programming trenches, The Pragmatic Programmer cuts through the increasing specialization and technicalities of modern software development to examine the core process--taking a requirement and producing working, maintainable code that delights its users. It covers topics ranging from personal responsibility and career development to architectural techniques for keeping your code flexible and easy to adapt and reuse. Read this book, and you'll learn how to

• Fight software rot;
• Avoid the trap of duplicating knowledge;
• Write flexible, dynamic, and adaptable code;
• Avoid programming by coincidence;
• Bullet-proof your code with contracts, assertions, and exceptions;
• Capture real requirements;
• Test ruthlessly and effectively;
• Delight your users;
• Build teams of pragmatic programmers; and
• Make your developments more precise with automation.

Written as a series of self-contained sections and filled with entertaining anecdotes, thoughtful examples, and interesting analogies, The Pragmatic Programmer illustrates the best practices and major pitfalls of many different aspects of software development. Whether you're a new coder, an experienced programmer, or a manager responsible for software projects, use these lessons daily, and you'll quickly see improvements in personal productivity, accuracy, and job satisfaction. You'll learn skills and develop habits and attitudes that form the foundation for long-term success in your career. You'll become a Pragmatic Programmer.

Ratings and reviews

Really well written book about the craft of writing software. I would recommend it to everyone writing software. In this book the authors provide inside on many problems that programmers face everyday and how we can solve those problems in some situations. They also question some of the metaphors that we use when we look on the art of writing good quality code and discuss how those incorrect assumptions affect us. Their goal is to provide enough details on each discussed topic, in order to be useful, but not too much, because that would make the book harder to read. A list of additional materials is provided for a great number of the discussed topics, so that people interested in those areas can learn more about them.

So many programming books try and force you into a mold created through years of trial and error centered around a single static part of the industry. In the Pragmatic Programmer, Hunt and Thomas ignore the preconceptions on focus on modular methods of thinking that when followed closely teach not only better programming techniques but better LIVING techniques. And when you live better, you program better. It's that simple.

There are a few clues to it's age, but that doesn't detract from the wisdom in these pages. After >15 years of coding I agree with pretty much every piece of advice; and it's a *lot* of advice.

About the author

Andy Hunt is an avid woodworker and musician, but, curiously, he is more in demand as a consultant. He has worked in telecommunications, banking, financial services, and utilities, as well as in more exotic fields, such as medical imaging, graphic arts, and Internet services. Andy specializes in blending tried-and-true techniques with leading-edge technologies, creating novel--but practical--solutions. Andy owns his own consulting business in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Dave Thomas likes to fly single-engine airplanes and pays for his habit by finding elegant solutions to difficult problems, consulting in areas as diverse as aerospace, banking, financial services, telecommunications, travel and transport, and the Internet. Before moving to the United States in 1994, Dave founded an ISO9001-certified English software company that delivered sophisticated, custom software projects throughout the world. Dave is now an independent consultant based in Dallas, Texas.

020161622XAB04062001