Saturday, June 27, 2009

The Mythical Man-Month

(So at last I read it ...)

By Frederick P. Brooks, JR.
An enjoyable read indeed. The book is for those with passion for software development, from someone who shares this passion.
The book contains a good deal of timeless advice, although one might wonder how much of the book is relevant today. I'd offer that most of the book is. There has been times when I was puzzled by the content, and totally missed references to the machines, tools, and procedures. Nevertheless, it's amazing to see how much had changed, yet how much really didn't. In that regard, the discussion around essential (irreducible core complexity) and accidental difficulties (those pertaining to technology limitations, etc) is especially illuminating.
Here are some useful pointers:
The authors homepage
On Amazon