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After the Gold Rush: Creating a True Profession of Software Engineering (Best Practices)
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 005.1
EAN: 9780735608771
ISBN: 0735608776
Label: Microsoft Pr
Manufacturer: Microsoft Pr
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 182
Publication Date: 1999-11
Publisher: Microsoft Pr
Studio: Microsoft Pr
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Editorial Review:
Software developers are supposed to work insane hours, drink only caffeinated beverages, and have no personal lives, all in the interest of shipping the all-important Product. In the popular consciousness, the desperate programming team has acquired a status similar to that of the movie protagonist drinking whiskey alone at a bar--both are examples of ritual self-abuse deemed heroic. In After the Gold Rush: Creating a True Profession of Software Engineering, Steve McConnell argues that the methodical abuse of programmers causes bad code, unhappy people, and reduced profitability in the long run. In place of the existing system of crazy deadlines, clueless marketing, and scattershot programming strategies, McConnell proposes making software engineering into a "true profession." Such a profession would have a well-defined body of core knowledge, a system of professional certifications, and a code of professional ethics.
The question of whether such a "professionalization" of software development is a good idea is up for debate, certainly. It seems that a lot of programming jobs involve standard problems and solutions, which would lend themselves to teaching and testing. On the other hand, quantum-leap innovation has often come from "cowboy" artisans who deviate from the standard practices. Similarly, aggressive technology investors aren't interested in deliberate, standardized work--they want world-beating products (and they want them to market immediately, if not sooner). After the Gold Rush makes a well-reasoned, well-supported argument for a more structured programming profession, and is worthwhile reading for any technology executive or project manager. --David Wall
Topics covered: The problem with "code-and-fix" software development, the elusive nature of a body of knowledge in high-tech subjects, the structure of more traditional engineering professions (civil, chemical, and others), solution design versus implementation, and suggestions for how software engineering professionals might get trained and certified.
In this newest addition to Microsoft Press's acclaimed BEST PRACTICES series, award-winning author Steve McConnell offers candid reflections upon and a look ahead at the software engineering profession from one of the industry's most highly regarded practitioners. AFTER THE GOLD RUSH is a collection of illuminating original essays on contemporary software development topics that highlight critical trends and call for a more rigorous and standards-based profession. McConnell delivers a lively and provocative narrative that aims to help software developers step back from the day-to-day rush of their work and think about where their careers-and the industry they're helping to shape-are going.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Good book then and yet still insightful.
I found it interesting to read the reviews of the past, going back to 2001. A lot has happened in the software industry and business since this book was published. I see comments from people knocking the book because of the TOPICS it chose to discuss rather than the points it raised on the topics. Certification and licensing still have not become required (in all areas), but they are again getting more discussion these days, especially with regulatory bodies coming into play with what we as software ... Read More
Rating:  - Good info for those who don't already know it
I didn't learn very much from this book--primarily because it covered so much ground that I was already familiar with, as a member of the ACM and IEEE Computer Society. Basically, After the Gold Rush is Steve McConnell's 150-page treatise on the current and proposed future state of the software engineering profession. McConnell examines, compares and contrasts software engineering with other engineering disciplines, and concludes that if we are to build more consistently reliable software systems, then ... Read More
Rating: - Worth a read.
Thought-provoking book from a guy who's been in the trenches. Maybe I'm biased because for years I've been making the same points within my own small circle. I keep having to do "software archeology" on code that was written by new grads (and old hands who should know better), who are obsessed with writing even the simplest algorithm in a "kewl" way that makes it incomprehensible and unmaintainable, and who keep reinventing the wheel. It makes me wonder if CS departments are teaching anything remotely relevant ... Read More
Rating: - Software Engineering as a REAL Profession?
The Tar Pit. Software Dinosaurs. Fool's Gold. Orphans Preferred. Software Engineering is Not Computer Science. These are just a few of the chapter titles from Steve McConnell's latest book, After the Gold Rush. Perusing the table of contents gives one the impression that this read is going to be a hard-hitting call to action, and it doesn't disappoint.
After writing some of the best coding, management, and process books of the last decade, McConnell is calling for software development to join the ranks of ... Read More
Rating:  - Bureaucracy is not the answer
This book is mustly a repetition of ideas from his earlier Rapid Development and Code Complete. The section on ethics is naive and pathetic. The idea that because one has a software engineering license one is good is misguided. You can force someone to learn a few things including the basics of a discipline, but you can't ensure they are competent. The idea that a person would be legally responsible sounds like a way for corporations to pass the buck and evade responsibility and have a convenient fall guy. ... Read More
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