Programmer Musings

Review of Software Craftsmanship

Software Craftsmanship
Pete McBreen
Addison-Wesley, 2002

This book is clearly written by someone who gets programming. I'm not sure how well the current business climate would accept his idea of Software Craftsmen, but I'm certain programmers (good and bad) will see an idea they like.

The main premise of the book is that programming is less like an engineering discipline and more like a craft. As such, McBreen suggests that the way to improve applications is to follow a craft model more precisely. New programmers should be apprenticed to more senior programmers. We should encourage pride in one's work. A program should not be something you code and then toss to maintenance. He argues that this would help to develop skilled craftsmen, instead of just people who have passed a certification course.

The ideas in this book push back against the kind of software engineers who seem to consider actually building the software and making it work as being a minor detail that occurs after the real work is finished. This kind of software engineer would probably regard this book as glorifying the worst kind of hacking. But, I think he or she would be doing this book and their own abilities a disservice by dismissing the book and its ideas that easily.

I've seen mentored or apprenticed programmers become very good in a short time. I also agree that pride in your skills and work seems to improve the results. So, some of what McBreen says resonates with my experience. But, I'm not sure I agree with all of his conclusions. One of the best programmers I know, suggested that this book was a not very methodical or logical in it's presentation. I saw it more as exploring an approach rather than presenting a road map for implementing it.

I'm not sure I agree with all of what McBreen says, but this book is definitely recommended. No matter what model of modern software development you subscribe to, this book has some ideas worth considering.