Robert C. Martin, famously known as Uncle Bob, is a software engineer and author celebrated for his work on Agile development and his 'Clean' book series. In this discussion, he shares the origins of his nickname and delves into the Agile Manifesto's significance today. Bob emphasizes the necessity of returning to Agile's core principles amidst modern challenges. He explores the dynamics of team collaboration, the importance of code quality, and how Agile practices facilitate effective project management, all while shedding light on the urgent need for responsibility in the growing development landscape.
01:20:16
forum Ask episode
web_stories AI Snips
view_agenda Chapters
menu_book Books
auto_awesome Transcript
info_circle Episode notes
question_answer ANECDOTE
Origin of Uncle Bob
Robert C. Martin acquired his nickname, "Uncle Bob," in 1988 while working at a telecommunications company.
A coworker gave everyone nicknames, and despite initially disliking it, the moniker stuck after he included it in his email signature and it gained traction online.
insights INSIGHT
Agile's Organic Beginning & Waterfall's Rise
Early software development organically resembled Agile, with short cycles and regular testing, before formal processes existed.
The waterfall model, despite its creator's warnings, became dominant in the 70s, driven by a need to manage an influx of young programmers.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Agile Manifesto's Creation and Unexpected Success
The Agile Manifesto emerged from a 2001 meeting in Snowbird, Utah, where a diverse group of software professionals sought to address the limitations of waterfall.
Despite initial skepticism about its impact, Ward Cunningham's decision to publish the manifesto online and allow people to sign it catalyzed a significant movement.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
In 'Clean Architecture,' Robert C. Martin presents a comprehensive approach to software architecture, emphasizing the separation of stable business rules from volatile technical details. The book explores design principles, including the SOLID principles, and introduces component principles to guide the development of robust software systems. It provides insights into how to structure software for ease of development, deployment, and maintenance.
Clean Agile
Robert C. Martin
In 'Clean Agile,' Robert C. Martin revisits the core principles of Agile software development, emphasizing the importance of professionalism, discipline, and technical excellence. The book critiques common misinterpretations of Agile and provides practical advice on implementing its principles effectively. It highlights the need for small, cross-functional teams and emphasizes practices like Test-Driven Development and Continuous Integration.
The Software Craftsman
Sandro Mancuso
The Software Craftsman by Sandro Mancuso offers a path to developing software with pride and professionalism. It emphasizes the importance of craftsmanship in software development, providing practical advice on technical practices, recruitment, and career development. The book aims to help developers and organizations improve their approach to software development by focusing on autonomy, mastery, and purpose.
The clean coder
A Code of Conduct for Professional Programmers
Robert C. Martin
This book by Robert C. Martin focuses on what it means to be a professional software developer. It covers various aspects of software development, including the importance of taking responsibility, saying no when necessary, and committing to tasks. The book emphasizes techniques such as Test-Driven Development (TDD), refactoring, and time management. Martin uses anecdotes and real-life stories from his 42-year career to illustrate key points, making the book engaging and practical. It also delves into social aspects of daily work, such as communication, collaboration, and continuous learning.
Clean Code
A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship
Robert C. Martin
In 'Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship,' Robert C. Martin provides practical advice, best practices, and principles to help software developers write high-quality code. The book emphasizes the importance of code readability, changeability, extensibility, and maintainability. It covers various aspects such as naming conventions, function design, comments, and testing, with a focus on making code easy to understand and modify. Martin also introduces several key concepts, including the 'Boy Scout Rule' and the 'Law of Demeter,' to improve coding practices.
Robert C. Martin, aka Uncle Bob, joined the show to talk about the practices of Agile. Bob has written a series of books in order to pass down the wisdom he’s gained over his 50 year software career — books like Clean Architecture, Clean Code, The Clean Coder, The Software Craftsman, and finally Clean Agile — which is the focus of today’s discussion. We cover the origins of his “Uncle Bob” nickname, the Agile Manifesto, why Agile is best suited for developing software, how it applies today, communication patterns for teams, co-location vs distributed, and more importantly Bob shares his “why” for writing this book.
Changelog++ members support our work, get closer to the metal, and make the ads disappear. Join today!
Sponsors:
Linode – Our cloud server of choice. Deploy a fast, efficient, native SSD cloud server for only $5/month. Get 4 months free using the code changelog2019. Start your server - head to linode.com/changelog.
Codacy – Automate your code reviews. Instantly identify and address issues in every commit and pull request, directly from your current workflow. Learn more, get started for free, and grab a sweet pair of Codacy socks at changelog.com/codacy
CrossBrowserTesting – The ONLY all-in-one testing platform that can run automated, visual, and manual UI tests – on thousands of real desktops and mobile browsers.
The Changelog: Software Development, Open Source 
