Andy Hunt and Dave Thomas, co-authors of the iconic 'The Pragmatic Programmer,' dive into the 20th anniversary of their influential book. They discuss its evolution over the years, balancing new technologies with timeless programming principles. The duo reflects on empathy's decline in virtual interactions and the importance of learning from programming history. They also share insights into the surprising success of their publishing journey and the personal impact of their work in the tech community. A rich conversation for developers at any level!
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insights INSIGHT
Timeless Focus
"The Pragmatic Programmer" focuses on people, not just technology.
People and their working styles haven't changed much, but the context has.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Underestimated Changes
The authors initially underestimated the changes over 20 years.
They had to update examples like calculating transfer times over 9600 baud modems.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Adapt or Struggle
Developers from 1999 would struggle in today's environment.
Embrace lifelong learning and adapt to the ever-changing tech landscape.
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In this book, Frederick P. Brooks discusses several key issues in software engineering, most notably 'Brooks's Law,' which states that adding manpower to a late software project makes it later. The book explores the complexities of large programming projects, the difficulties in measuring work in 'man-months,' and the importance of effective communication and team management. It also includes insights from Brooks's experience managing the development of IBM's System/360 and OS/360.
The Pragmatic Programmer
From Journeyman to Master
Andy Hunt
David Thomas
Dave Thomas
Andrew Hunt
The Pragmatic Programmer is a book that centers on how to use software to solve problems effectively and how to grow as a developer pragmatically. It was first published in 1999 and a 20th Anniversary Edition was released in 2019. The book emphasizes key qualities such as being an early adopter, having fast adaptation, inquisitiveness, critical thinking, realism, and being a jack-of-all-trades. It uses analogies and short stories to present development methodologies and caveats, including concepts like DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself), YAGNI (You Aren't Gonna Need It), and rubber duck debugging. The book covers topics such as writing clean code, estimating software delivery, instituting change, combating stagnancy, and making software processes resilient and efficient through automation and testing.
Dave Thomas and Andy Hunt, best known as the authors of The Pragmatic Programmer and founders of The Pragmatic Bookshelf, joined the show today to talk about the 20th anniversary edition of The Pragmatic Programmer. This is a beloved book to software developers all over the world, so we wanted to catch up with Andy and Dave to talk about how this book came to be, some of the wisdom shared in its contents, as well as the impact it’s had on the world of software.
Also, the beta book is now “fully content complete” and is going to production. If you decide to pick up the ebook, you’ll get a coupon for 50% off the hardcover when it comes out this fall.
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