Rating: 
Summary: Could have used an editor
Review: I eventually stopped reading this book because the writing was so grating. It reads like a high-school writing project: awkward sentence structure, overuse of sentence fragments, klunky dialouge, and the annoying over-use of full names. I know the guy's name is "Ethan Levin", so you don't need to remind me every other page. Just say "Ethan".
The story is mildly interesting, but it wasn't enough to look past what an editor should have fixed. With so many books in the queue, I wasn't going to waste time with this one.
Rating: 
Summary: very real,not fiction,can be boring,DONT READ FIX EXPLANATIO
Review: I give a 5 star for realism. This books feels real. It is not fiction. A must read for engineers significant ones who are not
engineers.
The ending is not a disappointment, it is just another piece of
reality. Most bugs are trivial to fix once they are diagnozed.
The explanation of the bug fix IS a disappointment as it is not
accurate. The book would have been better without the explanation. Don't read that part.
Rating:
Summary: Magnificent ô Writing
Review: I read Close to the machine which was quite good, on the border of being more than that (imho) if more bits - more flesh ? - had been added. But this one, this complete labyrinth picture of what's a geek life in a bug life just took me in the fantastic twirlof bits equal sentences equal pix equal ah the soul. Yes the soul! Binary and pounding like screen beats in the bl00d of game - life side. Ah wow. Thank you Ellen U. A total documented thrill. A superb strings quartet of writing. Made code comments a real adventure... And Did I spot the correct deep effects too? Oh I certainly witnessed something happening in the back of it all. I glimpsed the fast reflections in the golden eye of the page. This book is a grand sexy book too in one word. And doesn't it make every reader to know more about programming too? Ah yes. That too. - Warmly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: The Life of a Software Tester
Review: I recently read The Bug by Ellen Ullman. She's been one of my favorite writers on computers. Close to the Machine was her memoir of working as a programmer. I thought she'd done an excellent job of explaining what the inner life of programming was like. It's the only book on computers that i've ever insisted that my wife -- a non techie -- read. (She didn't like it, but nevermind.)My anticipation grew as soon as i heard of her new novel. It's about a programmer, a tester and a bug that drives them crazy. My expectations were so high that i worried i could only be disappointed. The book is unsettling and it's taken me some time after reading it to decide what to think of it. Of course, the fact that it's made me think automatically means its worthwhile. First off, it does a good job of portraying what it's like to work, day after day, programming and testing: the dreadful meetings, the insane deadlines, the endless nerdy humor, the overwhelming technical minutia. Secondly, it's a grim story, and it only gets grimmer as the book progresses. It contains several allusions to Frankenstein, and doesn't make programming look much fun; if you're looking for a peaen to programming, stick with Wired. I checked many reviews from other readers. Mostly, they cited these two aspects -- its versimilitude and darkness -- as reasons why they did or didn't like it ("too technical", "won't dissapoint programmers", "lacks humor", "a cautionary tale"). The surprise ending certainly made me uncomfortable. The veracity allows it to be quite haunting. The story centers around a bug that is hard to reproduce and that mostly occurs when the product is being demonstrated to investors and potential customers. The cause of this bug is eventually explained. I disagree with everal readers who have said that they couldn't believe that this bug could happen or could remain dormant for so long. Bugs often look obvious when you actually find them. Others have sniffed that the code on page 337 actually contains a second bug, which is true enough. It's pretty glaring. I suspect that even non-coders who compare the code to the diagram on the facing page will find it. But this only proves how easy it is for bugs to happen in the first place. (I suspect this bug will be fixed in later editions of the book.) Personally, i appreciated how the story hinges on how the programmer and tester must overcome their mutual hostility before they can work together to eventually understand the cause of the bug. Encouraging programmers and testers to work together better has been a theme i've written about and is central to my own consulting practice. It's nice to see more writing on the topic. The book also offers a bit of advice for consultants. The tester eventually becomes a quality assurance consultant. It's from this vantage point that she narrates the events of the book. She reports that the ruder she became to her clients, the more money they would pay her.
Rating: 
Summary: Required Reading for every Computer Science student
Review: I thought this was a wonderful book. As a former Professor of Computer Science and a professional programmer as well for over 40 years, I could very easily relate to what was in the book. My background in C and Unix was also helpful. Having spent so many hours of my life debugging, I fully understood the pressures and frustration. I found the resolution of the bug realistic and satisfying. I also enjoyed thoroughly the author's description of the difference between human and machine "thinking", as well as analog and digital time. I believe she got her point across very well. Some of the human drama was a bit off the wall, but she was on target with the feelings and drama encompassed by the "Art of Programming". Her description of the programming environment is a warning to potential programmers that this is a most challenging and yet difficult field of employment. I expect that the non-professional reader will be able to relate to the "bug" problem because so much of the software associated with our Personal Computers is so unstable that we accept the unreliability as a matter of course. And worse, the Software publishers expect that we will be their testers instead of fully testing it themselves; then they release updates to correct the existing bugs, but introducing new ones to plague us, some of which cause irreversable damage!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Study of the Programmer¿s Life
Review: If you are a professional programmer and you wish to explain what you do to a mystified wife/husband/friend give them this book. It gets across the joy and frustration of programming. It describes the interactions between management, quality analysis technicians, designers, and programmers. It weaves together the pressures of schedule, acquiring technical competence, juggling work and personal relationships, and preserving self-esteem in a startup company. The technical aspects of the novel are accurate and entirely in service to the plot. The bug itself is rather clever and by no means a simple example. Professional programmers will be impressed with the author's ability to explain all of this to readers with no technical background.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent First Book
Review: It starts out a little clunky but once it gets going, it gets a real head of steam. Don't miss it.
Rating: 
Summary: boring book.
Review: The basic storyline of The Bug has potential, but Ullman does not do a good job making the storyline interesting. Many connections are never quite made, and her character's connection to the story is kind of lame. From a litereary viewpoint the book just isnt very good. If you are interested in programming, all of the programming talk will probably be interesting, but the basic storyline is very lacking. the ending is also pretty lame. all in all, i wouldn't recommend this book unless you're interested in programmning, and even then its a little bit of a snore. sorry ms. ullman.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book! Won't Disappoint Programmers.
Review: The book was great and unlike too many books of this genre, even hard-core computer programmers won't be distracted by technical mistakes.... ... except --- there are THREE bugs on page 336, not one! Thanks, just had to get that out of my system.
Rating:
Summary: A New Meaning for "Computer Literacy"
Review: The Bug takes a literary approach to exploring the computer industry. Here is a novel that restores humanity to the frequently neglected and misunderstood employee of the computer industry. From the lowly quality assurance tester to the project coordinator, Ellen Ullman writes with an insider's understanding. The plot of this novel is straightforward. Ethan Levin, a programmer, must eliminate a software bug. It is the story of man versus machine, a version of "John Henry" for the digital age. In this case, it is not simply a contest to see who can perform a given task more efficiently, but a fight for survival, a tale of hunter versus hunted. At its heart, this is what The Bug comes down to in terms of what happens. It is a question of whether or not Ethan can and will defeat the bug. That such a plot is handled well, and given fresh life is a tribute to Ullman's skill as an author. This freshness comes in large part through the characterization. Roberta Walton, the narrator, recalls the story while waiting for her passport to be cleared, a wait dictated by software programmed at the company she once worked for alongside Ethan Levin. She recalls the glory years at the beginning of the tech industry boom and how she lost so much in the aftermath of the tech industry crash. Ethan's fatal flaw comes through slowly, but with clarity; he doubts himself in the extreme. He is defined by his self-doubt and his certainty that he is inadequate for the task at hand. These are not cardboard cutouts; they are living breathing people who cope with their situations the best they can, the only way they know how. This is what the best of science fiction strives to be. Here is a tale where the technology, the science plays such a core role that if the science were removed, the story would be empty. Couple that with the well-crafted story telling and The Bug truly becomes a timeless tale. The details of computer science may have changed in the past two decades, but how people respond to the situations presented here, how they face insurmountable obstacles, that is what lives down through the ages. If you have ever worked in the computer industry, you will feel a resonance in the story telling not often felt outside of Dilbert comic strips. If a loved one works in the tech industry, read this book to gain some insight into their world and the struggles they face on a daily basis. This is more than a summer beach book; this is what writers aspire to produce.
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