Understanding the Professional Programmer

Rating:
Summary: Good work, but feels dated
Review: Programming as an art and as a career path is very new. Much has been written on how to write and understand computer programs, and there are many books on how best to organize and run computer projects. There are few books, however, that attempt to explain how to understand and manage computer programmers. This is Weinberg's goal in Understanding the Professional Programmer.

If you are a manager of software professionals, this book is worth a look--especially if you don't have a strong programming background yourself. First published about 20 years ago, portions of the work seem dated. Other books from the era, such as The Mythical Man Month (Brooks), and Peopleware (DeMarco, Lister), have aged more gracefully. Even so, Weinberg has observations worth hearing.

Weinberg begins by lamenting the status of the lowly programmer. Beginning the book asking the question "How long does it take to make a programmer?", Weinberg points out that management often isn't knowledgeable and doesn't have the tools to tell the difference between somebody "trained" for six weeks and a journeyman programmer with many years of experience. "The point is not merely that there are people out there passing as professional programmers who shame us all, but that few managers have any way of telling if they're talking to one of them or one of us." Assuming that programming is the first step to a better career in management, the grunt-work of coding is often looked down upon. "This attitude in our business suggests that writing code has a place in the hierarchy of human worth somewhere above grave robbing and beneath managing... As long as this attitude prevails..., there will be six-week programming experts and managers who don't listen to their highly paid fifteen-year programmers."

The book is filled with stories, many true, of programmers who left jobs for "greener pastures", often shocking or baffling their management. Many programmers are not motivated by the same things a typical salesman would want: money, visibility, and the like. Weinberg tries to show the reader what the programmers in his stories really wanted.

In an era with "internet whiz-kids" these lessons are as important as ever. But, Weinberg's text feels like it belongs to another time, another place. An updated version could be so good! If you do put the effort in, read the book, and listen carefully to Weinberg's stories, you'll not be disappointed--I just wish the work had aged a little better.

Rating:
Summary: Good work, but feels dated
Review: Programming as an art and as a career path is very new. Much has been written on how to write and understand computer programs, and there are many books on how best to organize and run computer projects. There are few books, however, that attempt to explain how to understand and manage computer programmers. This is Weinberg's goal in Understanding the Professional Programmer.

If you are a manager of software professionals, this book is worth a look--especially if you don't have a strong programming background yourself. First published about 20 years ago, portions of the work seem dated. Other books from the era, such as The Mythical Man Month (Brooks), and Peopleware (DeMarco, Lister), have aged more gracefully. Even so, Weinberg has observations worth hearing.

Weinberg begins by lamenting the status of the lowly programmer. Beginning the book asking the question "How long does it take to make a programmer?", Weinberg points out that management often isn't knowledgeable and doesn't have the tools to tell the difference between somebody "trained" for six weeks and a journeyman programmer with many years of experience. "The point is not merely that there are people out there passing as professional programmers who shame us all, but that few managers have any way of telling if they're talking to one of them or one of us." Assuming that programming is the first step to a better career in management, the grunt-work of coding is often looked down upon. "This attitude in our business suggests that writing code has a place in the hierarchy of human worth somewhere above grave robbing and beneath managing... As long as this attitude prevails..., there will be six-week programming experts and managers who don't listen to their highly paid fifteen-year programmers."

The book is filled with stories, many true, of programmers who left jobs for "greener pastures", often shocking or baffling their management. Many programmers are not motivated by the same things a typical salesman would want: money, visibility, and the like. Weinberg tries to show the reader what the programmers in his stories really wanted.

In an era with "internet whiz-kids" these lessons are as important as ever. But, Weinberg's text feels like it belongs to another time, another place. An updated version could be so good! If you do put the effort in, read the book, and listen carefully to Weinberg's stories, you'll not be disappointed--I just wish the work had aged a little better.