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I recently read Coder to
Developer, by Mike Gunderloy. Very good book.
Mike covers an assortment of topics, all of which are important to software
development:
- Choosing features
- Architecture
- Using source control
- Using exceptions and assertions
- Using an IDE
- Examining source code
- Code generation tools
- Bug-tracking
- Logging
- Working on small teams
- Documentation
- Builds
- Licensing
- Installers
This is the stuff which is typically not taught. This is the stuff
which people fresh out of college don't know, and everybody expects them to just
learn it as they go. This is the stuff which distinguishes true developers from mere
programmers.
This book mentions a lot of specific technologies and tools, and it's very
current right now. However, I plan to be fussing at Mike every two
years for an updated edition. Ten years from now, these important topics
will still be the difference between coders and developers.
Gunderloy is a fine writer, and the book is enjoyable to read. There's
an excellent foreword from Joel
Spolsky as well.
I highly recommend Coder to
Developer for all programmers, especially those working in a small ISV.
Disclosure: Mike Gunderloy is a fan of SourceGear Vault, and this
is evident in the book. The truth is that I would recommend this book even
if all mention of SourceGear were removed. However, I think it is
appropriate to disclose the facts.
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