Coder to Developer: Tools and Strategies for Delivering Your...

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 352 pages
• Published by: Sybex
• Edition: 1st Edition April 9, 2004
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 078214327X
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0782143270
• Book Dimensions: 8.8 x 7.5 x 0.8 inches
• Weighs: 1.2 pounds

Product Description
"Two thumbs up"
—Gregory V. Wilson, Dr. Dobbs Journal (October 2004)

No one can disparage the ability to write good code. At its highest levels, it is an art.

But no one can confuse writing good code with developing good software. The difference—in terms of challenges, skills, and compensation—is immense.

Coder to Developer helps you excel at the many non-coding tasks entailed, from start to finish, in just about any successful development project. What's more, it equips you with the mindset and self-assurance required to pull it all together, so that you see every piece of your work as part of a coherent process. Inside, you'll find plenty of technical guidance on such topics as:

• Choosing and using a source code control system
• Code generation tools--when and why
• Preventing bugs with unit testing
• Tracking, fixing, and learning from bugs
• Application activity logging
• Streamlining and systematizing the build process
• Traditional installations and alternative approaches

To pull all of this together, the author has provided the source code for Download Tracker, a tool for organizing your collection of downloaded code, that's used for examples throughout this book. The code is provided in various states of completion, reflecting every stage of development, so that you can dig deep into the actual process of building software. But you'll also develop "softer" skills, in areas such as team management, open source collaboration, user and developer documentation, and intellectual property protection. If you want to become someone who can deliver not just good code but also a good product, this book is the place to start. If you must build successful software projects, it's essential reading.

Back Cover Copy
"Two thumbs up"
—Gregory V. Wilson, Dr. Dobbs Journal (October 2004)

No one can disparage the ability to write good code. At its highest levels, it is an art.

But no one can confuse writing good code with developing good software. The difference—in terms of challenges, skills, and compensation—is immense.

Coder to Developer helps you excel at the many non-coding tasks entailed, from start to finish, in just about any successful development project. What's more, it equips you with the mindset and self-assurance required to pull it all together, so that you see every piece of your work as part of a coherent process. Inside, you'll find plenty of technical guidance on such topics as:

• Choosing and using a source code control system
• Code generation tools—when and why
• Preventing bugs with unit testing
• Tracking, fixing, and learning from bugs
• Application activity logging
• Streamlining and systematizing the build process
• Traditional installations and alternative approaches

To pull all of this together, the author has provided the source code for Download Tracker, a tool for organizing your collection of downloaded code, that's used for examples throughout this book. The code is provided in various states of completion, reflecting every stage of development, so that you can dig deep into the actual process of building software. But you’ll also develop “softer” skills, in areas such as team management, open source collaboration, user and developer documentation, and intellectual property protection. If you want to become someone who can deliver not just good code but also a good product, this book is the place to start. If you must build successful software projects, it’s essential reading.

Reader Reviews
When I picked up this book, I was expecting something along the lines of _The Pragmatic Programmer_ -- basic, broadly-applicable advice on designing and building better software. This book does have some of that. The advice is sound, and I picked up a couple of tips as I read. But I didn't realize that this is really a Windows .NET book, not a general software development book. The title didn't tip me off, and neither did the description on the back cover. As someone who doesn't develop .NET software (nor even Windows software at the moment), I found myself skimming or completely skipping large portions of the book that described .NET- and Windows-specific tools. The further I got along in the book, the more I found myself reading only the general overview sections to get an idea of what Mr. Gunderloy was trying to say, and then skipping the specifics. A lot of the ideas and advice in this book are basic, so they may appeal more to beginning programmers than to experienced developers. However, the information is good, and it provides a helpful foundation for good development habits. If you're a beginning .NET programmer, I think this would be a great book to read. If you're a beginning Mac, Unix or other non-Windows/.NET programmer, you'll probably pick up some good tips, but there are likely better books out there for you. If you're an experienced .NET programmer, you'll probably have a good background in most of the material, but the overviews of available tools might be helpful. If you're an experienced non-Windows/.NET programmer, I would not recommend this book -- the general ideas are fairly basic, and the specific advice will probably not be terribly applicable to your work.