Facts and Fallacies of Software Engineering

A lot of what software engineers ought to know about building software is, for whatever reason, not known (forgotten, neglected, never considered, etc.). This book is a collection of fifty-five facts that software engineers should always consider. The facts are fundamental. The facts are frequently forgotten. And above all, the facts are important to the success of a project. Robert Glass brings a lifetime's work in software engineering to this often-witty book. In his considerable experience, the author has witnessed that software engineers need to learn the same lessons over and over again. In formally presenting many of these key facts, he hopes that software builders can avoid many of the pitfalls that all too often plague a project. The book covers management, all stages of the software lifecycle, quality, research, and much more. The author even presents ten common fallacies that help support the fifty-five facts. Anyone with an interest in building better software can benefit from this thought-provoking new book.

PLEASE PROVIDE SUMMARY

The practice of building software is a “new kid on the block” technology. Though it may not seem this way for those who have been in the field for most of their careers, in the overall scheme of professions, software builders are relative “newbies.”

In the short history of the software field, a lot of facts have been identified, and a lot of fallacies promulgated. Those facts and fallacies are what this book is about.

There’s a problem with those facts–and, as you might imagine, those fallacies. Many of these fundamentally important facts are learned by a software engineer, but over the short lifespan of the software field, all too many of them have been forgotten. While reading Facts and Fallacies of Software Engineering, you may experience moments of “Oh, yes, I had forgotten that,” alongside some “Is that really true?” thoughts.

The author of this book doesn’t shy away from controversy. In fact, each of the facts and fallacies is accompanied by a discussion of whatever controversy envelops it. You may find yourself agreeing with a lot of the facts and fallacies, yet emotionally disturbed by a few of them! Whether you agree or disagree, you will learn why the author has been called “the premier curmudgeon of software practice.”

These facts and fallacies are fundamental to the software building field–forget or neglect them at your peril!