Code Complete — Steve McConnell
The reference among computer science books
Quick Summary
Widely considered one of the best practical guides to programming, Steve McConnell’s original code complete has been helping developers write better software for more than a decade.
Now this classic book has been fully updated and revised with leading-edge practices — and hundreds of new code samples — illustrating the art and science of software construction.
Capturing the body of knowledge available from research, academia, and everyday commercial practice, McConnell synthesizes the most effective techniques and must-know principles into clear, pragmatic guidance.
From Goodreads
My Thoughts
This book is seen as a classic and a reference among developers. In fact, that’s the only reason I read it in the first place because it’s recognized and it’s a reference. I was slightly disappointed.
Well, it’s still a very good book. It’s very massive and talks about a lot of things without neglecting the details. But you probably already know a lot of what it says. That’s why, if you’re going to read the whole thing, you need to start from scratch.
This book made me ask myself a lot of questions all the way through. I don’t think you should take everything it says as a general truth, but leave room for your own opinion. If you can discuss the ideas proposed with other people, that’s even better.
On the negative side, this book is just too big. It’s a lot of work, and it’s going to take you a long time to read it. I even think it needs a second reading to be properly understood, but I don’t have the courage.
And as I was saying, there’s a lot in this book that I’m sure you’re familiar with. On top of that, some things may not be applicable to your situation because they’re too specific, or because they simply don’t fit your way of working.
That’s not a lot of positives, but the fact alone that it’s an almost indigestible pavement loses it a lot of points.
Finally, I’d like to talk briefly about some of the book’s ideas. The author advocates simplicity and standardization. These points are well explained, and I fully agree with them. Development is complex enough as it is, so keeping things simple can only be beneficial.
As for standardization, the author explains that you almost have to take it to the extreme and standardize absolutely everything. That may be a bit much, but he’s not wrong. But in the end, standardizing everything makes things more complex and raises more questions than without standardization, so I only half agree that there’s a limit to standardization.
In short, I don’t regret having read this book. It contains an enormous amount of information, and the author is a real expert in his field. It’s just that it’s hard to get into it, as it’s quite an introductory book.
To Read or Not to Read
I recommend reading this book. It’s a mine of information. But be prepared to spend some time on it, especially if you want to understand it properly.
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