I learned some new things from Code Complete by Steve McConnell, but the most valuable lesson is not about programming.
McConnell shares examples and guidance about the kinds of decisions you make when you write computer programs. The book has some very good advice that can help programmers write better code. The suggestions can also help developers write programs that other people can read and understand.
The problem is that the book is very long, but only some parts of it are very good. If someone wants to study the important parts then they have to find them somewhere in the middle of a big book, which means reading, or at least skimming, all of the parts of the book that are not useful.
From reading Code Complete I was reminded that if I'm writing and I run out of important ideas, I shouldn't add unimportant ideas to make my writing longer. By writing less, the end result will be more valuable to readers.
I actually just added this book to my list the other day. Glad to have your thoughts on it. It will stay on my list, but not in the top spot. Have you read The Pragmatic Programmer or The Object Primer?
ReplyDeleteTo your main point, so many books feel like a great 10 page article buried under 203 pages of restatement. I have to remind myself to not finish the book once I feel like I get the point.