Making Software: What Really Works, and Why We Believe It

Many claims are made about how certain tools, technologies, and practices improve software development. But which claims are verifiable, and which are merely wishful thinking? In this book, leading thinkers such as Steve McConnell, Barry Boehm, and Barbara Kitchenham offer essays that uncover the truth and unmask myths commonly held among the software development community. Their insights may surprise you. Are some programmers really ten times more productive than others? Does writing tests first help you develop better code faster? Can code metrics predict the number of bugs in a piece of software? Do design patterns actually make better software? What effect does personality have on pair programming? What matters more: how far apart people are geographically, or how far apart they are in the org chart? Contributors include: Jorge ArandaTom BallVictor R. BasiliAndrew BegelChristian BirdBarry BoehmMarcelo CataldoSteven ClarkeJason CohenRobert DeLineMadeline DiepHakan ErdogmusMichael GodfreyMark GuzdialJo E. HannayAhmed E. HassanIsrael HerraizKim Sebastian HerzigCory KapserBarbara KitchenhamAndrew KoLucas LaymanSteve McConnellTim MenziesGail MurphyNachi NagappanThomas J. OstrandDewayne PerryMarian PetreLutz PrecheltRahul PremrajForrest ShullBeth SimonDiomidis SpinellisNeil ThomasWalter TichyBurak TurhanElaine J. WeyukerMichele A. WhitecraftLaurie WilliamsWendy M. WilliamsAndreas ZellerThomas Zimmermann