Experience is the best way to learn, especially if you fail. However, you should not be reinventing the wheel and making mistakes people have made before you. Use the knowledge on the web for what it is worth, and stand on the shoulders of giants as you take the next step to become a better developer.
I have been learning new things about the business of software, project management and software architecture. I have read a lot of books, listened to hours and hours of pod casts, watched screen casts and been to conferences. Finding the best content among all available sources is hard. In this post I will share some highlights hoping that I can help you in your search for the best content.
The business of software
I was listening to the StackOverflow podcast when they were interviewing Jason Calacanis. I had never heard about this guy but he was apparently an internet celebrity and serial entrepreneur in the web space. He had just started a show “This week in startups” and I checked it out.
In the show he is interviewing guests on how you start up and run a successful internet business. He has a very interesting personality which makes this show a must watch. I am listening to many shows, like “This week in tech”, “This week in Google”, “Herding Code”, “Elegant code cast”, “Software engineering radio”, “HanselMinutes”, “StackOverflow” and many others, but this show is always the highlight of the week.
After I started watching this program I am really getting a taste for the business side of things. Turns out it is as complicated and fun as creating software. You need to be passionate, hard working and even a little bit smart to be a good entrepreneur.
Lately I have been reading all sorts of books on the subject. One of the most intriguing books I have read lately is “The purple cow” by Seth Godin. He talks about how you need to create remarkable products that people want to talk about. The traditional model of marketing is not working anymore because people is getting overloaded with information and It’s hard or even impossible to make your product stand out. Read the book or get it at audible.com. It is worth it. Audible, by the way, is great.
Right now I am reading a book called “Predictably irrational”. People act very irrationally when it comes to money. The funny thing about it is that you can actually predict their irrational behavior. In this book the author gives a unique insight to the human psyche. It’s fun to read. I recommend this one as well.
Software design and architecture
Software design and architecture has been one of my interests for a long time and this year is no different. The Norwegian Developer Conference was packed with great speakers presenting on parallel tracks. Despite having a choice between great speakers I always found myself listening to Udi Dahans presentations. Udi talks about SOA not only from a technical perspective but in the intersection between business and software. He has a great way of keeping things simple but not simplistic.
I have been following Greg Youngs blog on Code Better for quite some while, and was thrilled when I got the opportunity to attend his class on the CQRS architecture in Bergen. The CQRS architecture works great together with domain driven design to create and manage complex domain models. It’s worth reading up on.
The best software design book I have read this year is “Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture”. The material is presented in a clear and concise manner and the book is a great read. No wonder it has cult status in the developer community.
Another great book is the free book “Getting real” by 37 Signals. It talks about every aspect of developing web software. The big takeaway from reading this one is “Keep it simple”. It’s separated into several small essays. Reading an essay takes 5 minutes and every one contains gems of knowledge.
The process of developing software
Thru my work I have seen many interesting takes on how you should develop software, some good, some bad. There is no “one true way” of developing software. I believe that your choice of process greatly depends on the culture in your company and the physical location of the people involved. Distributed teams have many limitations and should be avoided if possible.
Agile and Lean software development is interesting. I have been reading the Poppendieck books on Lean and some of the more business oriented books of Womack and Jones. However the highlight of the year is “The Goal”. It is written as a novella which makes the subject even more interesting. This book introduces “the theory of constraints” which is a very interesting concept, and a “must know” for every developer (and business person).
Seeing the big picture
Learning about business, process and software gives synergies. Each of the areas affects the others and you start seeing the bigger picture. This will make you a better developer, or as in my case a great one ;)
