Rate this book

The Productive Programmer (2008)

by Neal Ford(Favorite Author)

3.64 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

0596519788 (ISBN13: 9780596519780)

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

O'Reilly Media

review 1: Nothing groundbreaking but a good and enjoyable read for any developer interested in improving his/her skillset.First part of the book consists of practical productivity tips. Eg. how to make effective use of command line, which tools to use, presenting handy keyboard shortcuts etc. The second part presents more fundamental advice on things like meta programming, being test driven and some agile/solid principles.Any proud software craftsmen out there, you might be interested in reading this book.
review 2: Why do some developers spend one week accomplishing what other developers complete in a day? The oft-heard "talent and skill" responses do little to address the root causes to inefficient programming and do not help such developers effectively improve. With... more this question in mind, The Productive Programmer by Neal Ford applies a productivity framework aimed at training developers to interact with the computing machine with a certain posture in which short term efficiencies are replaced with long term productivity boosts.Ford describes developer productivity in four categories: acceleration, focus, automation, and canonicality. Acceleration concerns the maximal reduction of time required to interact with the machine to accomplish a given task. Focus has to do with keeping the developer's attention on the primary programming challenge before him (vice HCI concerns, meetings, and emails). Automation is the replacement of repetitive, manual, routine tasks with automated solutions. Lastly, canonicality seeks to maximize simplicity by simultaneously reducing repetition. Applying this framework, Ford offers a number of tools and suggested uses to address each of the given productivity categories.In the second part of the book, Ford shifts his focus to development practices and outlines a set of fundamental principles aimed at increasing productive development. These include, to name a few, DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself), YAGNI (You Ain't Gonna Need It), Static analysis, and Test Driven Design (TDD). These principles, in total, provide a framework for development that is intentional about the code being produced. As a result, the produced code is able to grow in scope without loss of clarity, simplicity, and therefore, developer efficiency.While Ford's book has become somewhat dated, his recommendations continue to stand the test of time. Most of the tools are still available, and his programming techniques are no less true today that when they were first written.Ultimately, Ford's urges developers to think critically about the way in which they are working and be actively aware of opportunities to improve productivity through the productivity paradigm (AFAC). Good development involves, fundamentally, intentional design for long-term productivity.This book is for developers at all experience levels. For the inexperienced, this will provide a foundational set of techniques and tools for productivity gains. For the experienced, Ford's work offers a particular perspective on highly efficient development from another seasoned developer. less

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