The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master

Straight from the programming trenches, The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master cuts through the increasing specialization and technicalities of modern software development to examine the core process—what do you do, as an individual and as a team, if you want to create software that’s easy to work with and good for your users.

This classic title is regularly featured on software development “Top Ten” lists, and is issued by many corporations to new hires.

We wrote this book before we created our publishing business, and we do not publish it.The Pragmatic Programmer is published by Addison Wesley, and may not contain the same ebook features or format the same as our Pragmatic Bookshelf books. Paperbacks are available wherever old-fashioned paperback books are sold, and the ebook is available here—all available ebook formats for one price, with no restrictive DRM.

Read this book, and you’ll learn how to:

• Fight software rot.
• Catalyze change.
• Avoid the trap of duplicating knowledge.
• Write flexible, dynamic and adaptable code.
• Harness the power of basic tools.
• Avoid programming by coincidence.
• Bullet-proof your code with contracts, assertions and exceptions.
• Capture real requirements.
• Keep formal tools in their place.
• Test ruthlessly and effectively.
• Delight your users.
• Build teams of pragmatic programmers.
• Take responsibility for your work and career.
• Make your developments more precise with automation.

Topics covered: A useful approach to software design and construction that allows for efficient, profitable development of high-quality products. Elements of the approach include specification development, customer relations, team management, design practices, development tools, and testing procedures. This approach is presented with the help of anecdotes and technical problems.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1. A Pragmatic Philosophy
Chapter 2. A Pragmatic Approach
Chapter 3. The Basic Tools
Chapter 4. Pragmatic Paranoia
Chapter 5. Bend, or Break
Chapter 6. While You Are Coding
Chapter 7. Before the Project
Chapter 8. Pragmatic Projects

Appendices
Appendix A. Resources
Appendix B. Answers to Exercises