Optimizing data aggregation for cluster-based internet services

Reviewer: Allan James Payne

Professional software practices and optimizing software engineering processes are the topics covered in this book. It is well suited for all developers, project managers, and people in the software business. Each of the four main parts focuses on different aspects of software engineering and professional software practices. The chapters are organized as essays, and are more or less related by the main theme of the book: how the software organization process can be improved, and the measures that must be taken to achieve this goal. Part 1, "The Software Tar Pit," looks into the current state of the art in the software field and why it is in its current state. One point the author starts arguing here-and continues to argue throughout the book-is the software engineering aspect of software development, pointing out that this is different than computer science (that's what most developers with a university degree learn). Clearly a computer scientist is unlikely to be a software engineer, as both disciplines concentrate on different aspects of the software business. Another chapter discusses the different types of development styles and why one is successful and others are not. In the final chapter, the author tries to define what "profession" really means and which principles one must follow to become a well-established professional. Part 2, "Individual Professionalism," explains how the individual developer, software engineer, project manager, and other specialists can reach a higher level of professionalism. This part begins by looking at different types of programmers (those with different degrees and other qualifications). The author describes some personality types found in two different studies based on psychological measures, such as extroversion/introversion, thinking/feeling, and so on. Not surprisingly, most developers are thinkers and not feelers. The chapter that discusses the different types of job specialization depending on company size is also very interesting. Obviously the degree of specialization varies with the size of companies. Part 3, "Organizational Professionalism," deals with software projects and practices that are needed to run software projects in a professional manner. The author describes in the various chapters how organizations will benefit by using better software practices. Chapter 13 should be read by all project managers, developers, and other specialists; it may even be the most important chapter to read in the book, as it clearly shows the benefits organizations will gain by using proper software and project engineering methods. The next chapters counteract some usual arguments all software managers encounter: "Those methods make sense theoretically and are helpful, but do not help me in my current situation." The final chapter of this part explains in detail the approach that Construx (the author's company) is using. The methods described there can be used as a starter to initiate a similar scheme in other companies. Part 4, "Industrial Professionalism," takes a broader view by examining what the software industry as a whole can do to help individuals and organizations achieve and maintain a professional state. It focuses especially on the licensing aspect of software professionals, discussing the pros and cons of such an undertaking, and showing that this can be a big leap for the whole industry. McConnell clearly states that it will not be necessary for all developers to become licensed, but at least a small percentage should reach this level of professionalism for the sake of the whole society. In general, the conclusion here is that a discipline that uses engineering principles should also use licensing principles like other engineering disciplines. Obviously, many of the arguments given in this chapter mainly apply to the situation in the US and other English-speaking countries like Canada and the UK. Countries like Germany have a diverging tradition here, and it may be interesting to have a look at this aspect in a new edition of the book. This book should be read by everyone in the software industry who wants to achieve a more professional way of doing his or her job. I still remember the discussions we had during my computer science study about what we are: scientists or engineers. As the author wrote, most students tended to opt for the scientist, as this is more reputable. I have some doubts about the generalization of some psychological measures described in the book, as those measures are very culture dependent and, typically, most intelligent people will be able to provide a view of their personality that is in line with their profession and the way the profession is viewed. But, nevertheless, this is quite an interesting point. What I really like in this book is that it takes all the organizational levels into account, from the individual to the whole industry. It shows that only an effort undertaken at all levels will help to make the software business a real "profession." This book does not explain how one should change one's software development habits (this is explained in great depth in other books by this author). It does give one a complete and concise summary about the problems and the potential of applying basic software engineering principles. Online Computing Reviews Service