The Pragmatic Programmer is Back
Twenty years of helping us be more pragmatic programmers
Feels like I’m thirty again
I read the first edition of The Pragmatic Programmer by David Thomas and Andy Hunt in the summer of 2001 on my very first trip to London. I have recommended this book hundreds of times to developers over the past twenty years. My favorite part of the book was always the section on “Software Entropy”. I must have quoted the advice “Fix broken windows when you find them” thousands of times over the past 20 years.
The Evils of Duplication
There is an online extract for the DRY Principle at the Pragmatic Programmer web site.
Tip 15 — DRY — Don’t Repeat Yourself
I have previously written a blog sharing my own feelings about code duplication.
Don’t Outrun Your Headlights
There is also an online extract for this amazing piece of advice.
Tip 42 — Take small steps. Always
You might notice when I write blogs and code katas, I always use unit tests. I write small bits of code that are easily executable in your IDE. I believe in taking small steps when learning and teaching new things.
Buy Your Own Copy Today
I am a book junkie, so I had to have my own hard copy of the The Pragmatic Programmer 20th Anniversary Edition. But I believe every developer owes it to themselves to own a physical or electronic copy of this amazing book. The advice in this book is timeless, and will likely be applicable for another few decades at least.
You can find the book online here at the Pragmatic Bookshelf.
Enjoy!
