Mark: 8/10

There are a number of books out there on development process. Crystal Clear presents Cockburn’s agile methodology for small teams (With orange, for larger teams, just being published now). Crystal clear is a lighter methodology. For me this has the advantage that, unlike XP, adoption of the entire suite of processes is not required. You can pick and choose those practices you like. This leaves the responsibility to you to implement enough practices to form a cohesive process but Cockburn suggests those that are required as a minimum etc.

Looking at it cynically, few of the practices are new, instead they are taken from Cockburn’s experience watching agile teams using Scrum, XP and others. However the treatment, presented as part of his human methodology, along with the way Cockburn structures them into a methodology make a thought provoking read.

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Mark: 6/10

This book provides a general overview of most topics that relate to component software from advanced object approaches such as object-composition and delegation right through to component architecture, development and frameworks. The chapters on component markets and the inevitability of component architectures are particularly thought provoking.

My only grievance is that some sections appear to delve into great depth on seemingly minor topics (which you get the feeling he understands well) whilst other significant areas get only a glancing coverage. This lack of consistency can be slightly frustrating.

Syperski’s command of the subject matter is clear and his writing concise. This is an academic text and as such it is not the most accessible book ever written (colleagues have complained about its inaccessibility which is to some extent justified but not insurmountable).

In conclusion, if you have an interest in understanding the forces that drive component technology or if you simply want a general text on component development Component Software should probably be your first port of call.

Related Books:

» Realizing E-business with Components by Paul Allen

» Software Factories: Assembling Applications with Patterns, Models, Frameworks, and Tools

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Mark: 8/10

Every once in a while you read something that is truly fundamental that you can’t believe you’ve never come across it before. This book contains many of those moments. In essence it imparts most of the truly fundamental principals that you need to understand to program effectively in java.

There are several sections covering different aspects of java programming. Bloch starts with an in depth look at some of the idiosyncrasies of the language that can lead to the creation of strange and nasty bugs. For example a surprising number of developers don’t realize that you have to override hashCode() when you override equals. Bloch goes into why. He also covers many design issues and good practices such as favouring static inner classes, favouring composition over inheritance and minimizing scope. In each case his analysis is succinct and thought provoking without ever becoming overly dense.

Finally, the book is organized in a very accessible manor. The contents refers to the 57 items that he highlights and the judicious use of bolding in the text is simple yet extremely effective at both highlighting the important points as well as making return visits for references accessible.

If there is one book all java programmers should have it is this one. 

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 Reviews on the “Worldwide Institute of Software Architects” site.