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Would anyone else recommend the book?

azemetre 3y ago
I would under the condition you have never read or heard about refactoring. If you’re expecting thorough techniques, you won’t find them. They’re literally single page chapters where the advice might be “move functions near their argument declarations.” It’s very basic, but the content is quite ever green. It’s something that should be included in every employee handbook and often feels like trying to change SWE culture to one of “fix then ship.” I’m really curious what Beck’s other books in this series will be. I’m about halfway thru, can’t comment on the last third which is different and offers a newish mental model. tldr: Good but expensive for the content amount. Should be $15 IMO.
- loevborg 3y ago
  It's funny. The last third is where it gets interesting. And then it stops – to be continued in the next volume. Except that Volume I is only 100 pages, and many of them blank.
  - azemetre 3y ago
    That's really exciting to hear. I hope I didn't come across as negative in my view. I am enjoying the book immensely but so far doesn't seem too different than other refactoring books.
thanatos519 3y ago
I haven't read it but it sounds like it gives names to and elucidates a lot of the stuff I am doing these days so I will read it soon.
eweise 3y ago
Bought it with work money but would be unhappy spending $38 of my own since its pretty short and a lot is common sense. Some good nuggets of info in there though.
- GuB-42 3y ago
  > a lot is common sense Probably the best compliment one can make of such a book. Common sense tends to be lacking when it comes to coding practices, and books about it don't really help. Instead, they tend to go with practices that are completely detached from reality. Also, things that require unreasonable effort, so that if you don't do it because you are too neurotypical for that, then "you are doing it wrong" and if it doesn't work then it is not the author's fault. And even if it common sense in that that's what every experienced programmer is already doing, then, still great. First because not every programmer is an experienced programmer, obviously. And even if you are, seeing it writing helps with consolidation. So really, you are getting me very interested right now.
- ghostpepper 3y ago
  I thought a lot of it was common sense too but I've been coding for 15+ years. I wonder how much of it is common sense to someone with less experience.
- joshka 3y ago
  Perhaps a good metric for how much this should be worth would be to ask whether buying this book for a junior developer with your own money would save you that amount in the long term. Based on the article only, and the amount of times I've personally had to have similar discussions, I'd say it's worth that amount at least (and likely more).
Brajeshwar 3y ago
On the pricing that the other comments mentioned, if you happen to have friends coming from India -- it is less than $10 here. ;-)
actionfromafar 3y ago
Everything mentioned in the article is obvious to me ... however it has been hard won lessons over years and years and years. Someone more freshly baked could probably get a real nice head start with the advice in the book.

I would under the condition you have never read or heard about refactoring. If you’re expecting thorough techniques, you won’t find them. They’re literally single page chapters where the advice might be “move functions near their argument declarations.” It’s very basic, but the content is quite ever green. It’s something that should be included in every employee handbook and often feels like trying to change SWE culture to one of “fix then ship.” I’m really curious what Beck’s other books in this series will be. I’m about halfway thru, can’t comment on the last third which is different and offers a newish mental model. tldr: Good but expensive for the content amount. Should be $15 IMO.

loevborg 3y ago
It's funny. The last third is where it gets interesting. And then it stops – to be continued in the next volume. Except that Volume I is only 100 pages, and many of them blank.
- azemetre 3y ago
  That's really exciting to hear. I hope I didn't come across as negative in my view. I am enjoying the book immensely but so far doesn't seem too different than other refactoring books.

thanatos519 3y ago

I haven't read it but it sounds like it gives names to and elucidates a lot of the stuff I am doing these days so I will read it soon.

eweise 3y ago

Bought it with work money but would be unhappy spending $38 of my own since its pretty short and a lot is common sense. Some good nuggets of info in there though.

GuB-42 3y ago
> a lot is common sense Probably the best compliment one can make of such a book. Common sense tends to be lacking when it comes to coding practices, and books about it don't really help. Instead, they tend to go with practices that are completely detached from reality. Also, things that require unreasonable effort, so that if you don't do it because you are too neurotypical for that, then "you are doing it wrong" and if it doesn't work then it is not the author's fault. And even if it common sense in that that's what every experienced programmer is already doing, then, still great. First because not every programmer is an experienced programmer, obviously. And even if you are, seeing it writing helps with consolidation. So really, you are getting me very interested right now.
ghostpepper 3y ago
I thought a lot of it was common sense too but I've been coding for 15+ years. I wonder how much of it is common sense to someone with less experience.
joshka 3y ago
Perhaps a good metric for how much this should be worth would be to ask whether buying this book for a junior developer with your own money would save you that amount in the long term. Based on the article only, and the amount of times I've personally had to have similar discussions, I'd say it's worth that amount at least (and likely more).

Brajeshwar 3y ago

On the pricing that the other comments mentioned, if you happen to have friends coming from India -- it is less than $10 here. ;-)

actionfromafar 3y ago

Everything mentioned in the article is obvious to me ... however it has been hard won lessons over years and years and years. Someone more freshly baked could probably get a real nice head start with the advice in the book.