Facts and Fallacies of Software Engineering (Agile Software Development)

The practice of building software is a & ldquo;new kid on the block & rdquo; technology. Though it may not seem this way for those who have been in the field for most of their careers, in the overall scheme of professions, software builders are relative & ldquo;newbies. & rdquo; In the short history of the software field, a lot of facts have been identified, and a lot of fallacies promulgated. Those facts and fallacies are what this book is about. There & rsquo;s a problem with those facts & ndash;and, as you might imagine, those fallacies. Many of these fundamentally important facts are learned by a software engineer, but over the short lifespan of the software field, all too many of them have been forgotten. While reading Facts and Fallacies of Software Engineering, you may experience moments of & ldquo;Oh, yes, I had forgotten that, & rdquo; alongside some & ldquo;Is that really true? & rdquo; thoughts. The author of this book doesn & rsquo;t shy away from controversy. In fact, each of the facts and fallacies is accompanied by a discussion of whatever controversy envelops it. You may find yourself agreeing with a lot of the facts and fallacies, yet emotionally disturbed by a few of them! Whether you agree or disagree, you will learn why the author has been called & ldquo;the premier curmudgeon of software practice. & rdquo; These facts and fallacies are fundamental to the software building field & ndash;forget or neglect them at your peril!

The practice of building software is a “new kid on the block” technology. Though it may not seem this way for those who have been in the field for most of their careers, in the overall scheme of professions, software builders are relative “newbies.”

In the short history of the software field, a lot of facts have been identified, and a lot of fallacies promulgated. Those facts and fallacies are what this book is about.

There’s a problem with those facts–and, as you might imagine, those fallacies. Many of these fundamentally important facts are learned by a software engineer, but over the short lifespan of the software field, all too many of them have been forgotten. While reading Facts and Fallacies of Software Engineering, you may experience moments of “Oh, yes, I had forgotten that,” alongside some “Is that really true?” thoughts.

The author of this book doesn’t shy away from controversy. In fact, each of the facts and fallacies is accompanied by a discussion of whatever controversy envelops it. You may find yourself agreeing with a lot of the facts and fallacies, yet emotionally disturbed by a few of them! Whether you agree or disagree, you will learn why the author has been called “the premier curmudgeon of software practice.”

These facts and fallacies are fundamental to the software building field–forget or neglect them at your peril!

With this book those who build and research software can rediscover fundamental facts, and a few fallacies, about management, the software development life cycle, quality, and software research. For each fact, there is a general discussion, then material on related controversies, and a list of recent and "ancient" (1970s and 1980s) sources of information. Glass has written many books on software engineering.