Books, Books and more Books
I've been travelling by train quite a bit lately, going to a customer site at Corinda (about an hour trip away). That's helped get quite a bit of reading done. I'm currently reading some computing classics.
The latest book I've finished is “The Mythical Man Month”, 20th Anniversary Edition by Frederick Brooks Jr. I first read Fred's book in the 1980's. It was first published in 1975. This edition (ISBN 0-201-83595-9) features the original text plus Fred's comments 20 years on. All developers should read this book, if for nothing else but the amazing computing industry time capsule it represents. Some of his insights are timeless, such as Brook's law: Adding developers to a project that's late will make it even later.
I wonder if he'll release a 30th anniversary edition next year. I hope so.