MMM is the rare technology book that has sustaining value over decades. I enjoy it on many levels. There is nostalgia, and I continually gasp at how far we have come in computing in so short a period of time. There is history, and we see the beginnings of techniques and methods we now take for granted, like iterative development and the software architect role. There is science and engineering applied to the task of analyzing the software development process. There are pearls of wisdom about all facets of software development, especially the human issues. There is a reminder about why software development is such a hard, yet satisfying, career.
Above all, there is incredible prescience. In a field where predictions of greater than five years are usually fruitless, we see predications that have (mostly) held true for three decades. Perhaps most sobering, MMM gives us some insight into why we have not made much productivity progress, and why software development has as much or more to do with people than technology.
Above all, there is incredible prescience. In a field where predictions of greater than five years are usually fruitless, we see predications that have (mostly) held true for three decades. Perhaps most sobering, MMM gives us some insight into why we have not made much productivity progress, and why software development has as much or more to do with people than technology.
5/5 stars.