Many claims are made about how certain tools, technologies, and practices improve software development. But which claims are verifiable, and which are merely wishful thinking? In this book, leading thinkers such as Steve McConnell, Barry Boehm, and Barbara Kitchenham offer essays that uncover the truth and unmask myths commonly held among the software development community. Making Software will open your eyes and help you choose the tools and technologies that are right for you.

No doubt, you've heard many claims about how some tool, technology, or practice improves software development. But which claims are verifiable, and which are merely wishful thinking? In this book, leading thinkers such as Steve McConnell, Barry Boehm, and Barbara Kitchenham offer essays that uncover the truth and unmask myths commonly held among the software development community.

Do different programming languages really make people more productive? Is copy-and-paste programming a bad practice? And why do some people find it so hard to learn how to program? By understanding what facts are real and which claims are pure hype, you'll be better equipped to determine the tools, technologies, and best practices that will best address your needs.

Contributions include:

* Elaine Weyuker and Tom Ostrand: "Where do bugs really come from?"

* Steve McConnell: "What do we know about productivity differences among programmers?"

* Laurie Williams: "Is pair programming really more efficient?"

Making Software is a fascinating book that will open your eyes and help you become a better programmer.

Andy Oram is an editor at O'Reilly Media, a highly respected book publisher and technology information provider. An employee of the company since 1992, Andy currently specializes in free software and open source technologies. His work for O'Reilly includes the first books ever published commercially in the United States on Linux, and the 2001 title Peer-to-Peer. His modest programming and system administration skills are mostly self-taught.

Greg Wilson holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Edinburgh, and has worked on high-performance scientific computing, data visualization, and computer security. He is the author of Data Crunching and Practical Parallel Programming (MIT Press, 1995), a contributing editor at Doctor Dobb's Journal, and an adjunct professor in Computer Science at the University of Toronto.