97 Things Every Software Architect Should Know
Author: Richard Monson-Haefel
Publisher: O'Reilly, 2009
Pages: 224
ISBN: 978-0596522698
Aimed at: Software architects
Rating: 1
Pros: Reading it makes it looks like you are working
Cons: Almost zero content
Reviewed by: Ian Elliot

This is another collection of "97" short essays that have been selected from a larger set which appeared on the web. Its a communal effort and as such goes to show that communal efforts are sometimes a waste of time.

In this case we have a fundamental problem in that the authors don't really seem to have a clear idea what software architecture actually is. If you read this book you will be exposed to comments on leading a team, people management, project management, attitudes towards life the universe and everything.

Many of the essays are short homilies that basically say - do your best, try harder or some other brainless and easy to spout aphorism. You can tell how shallow many of these essays are simply by realising that the titles usually say as much as the complete essay. You can guess what is coming as soon as you read the title - Don't put your resume ahead of requirements; Value Stewardship over Showmanship; Avoid "good ideas"; Choose Frameworks that Play Well with Others and so on...

This isn't really hardcore software architecture because in the main it tells you very little about software and nothing much about architecture - well not unless you mean real architecture as there is a contribution "Learn from Architects of Buildings" which has quotes from Frank Lloyd Wright.

For the programmer there is one voice in the collection that should strike the right note. Mike Brown's essays stand out as being the work of someone who can actually do the job. Who wouldn't agree with "If you Design It, You Should Be Able to Code it"  or "Before Anything, an Architect is a Developer". However even these sentiments are not enough to rescue the book.What we have here is a collection of 97 things to be inserted into fortune cookies and a such they might raise a smile or a nodding agreement.

As a book this is  dreadful waste of time and money.

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Learn to Code by Solving Problems

Author: Dr. Daniel Zingaro
Publisher: No Starch Press
Date: June 2021
Pages: 335
ISBN: 978-1718501324
Print: 1718501323
Kindle: B08FH92YL8
Audience: People wanting to learn Python
Rating: 4
Reviewer: Mike James
Solving problems - sounds good?



Killer ChatGPT Prompts (Wiley)

Author: Guy Hart-Davis
Publisher: Wiley
Pages: 240
ISBN: 978-1394225255
Print: 1394225253
ASIN: B0CF3WFTWM
Audience: Everyone
Rating: 5
Reviewer: Ian Stirk

This book aims to get optimal answers to your questions from ChatGPT, how does it fare? 


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Last Updated ( Thursday, 15 April 2010 )