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The Mythical Man-Month
Book

The Mythical Man-Month

Essays on Software Engineering

Frederick P. Brooks
Addison-Wesley, 1995
First Edition: 1975

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Editorial Rating

9

Qualities

  • Innovative

Recommendation

This book is a classic for a reason. Every essay by Frederick P. Brooks Jr. addresses software engineering and proves invaluable for those interested in the history and processes of that field. getAbstract also recommends Brooks’ book to anyone who plans or organizes major projects. The collection remains timely due to the clarity of his thought and the educated loveliness of his prose. When Brooks is writing about programming, he’s never just writing about programming. He's writing about the complexities of life, and about how best to plan, organize and communicate the concepts you need to overcome those complexities. This 20th-anniversary edition contains new essays in which Brooks reflects on his earlier writing – especially his principles and predications – and responds to his critics. The result showcases a singular, markedly honest mind at work.

Take-Aways

  • Conceptual integrity is the most important consideration in software design.
  • A single mind or a few like-minded people should be in charge of complex projects.
  • Organization and clear, complete, standardized documentation are essential to any large-scale programming effort.

About the Author

Frederick P. Brooks Jr. is the author of The Design of Design and other works. He won the Association for Computing Machinery’s A. M. Turing Award in 1999.

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