The Tao of Programming

by Geoffrey James

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• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0931137071
• ISBN13: 9780931137075
• Release Date: January 1986
• Publisher: Infobooks
• Length: 151 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Need patience to understand the true meaning.

Found this book interesting....it is so small that i read it start to finish just before sleeping. The Good: Pretty straightforward....nicely explained principles with simpl examples The Bad: Falls short of completion. Too small a book. Food for thought: This book..however small it really is...should be read more than once to understand the deeper essence the author is trying to convey to you. If u just hover through it...you will certainly find it a "READ ONCE" material.

a mainstay

This book is a nice little read for programmers and philosophers. Not to be taken too seriously but a great buy at this price. Good bathrooom reading. Its like a "chicken soup for the soul book" for nerds.

Brooks Law for the schedule impaired

With the other two books in this series, James does an excellent job of conveying many of the lessons of large software project management and software design in a series of short, accessible anecdotes which can be easily digested by someone who is just coming to the field, or who doesn't have the time and focus to really digest Brooks ("The Mythical Man-month") or Demarco/Lister ("Peopleware"). This set is concise and to-the-point, and a must have for the new project manager or project lead.

Each language has its place within the Tao ...

... But do not program in Cobol if you can avoid it. (from Chapter 1.2)Thus spake the master programmer (Geoffery James).I am both a follower of Tao and a programmer of more than 30 years experience. I am also a great fan of this book. It belongs on every programmer's bookshelf, right beside _The_Mythical_Man-Month_ and _The_Devil's_DP_Dictionary_Just to drive the point home, here is Chapter 4.3 (I appeal to the "Fair Use" exclusion of the Copyright Law):A master was explaining the nature of Tao to one of his novices. "The Tao is embodied in all software -- regardless of how insignificant," said the master."Is the Tao in a hand-held calculator?" asked the novice. "It is," came the reply."Is the Tao in a video game?" continued the novice. "It is even in a video game," said the master."And is the Tao in the DOS for a personal computer?" The master coughed and shifted his position slightly. "The lesson is over for today," he said.

Part Dilbert, part "Mythical Man Month", and part Taoist.

'Thus spake the master programmer: "Let the programmers be many and the managers few -- then all will be productive."' Gems like this are scattered throughout Geoffery James software survival manual. This book ranks with Brook's "Mythical Man Month" on the required reading list for anyone in the software industry. It is also one of the funniest books I've ever read. James re-writes the ancient chinese "Tao Te Ching" as a guide on software development. This book will leave you breathless, both from so much laughing and from the wisdom in his succinct commentary on software. Geoffery James does what all great comedians do; he confronts us with the ridiculousness of everyday practice. If you've had any experience in the software trenches, you'll love this book and the trenchant illustration of the software industry.The amazing thing is it doesn't just accurately point out flaws in a funny way, it leads you to the right way. This book is definitely worth more then one read through.