Making software : what really works, and why we believe it / edited by Andy Oram and Greg Wilson.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Oram, Andrew, author.

Contributor:

Oram, Andrew, editor.

Wilson, Greg, editor.

Series:

Theory in practice

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Computer software--Development.

Computer software.

Genre:

Electronic books.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (622 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Sebastopol : O'Reilly, [2011]

Language Note:

English

System Details:

text file

Summary:

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. Their insights may surprise you. Are some programmers really ten times more productive than others?Does writing tests first help you develop better code faster?Can code metrics predict t

Contents:

Table of Contents; Preface; Organization of This Book; Conventions Used in This Book; Safari® Books Online; Using Code Examples; How to Contact Us; Part I. General Principles of Searching For and Using Evidence; Chapter 1. The Quest for Convincing Evidence; In the Beginning; The State of Evidence Today; Challenges to the Elegance of Studies; Challenges to Statistical Strength; Challenges to Replicability of Results; Change We Can Believe In; The Effect of Context; Looking Toward the Future; References; Chapter 2. Credibility, or Why Should I Insist on Being Convinced?

How Evidence Turns Up in Software EngineeringCredibility and Relevance; Fitness for Purpose, or Why What Convinces You Might Not Convince Me; Quantitative Versus Qualitative Evidence: A False Dichotomy; Aggregating Evidence; Limitations and Bias; Types of Evidence and Their Strengths and Weaknesses; Controlled Experiments and Quasi-Experiments; Credibility; Relevance; Surveys; Credibility; Relevance; Experience Reports and Case Studies; Credibility; Relevance; Other Methods; Indications of Credibility (or Lack Thereof) in Reporting; General characteristics; A clear research question

An informative description of the study setupA meaningful and graspable data presentation; A transparent statistical analysis (if any); An honest discussion of limitations; Conclusions that are solid yet relevant; Society, Culture, Software Engineering, and You; Acknowledgments; References; Chapter 3. What We Can Learn from Systematic Reviews; An Overview of Systematic Reviews; The Strengths and Weaknesses of Systematic Reviews; The Systematic Review Process; Planning the review; Conducting the review; Reporting the review; Problems Associated with Conducting a Review

Systematic Reviews in Software EngineeringCost Estimation Studies; The accuracy of cost estimation models; The accuracy of cost estimates in industry; Agile Methods; Dybå and Dingsøyr; Hannay, Dybå, Arisholm, and Sjøberg; Inspection Methods; Conclusion; References; Chapter 4. Understanding Software Engineering Through Qualitative Methods; What Are Qualitative Methods?; Reading Qualitative Research; Using Qualitative Methods in Practice; Generalizing from Qualitative Results; Qualitative Methods Are Systematic; References

Chapter 5. Learning Through Application: The Maturing of the QIP in the SELWhat Makes Software Engineering Uniquely Hard to Research; A Realistic Approach to Empirical Research; The NASA Software Engineering Laboratory: A Vibrant Testbed for Empirical Research; The Quality Improvement Paradigm; Characterize; Set Goals; Select Process; Execute Process; Analyze; Package; Conclusion; References; Chapter 6. Personality, Intelligence, and Expertise: Impacts on Software Development; How to Recognize Good Programmers; Individual Differences: Fixed or Malleable; Personality; Intelligence

The Task of Programming

Notes:

Includes index.

Includes bibliographic references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (ebrary, viewed August 14, 2014).

ISBN:

9781449397760

144939776X

9781449397890

1449397891

OCLC:

780425319