A Philosophy of Software Design

Henrik Røn reviewed A Philosophy of Software Design by John Ousterhout

Interesting ideas,

3 stars

Found some of the ideas interesting, while disagreeing strongly with others. Basically same feeling as with "Clean Code", but found this book a little less valuable.

Consider some parts (general concepts) valuable, but find some of the views very religious without much foundation besides the authors beliefs / observations from teaching classes. In my experience the code you write while at university is very different because it has a much shorter lifespan (usually a course) and is much simpler + you are not very experienced as a "developer".

If you read this book as the gospel I would say you are only getting half the value and will end up getting, in my opinion, a lot of bad advice.

But if you read it with an open mind and reflect on the concepts and advice given you'll be a better developer.

ustits reviewed A Philosophy of Software Design by John Ousterhout

Review of 'A Philosophy of Software Design' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

A cure for overengineering

ratfactor reviewed A Philosophy of Software Design by John Ousterhout

Review of 'A Philosophy of Software Design' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

I agree with this book so much, it was almost painful to read. It has given me the words to describe what I love and hate about software development. I see from other reviews that this book is contentious. Then this is it: This is "the hill I choose to die on," as the saying goes. I agree with Ousterhout. I may have minor quibbles here and there. But if I had to follow any software religion, it would be the one taught in this book. There, I've said it.

Christoph reviewed A Philosophy of Software Design by John Ousterhout

Review of 'A Philosophy of Software Design' on 'GoodReads'

5 stars

I really enjoyed reading this book, especially if you've read [b:Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship|3735293|Clean Code A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship|Robert C. Martin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1436202607l/3735293.SX50.jpg|3779106] before. This one isn't that religious, but certainly similar opinionated.

In general most of the ideas felt more reasonable, like the points about shallow and deep modules or when to split classes. Also I really like how essential code docs are for the author, because I feel the same. Normally, business code rarely includes comments at all and I usually have to make my own, to avoid re-learning blocks I've already visited.

Alex M reviewed A Philosophy of Software Design by John Ousterhout

Review of 'A Philosophy of Software Design' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

There are a few programming books that I keep coming back to. "A Philosophy of Software Design" is one of them.

This is a slim volume. Heck, you can read it in one seating if you set your mind to it. It doesn't have a lot of code samples, and the ones it does have are Java or C++. No trendy languages here, thank you very much. What's more, it has the audacity to say TDD and agile are not perfect. It also says code is not self-explanatory most of the time (but it can be simple), and that's why you should write comments. This is probably why it rubs some people the wrong way.

But you know what? This is a good book. Sure, it's opinionated, but what experienced person isn't? The author is honest about it. And unlike some other authors who seem to think they have …

There are a few programming books that I keep coming back to. "A Philosophy of Software Design" is one of them.

This is a slim volume. Heck, you can read it in one seating if you set your mind to it. It doesn't have a lot of code samples, and the ones it does have are Java or C++. No trendy languages here, thank you very much. What's more, it has the audacity to say TDD and agile are not perfect. It also says code is not self-explanatory most of the time (but it can be simple), and that's why you should write comments. This is probably why it rubs some people the wrong way.

But you know what? This is a good book. Sure, it's opinionated, but what experienced person isn't? The author is honest about it. And unlike some other authors who seem to think they have all the answers, Osterhout starts the book by telling you to use your brain. You're not going to agree with him 100%, and that's OK.

Don't let yourself be put off by reviewers complaining about this or that. It's a short book. You can read it in a weekend. Read it and make up your own mind.

A few thoughts about some of the other reviews:

- Some people claim this is an OK book for a junior developer, but it can't teach them much. This book rewards people who read it carefully;

- Some people don't like that the author spends so much time on comments. That's silly. It's like complaining about someone telling you to think carefully and organise your thoughts when you're solving a problem. Let them bang out code, and read on;

- Some will complain that the author is somewhat critical of TDD and agile. It's OK, let them bang out code, and learn how to think strategically.

anyonas reviewed A Philosophy of Software Design by John Ousterhout

Review of 'A Philosophy of Software Design' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Fundamental concepts for people who want to improve their code. I kind of agree this book is more for new graduates than for experienced developers, but it can serve as a reference when trying to explain or justify one of the concepts explained in the book. (for the ones you agree with at least)