Background:
Jerry Weinberg runs the SHAPE forum from his website, with the theme It doesn't have to be that way.
The Book:
James Bullock and Marie Benesh decided to package some material from the forum into sequential book form. The book form was an interesting challenge, because the interleaved threads on the SHAPE forum read chronologically rather than logically. The editors put quite a bit of value in - I had read the original postings as they went by. What's added is considerable sequencing, introduction and the drawing of inferences/conclusions.
Much of what's here was also publicly available on the Jerry Weinberg's Website (in the SHAPE archives) http://www.geraldmweinberg.com/Shape/SHAPE_Archive_Index.html, but that material is available only to subscribers to the SHAPE forum. Of course, Jerry disposes of archives that are older than roughly 3 years, so most of the book source threads have aged off and disappeared.
What is interesting about the book is the interplay of about 20 expert viewpoints on technical leadership. I think you'll find the different perspectives quite eye opening. Many of the chapters discuss Stupid Programmer Tricks also known as:
In the end, they circle back to positive recommendations. If you haven't seen what stupidly clever things can do, this book can help you save a bundle. If you have, you can giggle guiltily in remembrance of Cleverness for Dummies past.
--BobLee November, 2002
![[Home]](/wiki.gif)