Chapter 3. The Nature of Software Development

To do something well, it helps to understand it. I think we all want to do a good job as software developers, and I think we will have a better chance of doing a good job if we take a little time to investigate the nature of what we are doing.

Once upon a time, I was a Boy Scout. My troop was planning a white-water rafting trip down the Colorado River in the eastern part of California, just above the Imperial Dam. We were given safety training before the trip began, and one thing they emphasized was what to do if we fell out of the raft, which was a distinct possibility in some of the rougher sections.

They said, “If you become separated from the raft:

  1. Keep your life vest on, and
  2. Do not fight the ...

Get Emergent Design: The Evolutionary Nature of Professional Software Development now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.