I bought it the other day, and just started to get into it. Should I have gone for the second edition? Or is the first edition still relevant?
A:
Absolutely. It's one of the most important books you will ever read. :-)
Just bought the version 2 myself.
Ron
Ron Savage
2008-10-14 02:15:55
A:
It's still a fantastic book. You have not wasted your money. Even if CC2e hadn't come out, it would have been a classic.
Andy Lester
2008-10-14 02:16:05
+2
A:
I still have the original Code Complete from Microsoft Press on my book shelf. I think it was one of the best resources for non-language specific practices that will always be useful. I haven't actually seen the later editions, but the information and disciplines explained in that book have been invaluable to me.
Edit: as an additional note, It sits right beside "Writing Solid Code" and "Writing Secure Code" which are also a fairly good books to keep you from straying too far off the path into evil coding. (which I still do on occassion, anyway :( )
stephenbayer
2008-10-14 02:17:04
+2
A:
I prefer it to the second edition. Code Complete 2 is very big on "big design up front" as the answer to all problems.
Martin Beckett
2008-10-14 02:21:45
How do you make that? It seems to emphasize a 'best tool for the job' approach to me.
Adam Luchjenbroers
2009-12-02 07:34:00
That was just my reading, I don't know if it was what he intended or just the type of projects he works on. CC1 seemed much more a set of small scale hints and tips
Martin Beckett
2009-12-02 16:15:50
+3
A:
Yep, version one is just fine. Read it at least once a year to help clear your head.
EvilTeach
2008-10-14 02:22:19
+11
A:
Code Complete 1 will be of value to you. You will not regret it. I also recommend Rapid Development and his book on Estimation. Very practical for a career in software development.
That said, Code Complete 2 has some things that will eventually be of interest to you:
- Sections on Refactoring are added.
- Performance suggestions now include data on .Net and Python.
- Discussion on Design and Requirements.
torial
2008-10-14 02:48:54
+5
A:
Even though it's now 15 years old, most of the advice is fairly timeless and so still quite relevant. The chapters on software craftsmanship alone are worth the price of the book.
This was the prescribed text in my first year introductory software engineering subjects, and one of the few texts in which I found myself consistently reading and re-reading throughout the course.
warren_s
2008-10-14 03:02:45