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Summary: The single best book on the craft of writing software.
Review: McConnell has read years and years worth of computer science literature and distilled it into an extremely readable format. It is a hefty 800+ pages but you will rip through it and enjoy every minute. McConnell combines wit and valuable information into a gem of a technical book. If you program and you haven't read this book you are doing yourself a great disservice. McConnell also goes to great lengths to avoid dogma. He presents many sides to what sometimes seem like religous issues in programming. He gives you the information to make your own decisions. Trust me, you MUST read this book.
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Summary: Good over-all
Review: This is a very good book over-all, but the statistics and theory can get tedious after awhile. It is nice to see the statistics to confirm points made in the book, but there are a LOT of them. My biggest complaint is the cursory coverage (I'm being generous here) of Visual Basic. Many languages are used in the examples, but Visual Basic hardly gets any coverage. As a VB programmer, I feel somewhat slighted and I found that the book "Practical Standards for Microsoft Visual Basic" (also from Microsoft), covers many of the topics in Code Complete from a Visual Basic programmer's perspective, and that made it more immediately usable than this book for me.All things considered, this is a classic and you should have it if you are a professional programmer. b
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Summary: Refreshing and practical
Review: It is refreshing to find so much good practical advice in one place. Although I knew most of this stuff already, I consider my money and time well-spent on this book. I do not agree with some other reviewers that only beginners will benefit from this book; beginners will benefit the most, but every programmer should read it. This is just about the only microsoft product that I respect.
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Summary: Should be mandatory reading
Review: I've been working in the software industry for 12 years now. I believe that a lot of bad practices have been creeping into programming. A lot of code is poorly written, full of "quick and dirty" fixes, poorly structured, and hard to comprehend. The IT industry is not as rigorous as it once was. This is what Code Complete addresses. It is not a programming primer, it is an discussion of methods that can be used to make code more legible, more maintainable, and less buggy. If you don't or can't buy the book then absorb this idea from the book: Programming is not the art of communicating with the computer, it is the art of communicating with other programmers who will read your code.
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Summary: "Code Complete" Considered Harmful for C Programmers
Review: Although "Code Complete" is in many respects a worthwhile compilation of experience that is otherwise difficult to find in one place, when it comes to specifics of C programming its virtues are marred by numerous errors and un-C-like style. It is clear that the author had little experience, and was rather uncomfortable, with the language. Classic beginner blunders like incorrect end of file tests, macros which produce syntax errors in some contexts, sequence point errors, and confusion about null pointers are generously represented. We are advised to use names which begin with underscores (in ignorance of the C standard) and "cute" macros like "#define AND &&" which experienced C programmers hold in low regard for good reasons. Granted, this is not written as a C programming text. Still, there is lots of C-specific advice and C programming examples, and readers deserve a more professional treatment. Given the popularity of this book it would be nice to see its flaws corrected in a second edition. In the meantime read it for its general advice, but learn your C from the experts. (Kernighan & Ritchie, Harbison & Steele, and Steve Summit's book length FAQ won't lead you wrong.)
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Summary: Wonderful book - get this BEFORE you learn to code - BUY IT
Review: I was looking for a C(++) primer and stumbled on this book. It was the best investment I could have ever made on programming concepts. All my schooling was pretty much shot after I read this book. This is a MUST for those of you looking to right "perfect" code - or near as you want. After reading this book you will be able to not only write code (of your choice) but write it with a "clean-ness" not found in standard code. A must BUY - 5 stars all the way. I agree with one comment that says "you will see other peoples mistakes - after reading this book" - and even thiugh he thinks of this as a negative - I use it a a positive - to be able to "clean-up" my own code.
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Summary: A computer book that won't send you to sleep
Review: Unlike most computer books, I found myself reading whole chapters at a time rather than one of two sections. While some of the earlier chapters on initial software design - having lots of meetings - was a bit of a hard slog, the remainder of the book is an interesting if not relaxing read. Although it is a Microsoft Press book, and the author has worked for Microsoft, he gives examples in C++, Pascal, Ada, Basic etc. and does not promote MS as such. Because the book is getting a little old now, 1993, it does not cover some of the newer languages such as Delphi, Java. He has interesting thoughts on the naming of variables, procedures, functions, modules etc. I wish more people would try to implement some of his ideas in their own software. While reading the book I found that he has "discovered" many of the same things that I have, perhaps if I had read the book earlier I would have discovered them sooner. He also discusses some of the more "religious" aspects of computing such as indenting, commenting, globals and gotos. In general he admits that while some things should be avoided at all costs, there are times when a goto or a global is a truly "elegant" solution. Although the book is a long read, over 800 pages, it is handy to have nearby for a quick read while there is nothing on TV!
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Summary: Just Like Candy for Software Engineers
Review: Buy a stack of these books and put them on your desk to give away like candy to any software developers who wander in. It's the best thing you could do for your company and its products. In my opinion, this is simply the best book ever written for software developers. If you write software, no matter where your skill or experience level is at using the gems gleamed from this book will make you a better programmer. I have read this book, cover-to-cover a total of 3 times since it was originally published and each time I get something more/different from it. While most of tips seem obvious in retrospect, most things in there seem to escape the practice of most programmers. The style of the writing and layout of the graphical icons in the margins of book make it fun to read and all the hard data helps to drive each point/tip home....No professional programmer should be without this book!
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Summary: MOST STUFF ARE ONLY USEFUL FOR COLLEGE FRESHMEN
Review: Like a few previous reviewers said, this book contains very little new materials for 857 pages if you either are a senior student in Computer Science major or you have completed one course in S/W Engineering. This book is only useful for freshmen who want to be ahead of the game. Some bad things about this book are that it takes almost 900 pages to say what can be said in less than a few hundred pages. Furthermore, many things mentioned in the book are just common sense that you should have learned/known by the time of your senior year. The worst thing is that a lot of times the author only mentions what exists, but doesn't explain to readers what it is, what it is good for, or how to do/use it. Good things are that it has a few good chapters regarding S/W construction phrases. These are probably those chapters that offer you new insights. Again you have to read a great number of pages to learn a few things. My advice is to check it out from the library first. Then decide if you should pay for it. Hope the book will work better for you. If you have read this book, give me/others your review/opinions.
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Summary: One of the best software engineering book I have read
Review: This book offers tons of advices on what to do and what not to do. For someone who is confused whether she should declare the variable at the beginning of a function or close to where it is being used, this book actually gives concrete explanation as to why one is better than the other. Like Programming Pearls by Bentley and C programming language by K&R, this is one of the rare gems for programmers of all levels. The book is so good I actually have two copies, one at home and one at work.
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