Rating: 
Summary: A Practical Laboratory of Software Design
Review: Most programmers tend to jump into projects with both feet and not spend the time to work all the kinks out of their thought processes. While this method occasionally works out well for simple, single-programmer projects, it certainly does not work when multiple programmers are involved!This book was helpful to me personally by streamlining the design stages and helping push the timeframe to write code into the future AFTER a system has been fully fleshed in. This minimizes code rewites because of rashly-made design assumptions. Finally, the book emphasizes a semi-strict discipline which cannot hurt any programmer. The ample discussion of experienced pitfalls serves as a good example of what not to do!
Rating: 
Summary: An Excellent Book!
Review: This book had an unusual combination of three elements: - It was well written. - It was interesting. - It was useful. I would recommend it for anyone embarking on an OO project (and have been doing so to everyone at work). My only (slight) criticism is that it almost made it all sound too easy.
Rating:
Summary: Buy this book!
Review: This book hits the nail right on the head. Filled with experienced insight, "Clouds to Code" highlights many mistakes made time and time again in software development. After the first chapter you will be hooked!
Rating: 
Summary: Not really worth it in the end
Review: This book tries to cover so much ground so it is destined not to succeed in all areas. The technologies it covers are indeed all Microsoft focused/centred and the case study described serves as a vehicle for examining obstacles and how the author's team overcame them. However, the solutions given are not anything out of the ordinary and no new ground is broken - it is all common sense really or a case of back to basics. The reason I rate this with 3 stars (besides the luck of a 2.5 stars option) is because the first chapters have some basics on project management that are not described in the usual boring style found in other books/courses. The advice on e.g. how to prioritise deliverables or on planning a project is very straightforward, easy to follow and to the point. This is a very practical book but quite what audience it aims to satify remains unknown.
Rating:
Summary: Not really worth it in the end
Review: This book tries to cover so much ground so it is destined not to succeed in all areas. The technologies it covers are indeed all Microsoft focused/centred and the case study described serves as a vehicle for examining obstacles and how the author's team overcame them. However, the solutions given are not anything out of the ordinary and no new ground is broken - it is all common sense really or a case of back to basics. The reason I rate this with 3 stars (besides the luck of a 2.5 stars option) is because the first chapters have some basics on project management that are not described in the usual boring style found in other books/courses. The advice on e.g. how to prioritise deliverables or on planning a project is very straightforward, easy to follow and to the point. This is a very practical book but quite what audience it aims to satify remains unknown.
Rating: 
Summary: Not worth the effort
Review: This is a truely bad book. Not only is it poor in information content and style, but it is also misleading when it is not trivial. Anybody with more than three days of programming experience knows that writting: myCounter++;//increment myCounter is not usefull use of comments and in case it is out of place in a book on programming methodology--even if it is practical. The only use of this book is as PR of a group of companies, most prominently Microsoft. Even then, it's main argument is `Why bother using anything not invented by Micrisoft?' Indeed, why bother? Straight to the bin.
Rating: 
Summary: Nice attempt at a case study, only half useful
Review: When I bought this book I was hoping for a detailed case study on object oriented analysis and development from a real project. I wasn't looking for code OR project management advice. While the first third of the book lived up to my expectations, the last two thirds were heavily bogged down in the implementation details of his project. These details, while important to documenting Liberty's own project have very little value added to the case study. I also have extreme doubts about the software development process the author advocates. Liberty claims the project was successful because he delivered something on the due date. In fact the delivered product probably had only 2/3rds the desired functionality and (by back of the envelop analysis) was 50% overrun. The "give it to a single guy and let him hack like a crazed weasel" school of software advocated by the author leaves me cold. Software development has a strong team dynamic element. The author proposes dealing with this element by not having a team at all. Perhaps fun for the individual, but not realistic in "the real world." In the end, Liberty has to engage several other people to produce significant parts of the project that he didn't have the resources to do himself. It is good that case studies are becoming available, but given it to do over again, I would not have spent the money on this one.
Rating:
Summary: On-time and under-budget made easy
Review: While primarily an OO cookbook, this also belongs in the Software Crisis category. Like /Rapid Development/ and other Dilbert's Boss books, you see how following some simple rules make landing on time and under budget very easy. Presents what other OO modelling textbooks forget to mention - how to USE the methods, in what order, to translate loose customer requirements into tight code.
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