Coupling Cohesion and Information Hiding
The better you understand the basics, the more advanced you are. Coupling, Cohesion and Information Hiding are the basics.
This book has some good little nuggets and is well worth the $12. Coupling, Cohesion, and Information Hiding are some of the things that cause young developers the most problems. I always say that the better you know the basics, the more advanced you are. Well, these are the basics and if you've been around enough, you'll realize that these topics aren't nearly as well understood as they should be. It's well worth thinking about them.
Before you get the book you should know it is only 36 pages. Those 36 pages cover a lot of ground, so don't expect a lot of detail. Do expect some thought-provoking examples.
Many of the graphics could have used a little more explanation. I was able to connect the dots because I'm pretty well-versed in those topics and I've seen a lot of Steve's presentations. Not sure if a beginner would be able to connect all the dots. It will definitely give them something to think about though, and that's likely the point since there is only so much you can cover in 36 pages. Readers would do well to look up Steve's presentations on these topics. That would add a lot of the details and nuance that just isn't possible in such a short book (It is a very short read, took me about 30 minutes).
Also, I was expecting more of Steve's humor to show through. There was some, but it was a little subdued for Steve. If you want the full Steve Watts experience, go get his "A Software Engineering Approach to LabVIEW" book. It is vintage, but still very relevant and immensely entertaining. Still one of my favorite software engineering books and it also covers these topics in more depth.
Of course, the other way to get Steve's expertise is to attend a DSH Workshop. Rumor has it that DSH and SAS Â are teaming up this year for a workshop at GDevCon N.A. If you have the opportunity to attend, I wouldn't miss it.
