Mythical Man-Month, The: Essays on Software Engineering, Anniversary Edition, 2nd Edition

Notes and References

Chapter 1

1. Ershov considers this not only a woe, but also a part of the joy. A. P. Ershov, "Aesthetics and the human factor in programming," CACM, 15, 7 (July, 1972), pp. 501–505.

Chapter 2

1. V. A. Vyssotsky of Bell Telephone Laboratories estimates that a large project can sustain a manpower buildup of 30 percent per year. More than that strains and even inhibits the evolution of the essential informal structure and its communication pathways discussed in Chapter 7.

F. J. Corbatò of MIT points out that a long project must anticipate a turnover of 20 percent per year, and these must be both technically trained and integrated into the formal structure.

2. C. Portman of International Computers Limited says, "When everything ...