Software Development Pearls: Lessons from Fifty Years of Software Experience

Chapter 1

Learning from Painful Experience

I’ve never known anyone who could truthfully say, “I am building software today as well as software could ever be built.” Anyone who can’t say that would benefit from learning better ways to work. This book offers some shortcuts for that quest.

Experience is the form of learning that sticks with us the best. It’s also the most painful way to learn. Our initial attempts to try new approaches often stumble and sometimes fail. We all must climb learning curves, accepting short-term productivity hits as we struggle to master new methods and understand when and how to use them adeptly.

Fortunately, an alternative learning mechanism is available. We can compress our learning curves by absorbing lessons, tips, ...