ProgrammerSought

 When I was searching for the author's information on "Code Encyclopedia" today, I accidentally saw a summary of one of his interviews many years ago. I decided to translate it to practice English, maybe my translation is bad, but I'm trying...^_^

The red letter is my translation.

Interview with Steve McConnell by Clay Shannon Abstract:

Summary of Clay Shannon 's interview with Steve McConnell :

Steve McConnell, the author of several important programming books, such as "Code Complete", "Rapid Development", "Software Project Survival Guide", and "After the Gold Rush", answers question

Steve McConnell, author of several important programming books, such as : The Complete Code , Rapid Development, Software Engineering Survival Guide, After the Gold Rush , answers questions .　　

Interview with Steve McConnell by Clay Shannon

Abstract: Steve McConnell, the author of several important programming books, such as "Code Complete", "Rapid Development", "Software Project Survival Guide", and "After the Gold Rush", answers questions about his current projects

Steve McConnell

BDN: In "After the Gold Rush", you recommend a certification system for software developers. Is there anything new on that front? Has your thinking changed, or are you even more concerned about this now?

In the book After the Gold Rush, you recommend a certification system for software developers. Is there anything new in that regard? Has your thinking changed, or are you paying more attention to this now?

Steve: Yes, I still recommend voluntary certification as one of several prongs in a comprehensive program to increase the level of professionalism among software developers, development organizations, and the industry at large. I think it''''s easy to get emotional when the topics of certification and licensing come up, and there''''s a lot more smoke than fire in most of the arguments. I also recommend codifying the body of knowledge that makes up software engineering, improving the educational infrastructure, providing more support at the organizational level for improved skills and more support for using good practices, and lots of other steps to improve the industry. Frankly, I don''''t completely understand why people focus on my comments about certification as much as they have. There are lots of pieces to the puzzle, and certification is just one of several pieces.
Yes, I still recommend voluntary certification as a comprehensive program of several prongs to improve the professionalism of software developers, development agencies, and the industry as a whole . I think it's easy when it comes to the topic of certification and certification issuance Excited . And in most debates there is more smoke than fire . I also recommend codifying the body of knowledge that makes up software engineering into books to improve infrastructure in education, provide more in terms of organization and use of good methods support , and many other steps to improve the industry. Frankly, I don't quite understand why people pay as much attention to my critiques of certification as possible. There are many solutions to this conundrum, and authentication is just one of many .
BDN : Do you think this will ever really happen?

Do you think this will actually happen at some point ?

Steve: It already is happening. The IEEE Computer Society launched a Certified Software Development Professional exam about a year ago, which has been well received. The Project Management Institute has had a Project Management Professional certification for many years that is not specifically targeted at software, but which many software project managers have obtained. There are various testing and QA certifications, too. Of course there are numerous other technology-focused certifications that have been around for a long time.

It has happened, a year ago the IEEE ( Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers ) Computer Society launched a certified software development professional exam, and it has been well accepted. The Project Management Institute has had a professional certification in project management that is not for software for many years, but many software projects have achieved this certification. This also has a lot of various tests and QA certifications . Of course, there are many other technology-centric certifications that have been around for a long time .

BDN: Are you working on any new books?

Are you currently writing any new books ?

Steve: Yes, I will have a second edition of After the Gold Rush, to be titled Professional Software Development, published in August 2003. I''''m still working on a book on software estimation, though that has been a low priority background task.

Yes, I will be publishing a second edition of After the Gold Rush , which will be titled Professional Software Development, published in August 2003. I am also writing a book on software estimation, although it is a low Prioritized background tasks. ,

BDN : Will there be an update of the classic "Code Complete", perhaps with more example Delphi and C# code, pointers on working on N-tier systems, or web services, or any of the technologies which have emerged since you last updated the book?

Will there be some updates to the classic "Code Encyclopedia" , or lots of Delphi and C# code examples , some dedicated to N-tier systems or web services, or any technical advice that has appeared since your last update of the book.

Steve: Yes, but it will be another year before the second edition comes out. I''''m quite pleased that I think about 90-95% of the content of the first edition is still on target 10 years after its initial publication. The specific programming languages used in the examples are starting to make the book look dated, but the underlying principles that the examples illustrate are as applicable as ever. And that really was the whole point of the book in the first place -- there are programming principles that transcend languages and transcend the technologies of the day, and it''''s worth a programmer''''s time to learn what those principles are. The fact that so much of Code Complete is still relevant 10 years later really proves the point.
90~95%Yes, but the publication of the second edition is still a year away, and I am very happy that I think's content will still be useful 10 years after it was first published . The specific programming language used by the examples makes the book look dated at first, but the underlying principles illustrated by those examples apply at all times. And that's really at the top of all the points in this book — the principles of programming that transcend languages ​​and transcend current technology, and that are well worth a programmer's time to learn. The fact that so much of The Codex is still valuable 10 years later will prove this point.
BDN : Where do you live, exactly? If you are not native to that area, where are you originally from?

Where exactly do you live? If you weren't born there, where are you from?

Steve: I live in the Seattle area, in the shadows of both Boeing and Microsoft. Both of those companies have very strong software development cultures, but cultures that are stylistically at opposite ends of the spectrum. I think it''''s been beneficial to me to be forced to understand how two companies can be so different and yet still both be so successful.

I live in Seattle, in the shadow of Boeing and Microsoft. Both companies have strong software development cultures, but the cultures have opposite styles on the spectrum. I think it helps to force myself to understand how two companies that are so different can be so successful.

BDN: How did you get started in programming (How were you introduced to it, when did you realize you wanted to pursue it as a profession)?

How did you start to become (how did you know it, when did you realize you wanted to do it as a career)?

Steve: I originally took programming classes in college because I thought they were easy and because I didn''''t know what I wanted to do when I graduated. I thought if I took one class a term I could get a job as a programmer when I graduated that would allow me to pay the bills while I figured out what I really wanted to do. Basically, that''''s what I did, and I spent the first couple years out of college trying to figure out what I really wanted to do. One morning I woke up and realized that I was *already* doing what I wanted to do -- programming.

I initially took programming courses in college because I thought they were easy, and because I didn't know what I was going to do after graduation. I figured if I took a semester course and got a job as a programmer after graduation, that would allow me to support what I want to do when I think about it. Basically that's what I did, and after graduation I spent a few years trying to figure out what I wanted to do. I woke up one morning and found that I was already doing what I wanted to do - programming.
BDN : How many years experience do you have as a programmer?

How many years of experience do you have as a programmer?

Steve: I''''ve been working in the software industry for 19 years.

I have been working in the software industry for 19 years.

BDN: What languages do you work with? Which ones do you currently utilize?

 

What languages ​​do you work in? Which one are you using now?

Steve: I''''ve done most of my programming in C and Visual Basic.

I write most of my programs in C and Visual Basic .

BDN: Would you recommend a career in programming to young people today?

Would you recommend a career in programming to young people today?

Steve: Yes.

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BDN: What courses would you recommend they take? What languages/technologies should they key on?

Which courses would you recommend them to study? Which languages ​​and technologies should they focus on ?

Steve : I would recommend that a young person think hard about enrolling in one of the many undergraduate software engineering degree programs that has sprung up in the past 5 years. I would expressly not focus on languages/technologies. I think the programs that focus on software engineering generally tends to focus on more long-lasting principles, and those will be what serve a programmer for a long chunk of his or her career.
I would advise young people to think hard about studying software engineering degrees from the many 5+ year old college students one of the courses. I would go out of my way to tell them not to make language and technology a center of interest. I think software-engineering-focused programs will generally lean toward more supporting principles, and those will be a long piece of support for a programmer's career.
BDN : Which software project/product that you have participated in are you most proud of?

Which software project / product you have participated in are you most proud of ?

Steve: Obviously, I''''m proud of my books. I wrote most of the code for SPC Estimate Professional 2.0, which won a Software Development magazine productivity award. I''''m proud of that work because I think it showed that I''''m not just writing about software from an academic perspective, but when I apply the principles I''''ve written about the results are literally award quality. I worked on Windows 3.1 on True Type, which was very cool technology for its day. I''''m also proud of work I did on some vertical market applications that are less well known.

Obviously, I am proud of my book. Most of the code I wrote for SPC Estimate Professional 2.0 won Software Card Development Magazine's Productivity Award, and I'm proud of that work because I think it shows that I don't just write software academically, but when I apply principles to write The result is really high quality. I was working on Windows 3.1 with True Type , which was pretty cool technology back then. I'm also proud of what I've done with lesser-known vertical market applications.
BDN : What project[s] are you currently working on?

What project are you working on now ?

Steve: My focus the past few years has been on building and running my company, Construx Software. I wear the hats of both CEO and Chief Software Engineer at Construx, and we''''ve been producing many things that I think have the potential to be extremely helpful to the industry. We''''ve produced a professional development ladder that both individuals and organizations can use to provide meaningful, structured career paths for most software professionals including programmers, testers, analysts, and project managers. We''''ve produced a software engineering framework called CxOne that provides numerous tools that software professionals can use to jumpstart and accelerate their process improvement efforts. Many of these resources are downloadable from our website at www.construx.com.

I'm concentrating on a company I've built and run for many years, Construx Software. I'm both CEO and lead software engineer . We've produced a lot of products that I think have the potential to be extremely useful to industry. We have produced a software development ladder that applies both to individuals and organizations that can be used to provide meaningful, structured careers for most software professionals, including programmers, testers, analysts, and project managers. We also produce a software engineering framework called CxOne , which provides many tools that software professionals can use to fuel and accelerate their process improvement efforts. Many of these resources can be downloaded from our website www.construx.com .

BDN: What is the name of your businss?

What is the name of your company?

Steve: Construx Software. www.construx.com.

Construx Software. www.construx.com

BDN: If you weren''''t a programmer, what do you think you''''d be?

If you were not a programmer, what would you be?

Steve: I think it would be cool to be a civil engineer. You''''d get to build roads, bridges, dams. You''''d get to sit in those huge earth moving trucks. You''''d get to use dynamite. How can you beat that?

I think would be a cool software engineer. You'll get to work on roads, bridges, dams . You'll do what gigantic earth-moving trucks will do, and you'll be applying explosives. How can you beat it?

BDN: What is your favorite programming book?

What is your favorite programming book?
Steve : Maybe Psychology of Computer Programming by Gerald Weinberg.

Probably Psychology of Computer Programming by Gerald Weinberg .

BDN: Steve, thank you for your time, thoughtful answers, and your great books (especially Code Complete).

Steve , thank you for your time, thoughtful answers, and your great books ( especially The Complete Code ).

This interview took place via email April 2003

This interview was conducted via email in April 2003 .