So this is my obligatory “Dreaming In Code – been there read that” post. Sure it’s a little late (it seemed almost like a meme on Planet Python, swap “5 things that people don’t know about you” with “my opinions on DIC”). But I did get around to it, and I have rather mixed feelings upon finishing.
Ok, we all know from the expression what opinions are like, so excuse me while I show you mine.
The Good
- It’s fun to read about a team using Python. The book mentions Twisted, Zope, and other Python libraries and luminaries so much so that after a while it’s almost like celebrity spotting. “Hey I know those guys!”
- It’s reassuring in a rather schadenfreude-ish way to find out even the good programmers can fail. Software IS hard. I loved the bit about their issues with calendars and allowing users to input recurring events, because we have the same problems at my work projects. We do have ways to tackle those, but they become a hassle to work with at times. Good to know we’re not alone.
- There is a lot of dumbing down of technical details that most developers will know anyway. No I’m not making a mistake – this goes in the good column – and here’s why: many developers can’t document or explain themselves well. You can learn from Rosenberg’s writing. Instead of glossing over those sections, read them, but not to learn about X technical detail you already know. Read them as a good example of how to express X in simple terms.
The Bad
- If a book had to be written about a late, overbudget project, did the language used have to be Python? More on this later.
- Most developers won’t learn too much from DIC. Those who have read the “right” books/blogs will not gain any new insights. If you treat this as a book to read to improve yourself as a developer, you may be disappointed. Treating the book as a leisurely read would be much better.
In conclusion
DO read this book. It’s the kind of light fluffy writing you can comfortably fit between the technical stuff you normally read, especially if it’s books like “3D Graphics Programming for Math Savants” or “Teach Yourself Embedded Linux Systems in 21 days”.
DO recommend this book to a loved one so that they can have a better idea of what you do. Just don’t try to give it to them on a special day – that will not work out. “Hi honey, happy Valentine’s! I got you a book about software development that will help you understand me better…”
DON’T let your boss get ahold of this book if he’s a PHB and there’s projects at your workplace crying out for a healthy dose of Python. He’ll skim through the book, and for the rest of his life associate Python with a failed project.
