Code Complete
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Code Complete is a software development book, written by Steve McConnell and published by Microsoft Press, urging developers to get past code and fix programming and the "big design up front" waterfall model. It is also a compendium of useful software construction techniques, from naming variables to deciding when to write a subroutine.
McConnell defines the main activities in construction as:
- detailed design
- construction planning
- unit testing
- integration, and
- integration testing
Although he does not dismiss the value of other aspects of software development such as requirements and documentation, McConnell emphasizes the construction of software because:
- Construction is a large part of software development.
- Construction is the central activity in software development.
- With a focus on construction, the individual programmer's productivity can improve enormously.
- Construction's product, the source code, is often the only accurate description of the software.
- Construction is the only activity that's guaranteed to be done.
The first edition was released in 1993 (ISBN 1-55615-484-4). The second edition was released in June 2004 (ISBN 0-7356-1967-0).
