Many developers, especially those beginning their careers, have challenges with the full spectrum of what it is to be a “developer”. A “developer” is an individual who is solution focused with a programming language preference or preferences. However, if you don’t understand the core tools and methodologies behind development, even the most powerful (or popular) language is worthless… and what happens if your language becomes outdated!
Sadly, many educational institutions are so hyper focused to languages that core development techniques, such as design patterns and requirements gathering, are getting missed. Thankfully, Ed Crookshanks has released his 3rd Edition of Practical Software Development Techniques. I am not one to push products or books, but this is a must have for any developer, as it lays out the foundational elements new developers need and experienced developers should have as a gentle reminder. Sections include:
- Version Control – Tools and Purpose
- Unit Testing and Test Driven Development
- Refactoring – Purpose and Automated Tools
- Build Tools, Automated Build Engineering, and Continuous Integration
- Debugging – Overall Summary and Introduction to Tools
- Comparison of Development Methodologies – Waterfall and Agile
- Design Patterns and Architecture
- Requirements – Business and Functional
- Introduction to SQL – Basic SQL statements and an Overview of Data Frameworks and ORM
- An appendix that has several discussion questions for each part of the book
More information and availability of Practical Software Development Techniques, 3rd Edition, can be found at: https://www.createspace.com/3989808