I just read this rambling interview with Joel Spolsky, over at ACM Queue.
He mentions the early days of Joel on Software, even before he started Fog Creek Software. Back then he had a bit more time for writing, and created some essays that I still consider required reading. Examples include:
- Command and Conquer Management
- The Guerrilla Guide to Interviewing
- Painless Software Schedules
- Things You Should Never Do, Part 1
- Top Five (Wrong) Reasons You Don’t Have Testers
Wait a minute! I’m basically giving you the links from his archive, starting at the bottom and working up! You can do that for yourself. Go to the archive, and start at the bottom. The old stuff is generally good and generally still relevant. I do have a personal soft spot for this one, if only because I was there for the birth. Joel shared the idea with me on May 30th, over lunch in New York City.
In the Queue article, he mentions evidence-based scheduling. The idea is very interesting and I’m going to make a point of picking his brain about it when he’s here. Oh yeah, Joel is coming to town in October. He has 4 demos scheduled in the San Francisco Bay area. They are free, but space is filling up quickly. Register here.