For Joel Spolsky Fans
-
There's an audio interview with him over on ITConversations. http://www.itconversations.com/shows/detail207.html[^] From the site... IT Conversations' producer Doug Kaye interviews the author of Joel on Software, an online column initially inspired by Philip Greenspun and Dave Winer and now read by thousands of programmers and managers. To call him a former paratrooper would be accurate but misleading. He served in the Israeli army and co-founded a kibbutz, but he didn't jump out of airplanes, he was pushed. Joel and his family bought the first IBM PC in Israel, and when he moved back to the U.S. and completed college, he went to work on Microsoft's Excel development team, still a strong influence on his opinions on software development. Doug and Joel discuss extreme programming of which Joel has often been a critic. He makes his case for the importance of formal testing, particularly on large projects, and explains why, "customers don't know what they want." The Joel Test was one of his most-read essays. It's what job applicants should ask at the end of the interview to evaluate prospective employers. And Joel has plenty to say about Microsoft: the impact of the cast-in-stone file formats for Word and Excel, the split between the so-called Raymond Chen and MSDN Magazine camps, why some developers may not move to Avalon/XAML/WinFX, and what will happen to Win32. An entertaining oportunity to get to know one of today's most influential developer/authors. Jim QTExtender - The OFFICIAL addon for QuoteTracker.
-
There's an audio interview with him over on ITConversations. http://www.itconversations.com/shows/detail207.html[^] From the site... IT Conversations' producer Doug Kaye interviews the author of Joel on Software, an online column initially inspired by Philip Greenspun and Dave Winer and now read by thousands of programmers and managers. To call him a former paratrooper would be accurate but misleading. He served in the Israeli army and co-founded a kibbutz, but he didn't jump out of airplanes, he was pushed. Joel and his family bought the first IBM PC in Israel, and when he moved back to the U.S. and completed college, he went to work on Microsoft's Excel development team, still a strong influence on his opinions on software development. Doug and Joel discuss extreme programming of which Joel has often been a critic. He makes his case for the importance of formal testing, particularly on large projects, and explains why, "customers don't know what they want." The Joel Test was one of his most-read essays. It's what job applicants should ask at the end of the interview to evaluate prospective employers. And Joel has plenty to say about Microsoft: the impact of the cast-in-stone file formats for Word and Excel, the split between the so-called Raymond Chen and MSDN Magazine camps, why some developers may not move to Avalon/XAML/WinFX, and what will happen to Win32. An entertaining oportunity to get to know one of today's most influential developer/authors. Jim QTExtender - The OFFICIAL addon for QuoteTracker.
Wow, when I read his articles he seems a bit arrogant, but on audio he appears near normal. Regardz Colin J Davies Attention: It's finally arrived, The worlds first DSP.
-
Wow, when I read his articles he seems a bit arrogant, but on audio he appears near normal. Regardz Colin J Davies Attention: It's finally arrived, The worlds first DSP.
I like him because he's one of us (non-managers) and he talks about management in simple terms. Cos too much of management is about BS that technical guys can't understand and the managers impose their will on us. His views on management make excellent sense, are simple to understand. I think that's the reason he's so popular. "One of the Georges," said Psmith, "I forget which, once said that a certain number of hours' sleep a day--I cannot recall for the moment how many--made a man something, which for the time being has slipped my memory."
-
I like him because he's one of us (non-managers) and he talks about management in simple terms. Cos too much of management is about BS that technical guys can't understand and the managers impose their will on us. His views on management make excellent sense, are simple to understand. I think that's the reason he's so popular. "One of the Georges," said Psmith, "I forget which, once said that a certain number of hours' sleep a day--I cannot recall for the moment how many--made a man something, which for the time being has slipped my memory."
I think what it comes down to is that Joel just seems to get both sides. Rarely do you find a manager that understands what his developers go through and vice-versa. Maybe it comes down to sheer work habit. Joel seems to write a lot of code for Citydesk, a task for which I am sure keeps him "in the trenches" and close to the problems at hand. And a task that most project managers don't partake in today. Jim QTExtender - The OFFICIAL addon for QuoteTracker.
-
I think what it comes down to is that Joel just seems to get both sides. Rarely do you find a manager that understands what his developers go through and vice-versa. Maybe it comes down to sheer work habit. Joel seems to write a lot of code for Citydesk, a task for which I am sure keeps him "in the trenches" and close to the problems at hand. And a task that most project managers don't partake in today. Jim QTExtender - The OFFICIAL addon for QuoteTracker.
Yep. It comes down to something that he believes in. Only programmers can lead or head software companies. Putting a non programmer in charge will lead to Dilbert-esque situations. "One of the Georges," said Psmith, "I forget which, once said that a certain number of hours' sleep a day--I cannot recall for the moment how many--made a man something, which for the time being has slipped my memory."