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Clean Coder by Robert C. Martin (Uncle Bob) - Review

If you are a software developer or working closely with development teams as a lead, manager, tester, quality assurance, or business analyst etc. and you want to be a successful IT professional in this agile world, you are at the right place. Of all the good books, articles, on-the-job learning, training, and courses that have helped me in getting better in my profession, this book finds top place. A just graduated doctor can become a surgeon - how - well, I can't tell you that. But I can tell you one thing - this book can help you become a “surgeon” in IT.

Author of the book, famously known as Uncle Bob, is a co-author of the Agile Manifesto. He is being brutally honest with the words in the book, assertive with his viewpoint and his reasons are well balanced. 

The book starts with professionalism - a badge of honor and pride, and a marker of responsibility and accountability. 
  • Will you pay 10,000 bucks if you mistakenly introduced a bug that cost the company that amount?
  • Should company pay you for your personal development or only for your performance, because when you go to rock concert you pay for their performance and not for their practice sessions? 
It talks about not to harm to structure and function when you write code. It talks about Boys scout rule i.e., leave the campground cleaner than you found it. It went on to describe the benefit you and your company gets when you say “No” if you know you cannot complete a task on time even to CEO.

It goes on to talk about coding and testing - why your code should be 100 % unit tested and how Test Driven Development is beneficial. Then touches on topics like time management, estimation (my favorite), and handling pressure - if you do A at normal time and B in crisis then A is not your normal behavior. The book ends with teams and collaboration, mentoring and software craftsmanship.

Be it any methodology that your company follows, agile or waterfall, I recommend you have this book as your personal companion. It talks about personal attributes (personality) that a good professional should have. Software profession is merely 30/40 years old; professions that we know - doctors, lawyers have evolved over hundreds of years to reach the maturity that we see today. Clean coder guides IT professions in the right direction towards maturity.

You will also find this book an easy read. Happy reading!

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