Code Complete, Second Edition author: Steve McConnell asin: 0735619670 binding: Paperback list price: $49.99 USD amazon price: $31.49 USD

I consider Steve to be the most knowledgable resource on software engineering topics in the industry today. He is well-read, practical, and an extremely effective communicator. His consulting firm, Construx, has become a highly successful source of training, advice, and assessment services, a notable achievement in it's own right in an environment that is far too prone to fads, charlatans, and promises of silver bullets.

This book is simply the best source of guidance on software engineering topics available anywhere. In it's second edition, it's been updated with Steve's years of experience helping others with the theory and practice of software engineering. His writing style is very approachable (described as 'conversational' by some), yet the content he has created is rich with detail, and always provides a balanced view, and clear rationale, for the recommendations he offers.

Steve has also been a leader in sponsoring and moving towards the use of a body of knowledge for software engineering. His many writings which he produced while he was editor of IEEE software provide excellent examples of how he approaches topics. The book is essentially the equivalent of about 300 separate writings like these articles, all woven together into a compendium of knowledge that is the first book any software engineer should own.

Here is an outline of the subject matter covered:

• Upstream prerequisites to effective software engineering
• High-quality code construction processes - design, use of classes and OO, defensive programming techniques
• Guidance on variables - naming conventions, use of typing, and management of the name space
• Guidance on basic programming elements - control, conditionals, sequencing
• How to progressively refine code - debugging, testing, collaboration, refactoring, and optimization
• The big picture - estimating, project management, integration, and the use of tools
• The craft of code construction - layout, style, documentation