Ive decided to delve into them a bit, starting with ui design. May 02, 2006 joel spolsky has a book on user interface design. User interface design for programmers paperback by joel spolsky. He is the author of joel on software, a blog on software development, and the creator of the project management software trello. A team that fails the joel test may still make good products, but chances are itll take much longer and the workers will be miserable. Joel has worked at microsoft, where he designed visual basic for applications as a member of the excel team, and at juno online services, developing an internet client used by millions. Pdf download more joel on software free ebooks pdf. I am passionate about people, i love scalability, great user experience, thoughtful security, and elegant design patterns. A computer programmer, sometimes called more recently a coder especially in more informal contexts, is a person who creates computer software. Many software engineers and developers use this test for evaluating a company to determine if a company is a good company to work for. User interface design for programmers by spolsky, joel.
Programmers, in the traditional, and perhaps most widespread, view of the software development process, are not themselves seen as designers but rather as people who implement the designs of other people. Joel spolsky is a globally recognized expert on the software development. He graduated from yale university, and has worked as a programmer and manager at microsoft, viacom, and juno. Joel spolsky is the founder of fog creek software, a small software company in new york city. And on diverse and occasionally related matters that will prove of interest to software developers, designers, and managers, and to those who, whether by good fortune or ill luck, work with them in some capacity. The joel test isnt about how good the software is, its about how effective the production process is. Once you learn how to communicate with users through software, its inevitable that all your communication will improve. The joel test for programmers the simple programmer test a while backthe year 2000 to be exact joel spolsky wrote a blog post entitled.
H ow important are software design skills to a programmer. Illustrative software development real stories told with a fine sense of humor. After concluding a few successful software architecture design and implementation phases, i want to take a moment to write down some of the principles i have learned, and how they can simplify the architectural design process. After the design process is complete, it is the job of the programmer to convert that design into a logical series of instructions that the computer can follow. Joel loves helping people figure out the specifics of what they need and how it should be delivered. Thoughts on joel spolskys user interface design for. He is the author of joel on software, a blog on software development, and the creator of the project.
It is about designing software for real users it wont teach you how to create. Ui design for programmers by joel spolsky chelsea troy. Luckily for us, a software developer named joel spolsky made our lives a bit. Publication date 2001 topics user interfaces computer systems. Apr 21, 2005 ive just finished reading a book from joel spolsky called ui design for programmers.
User interface design for programmers is clear, accessible, and engaging. The cover could have joel at a party with a martini, with his hand over the shoulder of a nervous bespectacled guy whos about to get another earful about. Hes been blogging since the year 2000, when computers were handcarved of wood and the internet transmitted data via carrier pigeon. Joel spolsky is a globally recognized expert on the software development process. A weblog by joel spolsky, a programmer working in new york city, about. They think that ui design is like graphic design the mysterious process by which creative, lattedrinking, allblackwearing people produce coollooking, artistic pieces.
I think most programmers fear of ui programming comes from their fear of doing ui design. Jun 26, 2001 buy user interface design for programmers softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. In this book, spolsky distills his technical knowledge, wit, and years of experience into an engaging collection of essays on. Even if it scores a perfect 10, it can still be a hellhole that is going to go bankrupt six months down the road. Ive been rereading one of my favorite books on usability. A weblog by joel spolsky, a programmer working in new york city, about software and software companies. Joels book is about more than software design and usercentricity. The joel tests equivalent for measuring a programmer software. Joel spolsky user interface design for programmers chapter 2 joel on software law of leaky abstractions imagine that we had a way of sending actors from broadway to hollywood that involved putting them in cars and driving them across the country. I chose joel spolskys ui design for programmers as my introduction to the subject. Joel s book is about more than software design and usercentricity.
They think that ui design is like graphic designthe. Most programmers fear of user interface ui programming comes from their fear of doing ui design. Daniel shefer writes joel on software is a collection of essays from the joel spolskys joel on software web log. We share what weve learned about how to make great software, both by writing about our ideas and by creating products, like fogbugz, trello and gomix, that help others make great technology. As an independent, privatelyowned company, weve been making customers happy since the turn of the century. The joel test is just an informal baseline check to quickly judge whether a place has good working conditions for programmers. Ive written 1114 articles on this site about software development, management. Joel on software painless functional specifications part. He graduated from yale university, and has worked as a programmer and manager at. Its easy because you usually dont need algorithms more sophisticated than how to center one rectangle in another. This repository accompanies user interface design for programmers by avram joel spolsky apress, 2001. You feel like you are sculpting the program directly.
The joel test for programmers the simple programmer test. They think that ui design is like graphic designthe mysterious. All programmers, all people who want to enhance their knowledge of programmers, and all who are trying to manage programmers will surely relate to joels musings. It makes the case for usercentered design and offers good rules of thumb to achieve such designs. Jun 25, 2001 this funny, slim, slightly outdated volume is a mustread for software developers. When youre starting out as a technical blogger, youll inevitably stumble across joel on software. His web site joel on software is popular with software.
User interface design for programmers book by joel spolsky. I also founded fog creek software, one of the most influential small tech companies in the world. He later founded fog creek software in 2000 and launched the joel on software. Download the files as a zip using the green button, or clone the repository to your machine using git. I can recommend this book to anybody working in software development, no matter what you are doing as long as you are doing something. The term computer programmer can refer to a specialist in one area of computers, or to a generalist who writes code for many kinds of software a programmer s most oftused computer language e. Joel has some odd ideas when it comes to software i think it has to do with the fact that he manages a software company and isnt an engineer himself. Programmers see themselves as analytic, logical thinkers. Of course hed like the guy whos obsessed with shipping products and not with quality code after all, hes the beneficiary of shipping products, and he doesnt have to be the one tearing his. User interface design for programmers joel on software. Joel on software and on diverse and occasionally related. In fact, many software development organizations use the joel test as a sort of selftest to determine what they need to work on. Ive just finished reading a book from joel spolsky called ui design for programmers. Joel holds a bachelors of science degree in computer science from yale university.
The three skills every software developer should learn techrepublic. Joel spolskys user interface design for programmers. The book is full of simple rules that can easily serve as test for your own pages. Buy user interface design for programmers book online at. Software design and programmers by daniel read developer. For my day job, im the cofounder and ceo of stack overflow, the largest online community for programmers to learn, share their knowledge, and level up. This surprises me, because i find ui programming to be quintessentially easy, straightforward, and fun. This funny, slim, slightly outdated volume is a mustread for software developers. The central aha is to realize that other people use your software, and they dont. Before college, he served in the israeli defense forces as a paratrooper, and he was one of the founders of kibbutz hanaton. Joel nevertheless has an entertaining and frank way of talking about his personal experiences in the software industry. Its pretty clear to me that just because youre hiring the top 0.
Jan 29, 2005 joel on software is a book about several things. User interface design for programmers by joel spolsky. Joel on software excerpt from things you should never. So cofounder and globallyrecognised expert on software development. Each month, more than 40 million professional and aspiring programmers visit stack overflow to ask and answer questions and find better jobs. Design for programmers apress, 2001 and joel on software apress, 2004. In this talk full of humor, joel spolsky captivates and entertains the audience by talking. User interface design for programmers avram joel spolsky apress. The book is directed, as the title indicates, at a variety of different people, from pure coders to codeless managers, but mostly people who are somewhere in between. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Programmers write programs according to the specifications determined primarily by more senior programmers and by systems analysts.
So i think it would come off better with a less ambitious title. Joel recently posted an update questioning the commonly held belief that were only hiring the top 0. Buy user interface design for programmers book online at low. The 2020 guide to the joel test for programming hubspot blog. Mar 16, 2015 12 most influential books every software engineer needs to read this is a question that i get a lot, especially from coworkers or friends that are just beginning their journey as a software craftsman. He was a program manager on the microsoft excel team between 1991 and 1994. Once you are fully satisfied, your project is deployed. Avram joel spolsky born 1965 is a software engineer and writer. Joel seems to be a great developer and software manager, which is hard to find. The job of the programmer, after all, is to write code. User interface design for programmers apress, 2001 and joel on software apress, 2004. User interface design for programmers freetechbooks.
He is the author of joel on software, a blog on software development, and the. Most of the hard core c programmers i know hate user interface programming. As an account manager one of his many roles he bridges the gap between lay understanding of technology and the extensive knowledge of application development. Buy user interface design for programmers softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. The joel test updated for programmers simple programmer. In this book, spolsky distills his technical knowledge, wit, and years of experience. In such a situation, it makes sense for developers to learn something about the other disciplines involved in building a piece of software. Joel on software covers every conceivable aspect of software programmingfrom the best way to write code, to the best way to design an office in which to write code. Database engineers, security experts and programmers design the system architecture and begin programming. User interface design for programmers avram joel spolsky. Buy a cheap copy of user interface design for programmers book by joel spolsky. Sep 11, 2006 11 sep 2006 has joel spolsky jumped the shark. The company has been profitable since inception and is worldfamous for providing excellent working conditions and for its mission of helping the. Jun 20, 2015 in such a situation, it makes sense for developers to learn something about the other disciplines involved in building a piece of software.
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