20 Apr 2006, Posted by Matthew Reinbold in Thought & Theory, 0 Comments

'Getting Real' E-Book Reviewed

I promised a review of the ‘Getting Real’ e-book. While I read the entire text in one evening (around 2+ hours) I’ve been busy enough that I haven’t had time to post my thoughts. In retrospect it was probably a good thing because the software management guru, Scott Berkun, has posted his thoughts in the interim. If I assembled my impressions they would shadow what he’s already said:

 
“The book’s strength and weakness is the experience of the authors: they started 37 signals on their own, and advise largely from that context. While they don’t try to direct readers for how to convert older, larger, slower, less talented teams of people into “Real” teams, there is the vibe throughout the book that the world would be a better place if everyone did.”

 
It’s a very unfair comparison but that opinion was most definitely true after having just finished Steve McConnell’s Code Complete. While I don’t agree with everything in that tome either it is chalk full of footnotes, statistics, and tips for additional research (a hefty 900+ pages). It’s got the thoughtful body of support for teams looking for solutions. Its so much more than the ‘pep talk’ that ‘Getting Real’ is.

 
There are some incredibly intelligent guys behind 37 Signals. They’ve made some very competent software, excited scores of developers, and shown everyone just how far viral marketing can go. They’ve found a methodology that works incredibly well for those in their immediate position. It’s my hope, however, that they can turn their considerable talents toward the greater dilemmas facing all computer coders. If ‘Getting Real’ had ‘Gotten Deep’ then they would have been onto something.