Ask HN: Is "Code Complete" by Steve McConnell still a recommended read?

Re:Ask HN: Is "Code Complete" by Steve McConnell still a rec... by warrenm on Wednesday April 26, 2023 @10:19AM (#35714062)

I find it surprising that you thought Mythical Man Month was "brutally outdated"

Bentley's Programming Pearls, by that standard, is also "brutally outdated" - but the point of the book is not "how do I make this work in early 1980s technology"

The point of PP is "ask the right question"

The point of MMM is "add resources when necessary; be brutally minimalistic about how many resources are added"

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Re:Ask HN: Is "Code Complete" by Steve McConnell still a rec... by it_citizen on Wednesday April 26, 2023 @10:37AM (#35714314)

I said the examples are brutally outdated, not the message. The book is filled with acronyms and names I didn’t know because they are 60 years old.

I’d rather read a 2023 version if I could.

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Re:Ask HN: Is "Code Complete" by Steve McConnell still a rec... by warrenm on Wednesday April 26, 2023 @11:24AM (#35715189)

The acronyms and names are basically irrelevant to the point, though :)

If anything, having "outdated" acronyms and names may actually make the message stronger - because you don't need to be distracted by what they "are", you can just accept they exist[ed] :)

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Re:Ask HN: Is "Code Complete" by Steve McConnell still a rec... by it_citizen on Wednesday April 26, 2023 @11:48AM (#35715651)

I get that it is a classic but arguing that understanding less words and examples in a book makes the message stronger is a tough sell.

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