I’ve been asking myself if I should buy and read The Software Crafstman by Sanddro Mancuso given I already read The Clean Coder by Robert C. Martin. Both books deal with the same topic: professionalism in software development. Lately, I grabbed a copy from a colleague (thank you Jeff) and I read within a weekend (skimming a few pages, I admit).
There’s a lot in common between this book and the Clean Coder of course. What I appreciated though is that being younger than Bob, Sandro writes about experiences close to mines. He talks more about issues on Java projects than bugs in the early stage of computing with punch cards and teletypes.
What did I took from the book? The part about building a learning culture at work. Proposed ideas are great! I regret the overall tone of sarcasm against management though. The book is worth reading for managers too, not to blame them but to educate them.
Do you need to read it if you already read other book on technical agility, like the Pragramatic Programmer, Extreme Programming Explained or The Clean Coder? Maybe not. On the other hand, if you just discovered and feel attracted by the idea of software craftsmanship, this book is the perfect companion to start your journey on this path.
