Reviews for Code Complete: A Practical Handbook of Software Construction

1. A must read for anyone who writes code

   Rated 5 out of 5 stars, April 12rd, 2010

   This is a chunky book, so be ready for a long read, but it's certainly not boring. Code Complete is a must read for any person who writes code for living. If you're writing code as part of a team and haven't read this book; yer doing it wrong.
   
   Code Complete contains practical tips, even for the experienced developer/software engineer but also goes back to basics for the novice. I'd also recommend this book for Computer Science and Software Engineering students who want to get into the software development industry.

2. Comprehensive treatment of software construction

   Rated 5 out of 5 stars, April 12th, 2010

   I am very impressed by this book, where I found summarized all the wisdom that I gained from my 10 years experience as an embedded software developer and more. The author deals with the details of software construction, providing useful guidelines about implementation details that improve software quality. Every topic is very well described and organized, and the style is lucid and very readable. This is an absolute must read for both junior and experienced computer programmers.

3. Hard to read without `Ctrl+F` facility

   Rated 4 out of 5 stars, February 12nd, 2010

   Although I concur with the general opinion that this book is a `must read` for every s/w developer, there are a few points worth noting in the <5*-rated reviews posted here. The book is great and I enjoy spending an hour or two flipping through its pages every now and then, but -- I wish it was searchable like an electronic copy!
   
   The book is disorganised by design. It covers so many aspects of software development that I could hardly make any suggestions for improvement of its structure (judge me not, I am a poor consumer fellow)... Still - it feels kind of discontinuous. It's probably best to just read randomly chosen chapters and mark read passages.
   
   I would personally welcome if every developer had read this book, or at least parts of it, at some point during their career (ideally even during their studies). And, as to what was mentioned not once it other reviews, I support the view that veteran developers probably need not buy this book. They might find it not a very rewarding read.

4. Interesting

   Rated 3 out of 5 stars, January 12th, 2010

   I have found on it a few interesting things, but the book is very long.
   I think there is better around.

5. Nothing to see here. Move along ...

   Rated 1 out of 5 stars, December 12th, 2009

   Save your money. If you don't already write good code, then I suppose you might learn how to, but really this is all such obvious stuff. Good writing style, but nothing new to say. Glad I got hold of a copy before I bought it.