Dreaming in Code

October 23, 2006
Software is easy to make, except when you want it to do something new," Rosenberg observes—but the catch is that "the only software worth making is software that does something new." This two-tiered insight comes from years of observing a team led by Mitch Kapor (the creator of the Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet) in its efforts to create a "personal information manager" that can handle to-do lists as easily as events scheduling and address books. Rosenberg's fly-on-the-wall reporting deftly charts the course taken by Kapor's Open Source Applications Foundation, while acknowledging that every software programmer finds his or her own unique path to a brick wall in the development process. (The software is still in development even now.) With equal enthusiasm, Rosenberg digs into the history of the computer industry's efforts to make programming a more efficient process. Though there's a lot of technical information, it's presented in very accessible terms, primarily through the context of project management. Even readers whose computer expertise ends at retrieving their e-mail will be able to enjoy digressions into arcane subjects like object-oriented programming.

January 1, 2007
Salon.com cofounder Rosenberg asks, "Why is good software so hard to make?" and answers the question by telling the tale of a group of programmers using open-source software to create a "killer PIM (Personal Information Management) application." Throughout, he interweaves historical developments in programming languages, methods for writing and documenting code, project-management theories, and predictions for the future of programming. In addition, he introduces the reader to programming concepts and an amazing cast of characters from the past and present. Though anyone who has worked on a programming project will appreciate this educational and entertaining work, the subject is one that laypeople will also enjoy. An index and detailed notes for each chapter round out the volume and prove useful for those wanting more information. A good read; highly recommended for public and academic libraries.Colleen Cuddy, NYU Sch. of Medicine Lib.

Copyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2006
Programmers practice a most abstract and incomprehensible art; yet, as end users, we take them for granted and demand perfection from the software they create. Rosenberg, a theater and movie critic turned technology columnist and founder of the Web magazine Salon.com,attempts to shed light on the day-to-day realities of what turns out to be a Herculean task: getting computers to do what we want them to. He spent three years following the course of development of a software program code named Chandler, a combination calendar, to-do list, e-mail manager, and personal database. This open-source project was the dream child of Mitch Kapor, the creator of Lotus 1-2-3, who envisioned a simple, elegant interface capable of easy storage and retrieval of any number of personal data. The practical matter of creation was another story, however, and we learn how the fits and starts of software engineering make even creating a "simple" program an arduous task. Although this is not edge-of-your-seat stuff, it is highly instructive for anyone planning on "managing" a software project.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)