<pre>
Author/s : Mike Clark
Publisher : The Pragmatic Programmers
Category : Project management, Process and Best Practices
Review by : Ernest Friedman-Hill
Rating : 9 horseshoes</pre>
This little book could double your productivity by showing you how to make computers actually help you do your job. Do you spend too much time chasing configuration bugs, following checklists, and performing repetitive tasks that take time away from your coding and design duties? Then "Pragmatic Project Automation" is for you.
This isn't the kind of "software process" book that tries to sell you on following a methodology. There's no preaching, and there are no outlandish claims of productivity increases. Instead of selling snake oil, Mike Clark just wants to explain, in a clear, effective way, how to use open-source tools to automate your builds, release process, and application monitoring.
Java tools like
Ant, CruiseControl, and
JUnit are the centerpieces of this book, but shell scripts and batch files also make cameo appearances.
There's even a section on assembling novel monitoring devices. Admit it -- wouldn't it be cool to have red and green Lava Lamps that light up according to the status of your project build?
The beginning programmer might wonder what all the fuss is about, but anyone tasked with delivering software on a schedule will appreciate the many ways in which this book will help them.
More info at Amazon.com More info at Amazon.co.uk