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Author/s : Ken Auer and Roy Miller
Publisher : Addison-Wesley
Category : Design
Review by : Junilu Lacar
Rating : 9 horseshoes</pre>
As with other books in the XP series, I found this one both depressing and inspiring. Depressing because it again made me realize how much I have yet to experience. Inspiring because it gives me reason to think that there may yet be hope for me, what the book aptly describes as a "pitiful programmer", and others like me.
If "XP Explained" is the rule book, this is the play book.
You should probably read XPE before this book to understand the
philosophy on which it is based. Written for developers and technical managers who are interested in doing XP but are not quite sure how to start, it focuses on six of the twelve XP practices that the authors consider "critical starting points" of XP. Much of the advice given on how to introduce these six practices is based on the authors' experiences with XP although there are numerous sidebars relating other people's experiences.
One of the most refreshing things about this book is that even though the authors are recognized pioneers and practitioners, they do not come across as being XP zealots. They describe what worked for them and pretty much leave it up to the reader to decide whether or not it could be useful in his or her own situation. There were some parts that I felt the authors could have elaborated further but overall they succeed in giving useful advice to help you get started with XP.
More info at Amazon.com ||
More info at Amazon.co.uk [ April 29, 2002: Message edited by: Book Review Team ]