ISBN:0321278658Amazon.com
Kent Beck's eXtreme Programming eXplained provides an intriguing high-level overview of the author's Extreme Programming (XP) software development methodology. Written for IS managers, project leaders, or programmers, this guide provides a glimpse at the principles behind XP and its potential advantages for small- to mid-size software development teams.
The book intends to describe what XP is, its guiding principles, and how it works. Simply written, the book avoids case studies and concrete details in demonstrating the efficacy of XP. Instead, it demonstrates how XP relies on simplicity, unit testing, programming in pairs, communal ownership of code, and customer input on software to motivate code improvement during the development process. As the author notes, these principles are not new, but when they're combined their synergy fosters a new and arguably better way to build and maintain software. Throughout the book, the author presents and explains these principles, such as "rapid feedback" and "play to win," which form the basis of XP.
Generally speaking, XP changes the way programmers work. The book is good at delineating new roles for programmers and managers who Beck calls "coaches." The most striking characteristic of XP is that programmers work in pairs, and that testing is an intrinsic part of the coding process. In a later section, the author even shows where XP works and where it doesn't and offers suggestions for migrating teams and organizations over to the XP process.
In the afterword, the author recounts the experiences that led him to develop and refine XP, an insightful section that should inspire any organization to adopt XP. This book serves as a useful introduction to the philosophy and practice of XP for the manager or programmer who wants a potentially better way to build software. --Richard Dragan
Topics covered: Extreme Programming (XP) software methodology, principles, XP team roles, facilities design, testing, refactoring, the XP software lifecycle, and adopting XP./p>
Reviews From AMAZON.COM
The XP Bible
If you are only going to buy one book on XP make it this one.
XP needs a better name
When I read the first edition several years ago, my first thought was how XP needs a name change. It seems as if Beck said, "Lets take a bunch of common 'best practices', develop a methodology around performing them consistently, and then give it a name that will scare away managers".
XP is not a silver bullet, not is it 'evil'. If you develop software and you work in an environment where you always seem to struggle with issues that prevent your team from operating effectively, then this book is for you. Extreme Programming is about taking several core 'practices' and 'values', and turning that into a methodology - perhaps even a philosophy - of software development, team interaction, and process improvement. I don't care if you end up falling in love with XP or if you end up following RUP, CMMi or some other improvement framework, reading this book is an excellent first start to pull yourself out of the doldrums that most software development shops operate in.
Yes, I am a fan of XP and this book. I think the first edition was better. This book seems to digress a lot into touchy-feely subjects, rather than staying on the subject of software development (for example, there are a few pages about personal relationships in the workplace, including dealing with issues that cross the line into HR management - not appropriate for a book that is supposed to be about XP). Beck also seems to flip-flop between describing XP as a solid methodology and a loose collection of his own ideas. I think that XP would greatly improve if it grew up and formalized itself a little better... XP should not be defined with the primary author's telling of anecdotal stories, as appear in this book.
Read it with a pragmatic eye, and figure out what is relevant to your situation. Trying to apply these (or any) ideas dogmatically will probably solve some issues while creating far worse ones.