Booklist

As we cover material in CMPS115, I look around my office to see what books on that subject I am keeping near at hand - if they're good ones, I put up a recommendation on this page. I care about book prices, and I buy a lot of books, so I often buy used books ... I'll include used prices where I can quickly find them.

Requirements

Gause and Weinberg's Are Your Lights On? How to Figure Out What the Problem REALLY Is is flat-out wonderful. Easy to read, brief, entertaining and wise. ISBN 0-932633-16-1 available used less than $9 as of 1/31.

Weinberg writes a lot on the subject of communications, software quality, consulting ... I've seldom been disappointed in what he had to say. Check out his website

UML, Modeling

Martin Fowler's UML Distilled: A Brief Guide to the Standard Object Modeling Language, Third Edition is probably very good; I have the Second Edition and am happy with it. Another slender, useful, easy-to-use book. I'd probably get a used copy of the Second Edition unless I needed data on the very latest UML features (and personally I don't). ASIN: 020165783X second edition is available used for $12 as of 1/31

User Interaction Design

You can find a lot of books on patterns and practices and specific issues in UI design, but you really should do some reading on fundamental human-centered issues, getting to the insights on perception, mental models, information navigation,   ... and nothing I have read is easier or more insightful than Don Norman's Design of Everyday Things ... newly re-issued in paperback (I don't have the new one yet :( )  ISBN: 0465067107 for only $12 as of 1/31.

Three of the greats in user-centered design formed a company (Nielsen-Norman Group) and there are good reports and data available from them; but, for quick reading, just go to the interesting parts of the principal's web sites:

Project Management

Very broad area! My favorites here are:

Personal/Career Development

Architecture/Design

(These are fairly advanced and thoughtful books, not really relevant to CS115 - but I recommend them as part of getting better as an architect)

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Last updated 2006/06/14