--- product_id: 2793163 title: "Facts and Fallacies of Software Engineering (Agile Software Development)" price: "€ 61.72" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 12 url: https://www.desertcart.at/products/2793163-facts-and-fallacies-of-software-engineering-agile-software-development store_origin: AT region: Austria --- # Facts and Fallacies of Software Engineering (Agile Software Development) **Price:** € 61.72 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Facts and Fallacies of Software Engineering (Agile Software Development) - **How much does it cost?** € 61.72 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.at](https://www.desertcart.at/products/2793163-facts-and-fallacies-of-software-engineering-agile-software-development) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description The practice of building software is a “new kid on the block” technology. Though it may not seem this way for those who have been in the field for most of their careers, in the overall scheme of professions, software builders are relative “newbies.” In the short history of the software field, a lot of facts have been identified, and a lot of fallacies promulgated. Those facts and fallacies are what this book is about. There’s a problem with those facts–and, as you might imagine, those fallacies. Many of these fundamentally important facts are learned by a software engineer, but over the short lifespan of the software field, all too many of them have been forgotten. While reading Facts and Fallacies of Software Engineering , you may experience moments of “Oh, yes, I had forgotten that,” alongside some “Is that really true?” thoughts. The author of this book doesn’t shy away from controversy. In fact, each of the facts and fallacies is accompanied by a discussion of whatever controversy envelops it. You may find yourself agreeing with a lot of the facts and fallacies, yet emotionally disturbed by a few of them! Whether you agree or disagree, you will learn why the author has been called “the premier curmudgeon of software practice.” These facts and fallacies are fundamental to the software building field–forget or neglect them at your peril! Review: Insightful and Painful - This book covers all the mistakes we know about, but keep on making regardless. When it arrived in the mail, I was amazed by how small this book was. It's a short read, but every section is brilliantly distilled to the bare essentials. I've worked on several different teams developing software. There was very little in this book that came as a surprise. Every point seemed obvious, though in many cases, I was amazed by the wealth of research that Glass was able to cite to make his points. From the bankruptcy of hypesters to the importance of a work environment, Glass states the obvious with compelling and refreshing clarity. The "painful" part was realizing that at some point in my career, I've made almost every mistake he highlights. I found the tongue in cheek nature of the writing to be a bit much at times. That is my only complaint, and it's not so bad as to be unreadable. It probably won't make you a better programmer, but the knowledge in this book will provide magnificent insight into all the non-coding aspects of software development that we so often overlook. Human nature hasn't changed, and software will always be complex. The facts and fallacies he cites truly are fundamental, and will be with us forever. This book has given me a vocabulary with which to confront the absurd that we see every day in the world of software. Hopefully, I can now be a part of the solution rather than a part of the problem. Thank you, Dr. Glass! Review: Pleasant to read, well-structured, and efficiently impactful - This book gets 4 stars for being pleasant to read, well-structured, and efficiently impactful. I would have liked to see more studies supporting the facts and fallacies. A more accurate title for this book might be “55 Opinions and Fallacies Which are Probably Mostly Supported by Evidence”. Since Glass has a ton of industry experience, academic experience, and he’s written 25+ books it’s probably safe to accept his opinions for facts. He is very aware that some facts and fallacies will be controversial and addresses those dissenting opinions. The book also feels a little naive at times as it seems to argue that a lot of problems in software engineering are the result of management just not understanding engineering. I agree management could benefit by being more understanding of engineers, but it goes both ways and I think engineers need to be much more understanding of the realities of running a business. The number one takeaway from this book is how valuable it is to be able to bridge the gap between engineering and management. If you are able to do that, and do it well, you will be extremely impactful in an organization. Pleasant to Read Glass’s personality comes through in his writing which makes the book feel less academic and more fun to read (he is known as the “premier curmudgeon” of software practice). The writing is informal, but gets right to the point. Also, the book is succinct and moves along pretty quickly – each fact or fallacy only covers a couple of pages. Well-Structured Think of this book more like a table of contents. Each fact or fallacy is quickly summarized with a discussion and controversy. Then Glass provides references and sources if you want to look further. A lot of the sources are his own books. A lot of the sources are well-regarded books like the Mythical Man Month, Peopleware, and Refactoring. Efficiently Impactful This book gets right to the point which means you can read it fast, and still get a lot out of it. I found myself agreeing with most of the facts and fallacies, disagreeing with a few, and being surprised by a few new ideas. I learned the most from the sections about estimation and maintenance. I also loved his opinion that we should teach new programmers to program by having them read programs (not write them). More Opinion than Fact A lot of the so-called “facts” feel more like opinions. But they are probably right, so it doesn’t matter much. Regardless, it would be nice to see more studies backing up the facts. For example, the fact that “For every 25 percent increase in problem complexity, there is a 100 percent increase in solution complexity” is a pretty extraordinary claim. It seems like it’s probably true-ish, but it seems too clean-cut to be true. How can this be true in every setting? Another one is “Enhancements represent roughly 60 percent of maintenance costs.” Is this really true? And how many studies have replicated these results? You’d need to go and do the due diligence to be sure. Conclusion Overall, I highly recommend this book for software engineers and managers of software engineers. It is a quick read and will have an immediate pay-off. If you learn one thing from this book it is the importance of being able to explain to management why things should be done a certain way. If you can explain the why and explain it well you will have happy managers and happy engineers. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #221,441 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #95 in Software Design & Engineering #208 in Software Development (Books) #548 in Computer Software (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.3 out of 5 stars 97 Reviews | ## Images ![Facts and Fallacies of Software Engineering (Agile Software Development) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71P1LQEYbgL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Insightful and Painful *by I***R on May 2, 2008* This book covers all the mistakes we know about, but keep on making regardless. When it arrived in the mail, I was amazed by how small this book was. It's a short read, but every section is brilliantly distilled to the bare essentials. I've worked on several different teams developing software. There was very little in this book that came as a surprise. Every point seemed obvious, though in many cases, I was amazed by the wealth of research that Glass was able to cite to make his points. From the bankruptcy of hypesters to the importance of a work environment, Glass states the obvious with compelling and refreshing clarity. The "painful" part was realizing that at some point in my career, I've made almost every mistake he highlights. I found the tongue in cheek nature of the writing to be a bit much at times. That is my only complaint, and it's not so bad as to be unreadable. It probably won't make you a better programmer, but the knowledge in this book will provide magnificent insight into all the non-coding aspects of software development that we so often overlook. Human nature hasn't changed, and software will always be complex. The facts and fallacies he cites truly are fundamental, and will be with us forever. This book has given me a vocabulary with which to confront the absurd that we see every day in the world of software. Hopefully, I can now be a part of the solution rather than a part of the problem. Thank you, Dr. Glass! ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Pleasant to read, well-structured, and efficiently impactful *by B***S on December 5, 2017* This book gets 4 stars for being pleasant to read, well-structured, and efficiently impactful. I would have liked to see more studies supporting the facts and fallacies. A more accurate title for this book might be “55 Opinions and Fallacies Which are Probably Mostly Supported by Evidence”. Since Glass has a ton of industry experience, academic experience, and he’s written 25+ books it’s probably safe to accept his opinions for facts. He is very aware that some facts and fallacies will be controversial and addresses those dissenting opinions. The book also feels a little naive at times as it seems to argue that a lot of problems in software engineering are the result of management just not understanding engineering. I agree management could benefit by being more understanding of engineers, but it goes both ways and I think engineers need to be much more understanding of the realities of running a business. The number one takeaway from this book is how valuable it is to be able to bridge the gap between engineering and management. If you are able to do that, and do it well, you will be extremely impactful in an organization. Pleasant to Read Glass’s personality comes through in his writing which makes the book feel less academic and more fun to read (he is known as the “premier curmudgeon” of software practice). The writing is informal, but gets right to the point. Also, the book is succinct and moves along pretty quickly – each fact or fallacy only covers a couple of pages. Well-Structured Think of this book more like a table of contents. Each fact or fallacy is quickly summarized with a discussion and controversy. Then Glass provides references and sources if you want to look further. A lot of the sources are his own books. A lot of the sources are well-regarded books like the Mythical Man Month, Peopleware, and Refactoring. Efficiently Impactful This book gets right to the point which means you can read it fast, and still get a lot out of it. I found myself agreeing with most of the facts and fallacies, disagreeing with a few, and being surprised by a few new ideas. I learned the most from the sections about estimation and maintenance. I also loved his opinion that we should teach new programmers to program by having them read programs (not write them). More Opinion than Fact A lot of the so-called “facts” feel more like opinions. But they are probably right, so it doesn’t matter much. Regardless, it would be nice to see more studies backing up the facts. For example, the fact that “For every 25 percent increase in problem complexity, there is a 100 percent increase in solution complexity” is a pretty extraordinary claim. It seems like it’s probably true-ish, but it seems too clean-cut to be true. How can this be true in every setting? Another one is “Enhancements represent roughly 60 percent of maintenance costs.” Is this really true? And how many studies have replicated these results? You’d need to go and do the due diligence to be sure. Conclusion Overall, I highly recommend this book for software engineers and managers of software engineers. It is a quick read and will have an immediate pay-off. If you learn one thing from this book it is the importance of being able to explain to management why things should be done a certain way. If you can explain the why and explain it well you will have happy managers and happy engineers. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great book; it makes you think. *by R***E on April 7, 2012* I bought this book based on a recommendation from a co-worker. I have not been disappointed. It is an easy read but it also makes you think. This will not be for everyone because his opinions are somewhat unique at times. However, it really helps any engineer consider what we do and how we do it. I am happy I read it and will read it again. ## Frequently Bought Together - Facts and Fallacies of Software Engineering - Mythical Man-Month, The: Essays on Software Engineering, Anniversary Edition - Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams (3rd Edition) --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.at/products/2793163-facts-and-fallacies-of-software-engineering-agile-software-development](https://www.desertcart.at/products/2793163-facts-and-fallacies-of-software-engineering-agile-software-development) --- *Product available on Desertcart Austria* *Store origin: AT* *Last updated: 2026-09-19*