eXtreme .NET, Addison-Wesley
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C# Online.NET Book Review
eXtreme Programming (XP) is a controversial agile methodology for software engineering. XP differs from traditional methodologies in placing extreme emphasis on adaptability to handle ongoing changes to requirements. XP prescribes a set of daily practices for software managers and developers. The practices are designed to foster particular values—essentially, a set of programming ethics. It is claimed that following XP practices makes the software development process more agile—responsive to customer needs—than traditional methods plus creates higher quality software.
The book covers the basic information at a high level—including pair programming and testing, refactoring, and Test-Driven Development (TDD). Also, it covers automating builds. But, the level of detail is low. The emphasis is on learning XP, rather like taking a weekend XP seminar with examples to be studied in class. Also, this is not a book on XP philosophy. Instead, it tries to immerse the reader in XP practice; so, there is little discussion of the whys of the eXtreme Programming methodology.
The author's writing style is that of an experienced trainer. He uses a style typical of books on agile and XP methodologies which teaches incrementally and iteratively with interactions among a fictional .NET development team. Our author seems very well qualified to write this book; however, unlike most authors in this series, he is not a principal in Microsoft development. He has worked with companies like Citect, ComputaCenter, EDI, Microsoft, Rogue Wave, SLK, and Synon. And, he helped create several software start-ups. He has been active in agile development and eXtreme Programming since 1999.
This book focuses on teaching XP using .NET examples; however, the examples are simplistic and serve only to illustrate XP. The examples are more like exercises. There is no effort to provide reusable, real-world examples. Simple, incremental examples are used to suggest how XP might be used for software development in a .NET environment. Examples are built up section by section, tested, and corrected or enhanced. All of the source code examples are in the C# language.
Bottom line
eXtreme .NET is a good weekend seminar on applying eXtreme Programming (XP) principles under .NET.
From the back cover
eXtreme .NET shows developers and team leaders how to incorporate eXtreme programming (XP) practices with .NET-connected technologies to create high quality, low-cost code that will build better software. This practical, realistic guidebook systematically covers key elements of XP methodology in the specific context of the .NET Framework, Visual Studio .NET, Microsoft Visual C#, and related Microsoft .NET-enabled applications.
Leading .NET and XP mentor Dr. Neil Roodyn covers planning, task definition, test-driven development, user interfaces, refactoring, spiking, pair programming, and much more. Dr Neil offers field-proven advice for everything from automating builds to integrating third-party libraries. He also incorporates valuable exercises and presents a start-to-finish case study that shows exactly how XP and Microsoft .NET interoperate throughout an entire development project. Coverage includes:
- Where to start if you've never used XP or other Agile methods before
- Pair programming: turning .NET programming into a collaborative game
- Test-Driven Development: Making sure your .NET code works as intended, while it's easiest to fix
- Refactoring: Organizing your .NET code to improve flexibility and enable changes more readily
- Continuous integration and automated build/test: enhancing quality in distributed, component-based systems
- Spiking: using rapid experimentation to validate your expectations about behavior in the .NET Framework
- The importance of customer input to successful projects
- How to test .NET user interfaces and third-party libraries
The Microsoft .NET Framework is today's most productive development platform. XP represents a fundamental breakthrough in building higher-value software. Combine them: transform your team into an eXtreme .NET team that can accomplish more than ever before. This book will show you how—starting with your very next project.
About the author(s)
Dr. Neil Roodyn has been actively involved with eXtreme Programming since 1999, and founded Sydney's eXtreme Programming Activity Club (SyXPAC.) He has helped drive the adoption of .NET in Australia through his work as a project leader, consultant, instructor, and mentor. His clients have ranged from Microsoft to Rogue Wave, and he has helped launch several software startups. He has spent more than a decade working with leading-edge technologies, from COM to today's newest mobile platforms. He holds a Ph.D. from the University College London, where he specialized in software architectures for real-time systems.
Table of Contents (abbreviated)
0. Setup
1. eXtreme Programming Overview
2. Pair Programming
3. How to Solve Big Problems
4. Test-Driven Development
5. Refactoring
6. Spiking
7. Automating the Build Process
8. More Testing
9. Step-by-Step Development
Appendix I. Guideline Solutions for Task Breakdown Exercises in Chapter 3
Appendix II. Building Your Own Simple Test Framework with Excel
Appendix III. Recommended Reading
Books in this series
Microsoft .NET Development Series (Addison-Wesley):
- .NET Developer's Guide to Directory Services Programming, Addison-Wesley
- .NET Developer's Guide to Windows Security, Addison-Wesley
- .NET Framework Standard Library Annotated Reference, v.1, Addison-Wesley
- .NET Framework Standard Library Annotated Reference, v.2, Addison-Wesley
- .NET Internationalization, Addison-Wesley
- .NET Web Services, Addison-Wesley
- ASP.NET 2.0 Illustrated, Addison-Wesley
- C# Programming Language, The, 2nd Ed., Addison-Wesley
- Common Language Infrastructure Annotated Standard, Addison-Wesley
- Data Binding with Windows Forms 2.0, Addison-Wesley
- Enterprise Services with the .NET Framework, Addison-Wesley
- eXtreme .NET, Addison-Wesley
- Framework Design Guidelines, Addison-Wesley
- Visual Studio Tools for Office, Addison-Wesley
- Windows Forms 2.0 Programming, Addison-Wesley
