2025-03-05

Because software development is just
too damned complicated

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The world of software development is inherently complex. Unfortunately, we seem to delight in making it not just complex, but complicated, too. Complications in the code, complications in our dealings with people, needless complexity in the way we run projects. And complications build on complications until we feel like we’re losing control. 

 

We don’t need that extra stress.

It’s time to do 
something about it.

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New!

simplicity

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From 20€

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Dave Thomas, the coauthor of The Pragmatic Programmer  and the Manifesto for Agile Software Development, shows you how to cut through the daily BS. 

 

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See it on Pragprog
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Simplicity doesn’t mean simplistic. It doesn’t mean naïve. It means producing things that are easy to understand and change. And it means doing what works for you, in your context.

 

That means there are no rules, no methodology—there can’t be. What’s simple for you may be complex for me.

 

Instead, there’s an approach: a way of thinking about what we’re doing and how to do it with less drag.

 

What You’ll Find Inside

 

Thirty-three practices. In each, Dave shows you simplifications he uses and explains the thinking behind them. You aren’t supposed to copy him; that would be pointless. Instead, he describes his thinking and motivations so that you can apply the same process to the problems you face.

 

Learn how to:

Simplify Your Projects

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See what agility really is and how it can make you more productive and less stressed. Don’t do “Agile.” Instead, work with agility, using personal practices that you refine for yourself. 

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Simplify Your Environment

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You spend most of your time working in the most adaptable set of tools ever created. Let’s make them work for you.

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Simplify Your Interactions

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People are complicated, but there are ways of interacting that make things simpler (and more pleasant). From arguments to storytelling, you’ll find ideas you can adapt to make your daily back-and-forth simpler. 

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Simplify Your Code

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Look at the mechanics of coding, and you’ll see complication stacked on complication. The examples here will give you both direct help and inspiration when tackling your own code complexities.

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Each practice is short and self-contained, so when you have a spare few minutes you can open the book up anywhere and find something interesting to think about.

Now in Beta

 

Available in PDF and ePub from The Pragmatic Bookshelf. (You’ll receive updates and the final ebooks automatically as they become available.)

For more information, a full table of contents, and a bunch of extracts:

See simplicity on PragProg.com
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