Copies of the DVD are for sale in the gift shops at the Versailles palace. A fashion magazine featuring Kirsten Dunst on the cover was displayed at a newsstand a short distance from where the guillotine once stood. I paused to contemplate history while resting against a rock in the darkness of a grotto in the gardens of Marie-Antoinette’s estate.
This is one of the frightening books on software development that I have read. Never before have I felt such despair at the complete hopelessness of building software of even passable quality. The personalities, conversations, and decisions chronicled echo uncomfortably close to my experiences at every company I have worked for.
The book follows the “progress” of a fatefully doomed project from its beginning until the author is finally forced to abandon his coverage to get the book published because it has become obvious that the software will never ship. For three years, this revolutionary application was always just another two or three years from shipping….
I am completely terrified of the prospect of googling for the progress made in the last 16 months since the author stop covering the project. Have they managed to ship yet? Does anyone still care?
It may be time to consider a new career. Matt has suggested on more than one occasion that I should buy a farm somewhere in Fife and raise sheep. After reading this book, that is starting to sound like a fabulous idea.
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