The Psychology of Computer Programming

288 pages

English language

Published July 5, 1988 by Van Nostrand Reinhold Company.

ISBN:: 978-0-442-20764-9
OCLC Number:: 123581188

(1 review)

This landmark 1971 classic is reprinted with a new preface, chapter-by-chapter commentary, and straight-from-the-heart observations on topics that affect the professional life of programmers. Long regarded as one of the first books to pioneer a people-oriented approach to computing, The Psychology of Computer Programming endures as a penetrating analysis of the intelligence, skill, teamwork, and problem-solving power of the computer programmer. Finding the chapters strikingly relevant to today's issues in programming, Gerald M. Weinberg adds new insights and highlights the similarities and differences between now and then. Using a conversational style that invites the reader to join him, Weinberg reunites with some of his most insightful writings on the human side of software engineering. Topics include egoless programming, intelligence, psychological measurement, personality factors, motivation, training, social problems on large projects, problem-solving ability, programming language design, team formation, the programming environment, and much more. The author says, "On an inspired eight-week …

This landmark 1971 classic is reprinted with a new preface, chapter-by-chapter commentary, and straight-from-the-heart observations on topics that affect the professional life of programmers. Long regarded as one of the first books to pioneer a people-oriented approach to computing, The Psychology of Computer Programming endures as a penetrating analysis of the intelligence, skill, teamwork, and problem-solving power of the computer programmer. Finding the chapters strikingly relevant to today's issues in programming, Gerald M. Weinberg adds new insights and highlights the similarities and differences between now and then. Using a conversational style that invites the reader to join him, Weinberg reunites with some of his most insightful writings on the human side of software engineering. Topics include egoless programming, intelligence, psychological measurement, personality factors, motivation, training, social problems on large projects, problem-solving ability, programming language design, team formation, the programming environment, and much more. The author says, "On an inspired eight-week vacation in Italy, I wrote the first draft of The Psychology of Computer Programming. . . . the book quickly became a best-seller among technical titles, running through more than twenty printings and staying in print for twenty-five years. . . . "For this Silver Anniversary Edition, I decided to take my own advice and not try to hide my errors, for they would be the source of the most learning for my readers. I decided to leave the original text as it was—antiques and all—for your illumination, and simply to add some 'wisdom of hindsight' remarks whenever the spirit moved me. I hope you find the perspective brought by this time-capsule contrast as useful to you as it has been to me." J.J. Hirschfelder of Computing Reviews wrote: "The Psychology of Computer Programming . . . was the first major book to address programming as an individual and team effort, and became a classic in the field. . . . Despite, or perhaps even because of, the perspective of 1971, this book remains a must-read for all software development managers." Sue Petersen of Visual Developer said: "In this new edition, Jerry looks at where we were 30 years ago, where we are now and where we might be in the future. Instead of changing the original text, he's added new comments to each chapter. This allows the reader to compare and contrast his thinking over the decades, showcasing the errors and omissions as well as the threads that bore fruit. ". . . one issue -- communication -- has been at the core of Jerry's work for decades. Unknown to him at the time, Psychology was to form the outline of his life's work. . . . Psychology is valuable as history in a field that is all too ready to repeat the errors of its past. Read Psychology as a picture of where we've been, where we are now, and where we need to go next. Read it as an index to the thinking of one of the most influential figures in our field."

5 editions

Ethan Blanton reviewed The Psychology of Computer Programming by Gerald M. Weinberg (Computer science)

Still interesting after 50 years

4 stars

As a professional educator in the field of computer science, I find much in this book that resonates even 50 years later. The technologies have changed (almost all of the examples in the book are machine language, assembly, PL/I, or FORTRAN, with a passing mention of BASIC as a hobbyist's language), but many of the struggles and though processes remain very familiar. Unfortunately, many of the questions that Weinberg poses as open for future study seem to be open still today, such as finding ways to give programmers just the right amount of motivation to keep them learning without overwhelming them!

The book is divided into four major parts: I, Programming as Human Performance; II, Programming as a Social Activity; III, Programming as an Individual Activity, and IV, Programming tools; plus a final very brief V, Epilogue. I found parts I--IV increasingly compelling as they progressed, with I being of …

As a professional educator in the field of computer science, I find much in this book that resonates even 50 years later. The technologies have changed (almost all of the examples in the book are machine language, assembly, PL/I, or FORTRAN, with a passing mention of BASIC as a hobbyist's language), but many of the struggles and though processes remain very familiar. Unfortunately, many of the questions that Weinberg poses as open for future study seem to be open still today, such as finding ways to give programmers just the right amount of motivation to keep them learning without overwhelming them!

The book is divided into four major parts: I, Programming as Human Performance; II, Programming as a Social Activity; III, Programming as an Individual Activity, and IV, Programming tools; plus a final very brief V, Epilogue. I found parts I--IV increasingly compelling as they progressed, with I being of less interest than II, etc. Part II, Programming as a Social Activity, felt like it had some overlap with Frederick Brooks's The Mythical Man-Month in its team-forming and structure portions, and I believe I prefer Brooks. Part III, Programming as an Individual Activity, was quite interesting to me as an educator, as it discusses motivation, attitude, and ability as they relate to programming.

The style is both informative and entertaining, with some humor sprinkled throughout. Some of the attitudes and specific examples, particularly relating to gender in programming, are a little bit jarring for the reader in 2022, although the overall attitude about such things is reasonably modern and (for the day, certainly) progressive. (For example, the author specifically deplores discounting programming ability or propensity based on gender, but also suggests placing women into social roles due to gender stereotypes.)

This book is definitely worth a read for anyone who teaches programming, although its age and early nature means that some of it should be taken with a grain of salt.