Attitude Toward Learning

Again, from Coder To Developer by Mike Gunderloy: If there’s one thing that distinguishes good developers from the rest of the pack, it’s an attitude toward learning. Good developers just don’t stop learning. There’s always some new part of the software universe to explore, some new language to learn, or some new tool to test-drive. As you hone your own development skills, I urge you to make use of the resources of the Internet to continue learning and exploring.

Nicely put. What business do I have reading books like Coder To Developer, you might ask? Well, my creed is: there’s never any shame in going back to basics. In the same sidebar, on page 288, Mike says the following:

I’ve been developing software for upward of a quarter-century now, and I’ve learned (I hope) a thing or two in that time. But I certainly haven’t learned everything about developing software.

I think we’re all in for a new round of learning when .NET 2.0 ships. I expect to see a flurry of books on ASP.NET 2.0, C# 2.0, ADO.NET 2.0, remoting, SQL Server 2005, XML, web services; dissected, explained, unleashed, advanced, lobotomized; for novices, complete idiots, dummies; in 10 minutes, 24 hours, 21 days; signature series or not, etc. And if the VB.NET marketing machine is still hot, double that. I hope to finish Dino’s books by the time I retire. :) If you feel intimidated, you are sure not alone. Count me in, Scott.

Anyway, I was talking about the book. On its 288 pages you will find some solid advice on choosing a source control product, unit testing, debugging, code generation, bug tracking & risk management (although the one-item list of bug tracking tools is embarrassingly weak), automated daily builds, continuous integration and a slew of other topics. You will get the most of this book if you are a .NET developer. I think it’s accurate to call it "a .NET developer Swiss army knife."