In 1975, Frederick P. Brooks, Jr. wrote a ground breaking insightful book about computer science. He accurately captured someof its more esoteric aspects and relayed them in a colorful narrative. I especially liked his use of the illustrations and quotations as the opening of each chapter. Each was thoughtfully chosen and served to set the tone for the following text.
Also entertaining is Brooks' use of the analogy. In the section using the tar pit to describe the struggle faced during large system programming, one comes away saying, "Been there, seen that!" This technique draws you in and makes you want to read on.
Readers of this book will find themselves looking at computer science differently. No longer will it be just a science. The philosophical and artistic values will become clear. Brooks' holistic approach may very well sway some readers toward a more pensive view of computer science. At the very least, the reader should come away with a deeper appreciation for software engineering.
My only negative commentary would be with the added chapters. While the insight gained over twenty years is useful, it comes off as a little defensive. It's almost as if the passion which so beautifully captured the message in the 1975 version, was spent on defending twenty year old statements. I suspect that the author might argue that he was trying to be systemic and clear. In my opinion this came off as overkill. To borrow an old argument, maybe Dr. Brooks fell victim to the "Second-System Effect" of which he so vividly warns us.
