Book Review: Working Effectively with Legacy Code

Michael Feathers
Working Effectively with Legacy Code

Legacy code is defined by Michael Feathers as code that lacks tests. Lack of tests makes the code hard to understand and difficult to change. When the code is changed, new subtle bugs are often inadvertently introduced. When the code breaks, countless hours are spent troubleshooting.

Does it sound familiar? If you are writing software professionally, the chances are you have worked with legacy code many times before. You may be working with legacy code now. If this is the case, you will find Michael Feathers' book invaluable.

Michael describes practical strategies and techniques to working effectively with both large and small untested code bases. He explains the mechanics of software change and provides insights into adding tests to and ultimately taking control of legacy code.

I recommend this book to all software developers. Happy reading!

Five principles for increasing employee engagement

The following five principles are listed in the Harvard Business Review magazine, March 2010, page 24:

  1. Keep people informed
  2. Listen
  3. Set clear objectives
  4. Match the person with the job
  5. Create meaningful work

Online systems increase transaction costs?

An interesting study was mentioned in the March 2010 issue of the Harvard Business Review magazine. The study suggests that while bank online systems improve customer retention rates, they also increase transaction costs to serve each customer.

The conclusion is rather unexpected, isn't it?

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