January 10, 2008

Software Craftsmanship (and Alt.NET)

by Brian Donahue

I attended an Agile PhillyBroken Link: http://www.agilephilly.com/ user group meeting the other night, and the topic was "software craftsmanship."  The opening presentation juxtaposed that term with the more traditional description, "software engineering," arguing that the latter term doesn't fit what we do (or what we want to do) as software developers.  The speaker, Ravindar Gujral, was inspired by this bookBroken Link: http://www.amazon.com/Software-Craftsmanship-Imperative-Pete-McBreen/dp/0201733862/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1200002441&sr=8-1 (which I haven't read). 

It's true that "engineering" brings to mind images of speculating, planning, blue prints, and the execution of a pre-determined plan, and that definitely isn't what software development is to me.  "Software craftsmanship" acknowledges the creative nature of designing and developing software, and that aligns more with my thinking. 

What makes Agile Philly a great group is the conversation that goes on after (and during) the presentations, as people relate their own personal experiences, ask questions, and debate answers.  The conversations the other night got me thinking about Alt.NET, and I realized that my main motivation for starting Philly Alt.NET was to be able to have similar conversations with other software craftsmen (and craftswomen!) who are passionate about the craft of software development.