Getting Real, the book
21st March 2006 by Sean
| Author: 37signals |  |
This is one of the best books on software design I have ever read. Though not necessarily the appropriate approach for all types of software design, it provides tons of great insight into how to efficiently and effectively build web applications. In the words of the 37signals “Anyone working on a web app — including entrepreneurs, designers, programmers, executives, or marketers — will find value and inspiration in this book.”
37signals is a web application software that has a refreshingly fresh take on software design. Instead of packing their products full of features, they keep them simple and easy-to-use, which in turn makes them more useful. I personally use a few of their products and wouldn’t ever switch back to previous solutions. The book even follows their simple mantra, it is easy to read without all the extra fluff that so many authors can’t seem to avoid.
WhatWhat Marc Hedlund from O’reilly media says.
37signals just released their PDF book/manifesto, “Getting Real.” (Disclosure: I’m quoted in the book.) I read this a couple of weeks ago in one sitting, and really loved it. I suspect that half the people who read it will react with complete opposition — just like many did to my “Web Development 2.0″ post — and the other half may love it a little too much (as I did).
What G.D. Sanders (a blogger) says
In short, Getting Real is a sort of scaled-down, 21st century Strunk and White for web app development which I highly recommend… The real jewel of this book is a simple chapter entitled Three State Solution. Worth the cost of the book. It deals with the need to pay attention to empty data screens and error screens when designing an app. We all fall into the trap of coding and testing an app with a test dataset and rarely do we focus on what the user sees the very first time they use the app, a view with no data. You only get one first impression and that is the message of this very important chapter. Focus on the the holistic view of the app - empty view, full data view, and error pages.