| In Extreme Programming Explored, you can read about best practices as learned from the concrete experience of successful XP developers. Author and programmer Bill Wake provides answers to practical questions about XP implementation. Using hands-on examples--including code samples written in the Java programming language--this book demonstrates the day-to-day mechanics of working on an XP team and shows well-defined methods for carrying out a successful XP project.
The book is divided into three parts:
- Part 1, Programming--programming incrementally, test-first, and refactoring.
- Part 2, Team Practices--code ownership, integration, overtime, and pair programming; how XP approaches system architecture; and how a system metaphor shapes a common vision, a shared vocabulary, and the architecture.
- Part 3, Processes--how to write stories to plan a release; how to plan iterations; and the activities in a typical day for the customer, the programmer, and the manager of an XP project.
If you've heard anything about XP, you probably have had questions about the mechanics or the purposes of various aspects of XP. I've tried to capture the questions I've had, along with answers I've found.
Several things about XP were surprises to me, particularly the tight cycle of test-first programming (only a couple minutes long), the use of a metaphor, and the starkness of the division of labor between customer and programmer. We'll look at these and many other topics.
You, the reader, may have several areas of interest that bring you to this book:
- Java and object-oriented programming. The first section of the book uses Java programming language examples to focus on test-first programming and refactoring. Programmers may find the discussion of team practices useful as well, particularly the ideas about metaphors and simple design.
- Extreme programming, from the perspectives of programmer, customer, and manager. We'll explore several areas more deeply or from a different perspective than the rest of the XP literature, especially the team-oriented practices, the metaphor, the planning process, and daily activities.
- Software process in general. XP is one of several so-called agile, lightweight, adaptive processes that have been introduced in the last few years. By taking an in-depth look at XP's process, we can more clearly delineate where XP fits in with these related processes.
About the Author
William C. Wake, http://www.xp123.com , is an independent software consultant, coach, and trainer with more than twenty years of programming experience. Bill previously held positions with Capital One Financial, DMR Trecom, and VTLS, Inc. He is the author of the Refactoring Workbook and Extreme Programming Explored (both from Addison-Wesley). |
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