Working Effectively with Legacy Code

Michael C. Feathers

Prentice Hall Professional Technical Reference, 2004 - Computers - 434 pages

This book provides programmers with the ability to cost effectively handlecommon legacy code problems without having to go through the hugelyexpensive task of rewriting all existing code. It describes a series of practicalstrategies that developers can employ to bring their existing softwareapplications under control. The author provides useful guidance about how touse these strategies when refactoring or making functional changes to codebases. One of the book's key points is that it teaches developers to write teststhat can be used to make sure they are not unintentionally changing theapplication as they optimize it. Examples are provided in Java, C++, and Csharp, and the book assumes that the reader has some knowledge of UMLnotation. Strategies using UML and code in C++ and Java primarily whilelanguage independent advice will be delivered in side bars and appendices forlanguage specific users.

What people are saying

LibraryThing Review

User Review  - thegreatape - LibraryThing

If you write software with other people, for fun or money, you should read this book. It's the best writing on how to get messy, awful software on the road to sanity, step by incremental step.

LibraryThing Review

User Review  - sangahn - LibraryThing

Great book, but get's kinda tedoius. Abstract interface, abstract implementation, so on and so on. However, I consider it to be a must read for programmers who don't work at startups (ie inevitably deal w/ legacy code).

Contents

• Working with Feedback: 9
• Sensing and Separation: 21
• The Seam Model: 29

About the author

MICHAEL C. FEATHERS works for Object Mentor, Inc., one of the world's top providers of mentoring, skill development, knowledge transfer, and leadership services in software development. He currently provides worldwide training and mentoring in Test-Driven Development (TDD), Refactoring, OO Design, Java, C#, C++, and Extreme Programming (XP). Michael is the original author of CppUnit, a C++ port of the JUnit testing framework, and FitCpp, a C++ port of the FIT integrated-testing framework. A member of ACM and IEEE, he has chaired CodeFest at three OOPSLA conferences.

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Bibliographic information

• Title: Working Effectively with Legacy Code; Martin, Robert C; Robert C. Martin series, Robert C. Martin
• Author: Michael C. Feathers
• Edition: illustrated, reprint
• Publisher: Prentice Hall Professional Technical Reference, 2004
• Original from: the University of Michigan
• Digitized: Nov 21, 2007
• ISBN: 0131177052, 9780131177055
• Length: 434 pages
• Subjects: Computers / Software Development & Engineering / General