It’s true. Getting Real by 37signals gave me the chills.

Several months ago I asked my friend Laks to recommend a good book that would really help me better understand how software should be done. For the past two years, I’ve worked in two completely different environments and seen two completely different ways of creating a web application. Unfortunately, I’ve never really felt like I’d learned to do things the right way.

I first tried reading the book online, but I didn’t appreciate the book in the same way when I had to follow a link somewhere, get up from my computer, sit down and find my place if I hadn’t left the page open from the night before. I knew I enjoyed what I was reading, but it was hard to keep coming back so I broke down and bought the book version for $25.

Aside from The Elements of Style, I don’t think there’s a smaller, more valuable book out there. I read the book on my way back from this year’s New Orleans Jazz Fest. On what should have been a let down flight, I found myself riveted by all 187 pages of this thing. A day after Jazz Fest and 2 hours into my flight I had the chills.

Getting real isn’t the type of book that’s going to tell you what to do with every little detail. It tells you how to focus on a tightly focused framework that will guide you to how you should handle every little detail. Just check out the chapter titles:

• Introduction
• The Starting Line
• Stay Lean
• Priorities
• Feature Selection
• Process
• The Organization
• Staffing
• Interface Design
• Code
• Words
• Pricing and Signup
• Promotion
• Support
• Post-Launch
• Conclusion

Talk about brevity. This book hits you over the head with its succinctness. Try digging through another book about software and see if you can find as much covered in as few words as 37signals has done with Getting Real.

One of the tell tale ways I know I’ve found a good book is by checking to see how many pages I’ve dog ear’d. I’d say about 15% of this book meets this description. There’s all kinds of gems in here, everything from hiring:

“Find someone who’s enthusiastic… Someone who’s excited to build what you’re building. Someone who hates the same things you hate. Someone who’s thrilled to climb aboard your train.”

To making opinionated software:

“Some people argue software should be agnostic… We think that’s bullshit. The best software has a vision. The best software takes sides.”

To how to approach any type of problem:

“Are you facing an issue that’s too big to wrap your mind around? Break it down. Keep dividing problems into smaller and smaller pieces until you’re able to digest them.”

And on and on. Or not so “on and on”? The book’s only 187 pages!

Finally, if you’re not ready to plunk down $25 for your own copy, check out this David Heinemeir Hansson speech. Let one of the authors push you over the hill:

(Isn’t Omnisio’s video / powerpoint slick? I have to think this will become more popular.)

I don’t think I’ll ever stumble upon the best way to create software, but I think this book is certainly close.

Posted in Books, Columbia, How To, New York City