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• Books for the software business

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  Barney Finucane

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  Books for the software business

  I am in the business of designing and marketing software, and it is a tricky business indeed. Here are some books that might help you if you have the same problems I do!
  
  Marketing Books
  Marketing is not about colorful brochures. It is about creating a market to sell in to. But most of the guys earning a bundle in the business don't know that.
  
  Information Rules - You have to understand the message of this book if you want to market software. It is unbelieveable how many would-be software strategists are ignorant of this basic knowedge.
  
  The Innovator's Dilemma - How to lose by being the best. Spooky or thrilling, depending on where you are in the market.
  
  In Search of Stupidity - Funny but sad stories about the software industry. All true too. How the mighty have fallen.
  
  Blue Ocean Strategy - Mostly fluff, very easy reading. Almost a ripoff. But the message is very good.
  
  
  
  Management Books
  Most of them are garbage, but there are some interesting ones.
  
  Peopleware - How to get your programmers to work - or at least, how to avoid preventing them from working.
  
  The Mythical Man Month - Very old but still relavant
  
  The Goal - Basically explains in novel form why software projects usually miss their goals. Shows how to win with less. Very deep.
  
  
  
  Design
  Beware of freaks with wierd design ideas! When in doubt, reread "In Search of Stupidity"
  
  Joel on Software - Down to Earth essays on doing the business.
  
  http://www.start2think.com - At first I thought this was a hoax or something, but man does it ever work.
  
  Democratizing Innovation - Available as a pdf in the net. What do wind surfing, Business Intelligence and open heart surgery have in common? Find out here.
  
  
  Strategy books
  There is such a thing as "pure strategy", even if there is no cookbook for success. My advice: Be smart and don't do dumb things. ;-)
  
  The Compleat Strategyst (sometimes spelled "complete") - Fun introduction to game theory.
  
  The 33 Strategies of War - Amusing introduction to military history and strategic thinking.
  
  
  Biology Books
  I think about biology a lot, but you have to invest a lot before you will see the connection to business.
  
  Nature: An Economic History - All about progress and power in marine snails and other obscure creatures. Explains why you can't count on cost cutting to win, why its so hard to break into the American market, and much more.. Hard going for the business reader.
  
  The Touchstone of Life - A difficult book about biological information. Organisms are things that "know" how not to be dead. The question is, where do they get their information? To me, a key to understanding how software can be made useful.
  
  Darwin's Dangerous Idea - A philosophy book about Darwinism. I think about it a lot when I'm trying to figure out what to do next, but it probably does not belong in this list!
  
  • 15 Mar 2006, 5:05 pm
  Barney Finucane wrote: > I am in the business of designing and marketing software, and it is a > tricky business indeed. Here are some books that might help you if > you have the same problems I do! > > Marketing Books > Marketing is not about colorful brochures. It is about creating a > market to sell in to. But most of the guys earning a bundle in the > business don't know that. > > Information Rules - You have to understand the message of this book > if you want to market software. It is unbelieveable how many would-be > software strategists are ignorant of this basic knowedge. > > The Innovator's Dilemma - How to lose by being the best. Spooky or > thrilling, depending on where you are in the market. > > In Search of Stupidity - Funny but sad stories about the software > industry. All true too. How the mighty have fallen. > > Blue Ocean Strategy - Mostly fluff, very easy reading. Almost a > ripoff. But the message is very good. > > > > Management Books > Most of them are garbage, but there are some interesting ones. > > Peopleware - How to get your programmers to work - or at least, how > to avoid preventing them from working. > > The Mythical Man Month - Very old but still relavant > > The Goal - Basically explains in novel form why software projects > usually miss their goals. Shows how to win with less. Very deep. > > > > Design > Beware of freaks with wierd design ideas! When in doubt, reread "In > Search of Stupidity" > > Joel on Software - Down to Earth essays on doing the business. > > www.start2think.com - At first I thought this was a hoax or > something, but man does it ever work. > > Democratizing Innovation - Available as a pdf in the net. What do > wind surfing, Business Intelligence and open heart surgery have in > common? Find out here. > > > Strategy books > There is such a thing as "pure strategy", even if there is no > cookbook for success. My advice: Be smart and don't do dumb things. > ;-) > > The Compleat Strategyst (sometimes spelled "complete") - Fun > introduction to game theory. > > The 33 Strategies of War - Amusing introduction to military history > and strategic thinking. > > > Biology Books > I think about biology a lot, but you have to invest a lot before you > will see the connection to business. > > Nature: An Economic History - All about progress and power in marine > snails and other obscure creatures. Explains why you can't count on > cost cutting to win, why its so hard to break into the American > market, and much more.. Hard going for the business reader. > > The Touchstone of Life - A difficult book about biological > information. Organisms are things that "know" how not to be dead. The > question is, where do they get their information? To me, a key to > understanding how software can be made useful. > > Darwin's Dangerous Idea - A philosophy book about Darwinism. I think > about it a lot when I'm trying to figure out what to do next, but it > probably does not belong in this list!