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Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers todistinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Wherethose designations appear in this book, and the publisher wasaware of a trademark claim, the designations have beenprinted with initial capital letters or in all capitals.Photo of Steve Wozniak by Al Luckow.Photo of Diane Greene by Sunny Scott. The author and publisher have taken care in the preparation ofthis book, but make no expressed or implied warranty of anykind and assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Noliability is assumed for incidental or consequential damages inconnection with or arising out of the use of the information orprograms contained herein.The publisher offers excellent discounts on this book whenordered in quantity for bulk purchases or special sales, whichmay include electronic versions and/or custom covers andcontent particular to your business, training goals, marketingfocus, and branding interests. For more information, pleasecontact:

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Visit us on the Web: informit.com/phLibrary of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication DataLightstone, Sam.Making it big in software : get the job—work the org.—

become great / Sam Lightstone.p. cm.

Includes index.ISBN 978-0-13-705967-61. Computer programming—Vocational guidance. 2.Computer software industry—Vocational guidance. 3.Computer software developers—Interviews. I. Title. QA76.25.L54 2010005.1023—dc22

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Preface

“Thus the sage Chaninah would say:Much have I learned from my teachers and even more from myfriends but from my students I have learned the most of all”—Ethics of the Fathers, circa 200 CE

You went to university to study a profession, but they were hell-bent on giv-ing you an education instead. Unfortunately, there’s a gap between the for-mal education we receive in school and the skills we need to build trulysuccessful careers. Not only are many of the basic skills for professionalgrowth not taught in school, but to a large degree they aren’t taught any-where. The dynamic and somewhat bohemian quality of the software indus-try introduces unique career challenges. Our industry includes many of thetrappings of corporate American culture, but many odd divergences. It’s adomain where teenage hackers compete head-to-head with MIT Ph.D. gradu-ates and where crinkled T-shirts and unlaced running shoes coexist withstock options and executive titles. Making it Big in Software is my attempt toshare strategies for traversing these unique dynamics and maximizing yourprofessional potential. This book also includes interviews with some of themost influential software innovators and leaders of the past 30 years—peoplewho literally changed the world.

In 1991, I was a fourth-year electrical engineering student at Queen’sUniversity, trying to finish up my degree and get a job. Every Friday after-noon the electrical engineering school invited a guest speaker to inspire andenlighten our young, impressionable minds. These talks covered a wide rangeof technological topics; we discussed everything from high voltage transmis-sion lines to CMOS VLSI circuit design. I confess that most of these sessionswere less than inspirational for me. One day, a guest speaker arrived with aradically different message. He spoke to us about “life in the real world” andwhat we could expect after we graduated. I was riveted. This is the onlyfourth-year seminar from which I still have the notes. Most of my class-mates, like me, were in the dark about what our lives might be like after grad-uation. Even those students who had managed to find summer positions in

engineering were limited in their experiences by the normal constraints ofstudent positions.

I decided then that if I ever could, I would return the professional courtesyand volunteer to speak to university students. In the late 1990s and early2000s, I began a series of career talks at leading universities. The lecture notesfrom my talks, often delivered to capacity-filled auditoriums, became thebasis for this book. Some of the ideas are my own, but many are culled fromthe leading business thinkers and software development evangelists of thepast three decades. Hopefully, this book succeeds in providing you whatschool and daily work life generally cannot: the tools with which to makeit BIG.

Audience

This is a book for software professionals of all ages and levels, whetherthey’re just trying to break into the field or have decades of experience.Writing a book with that range isn’t easy; every age group and communityhas a different set of concerns that affect what’s interesting to them. Afternearly two decades of recruiting, managing, and mentoring software profes-sionals, there are some common themes I’ve found that cross most boundariesof age and experience. I’ve tried to make those themes central to the book. Ihope this book will also be of interest to students and teachers of computerscience, providing a colorful look into the less mathematical aspects of theprofession.

Organization of This Book

The book is divided into three major sections: fundamentals, leadership, andgreatness. “Part I, Fundamentals,” discusses the major building blocks of agreat career in software, including the fundamentals of good software prod-ucts, major skills and leading programming languages, how to land a job, andhow to operate effectively within a software team (including some pitfalls toavoid). “Part II, Leadership,” takes the reader into a series of topics arounddriving and leading change and operating in a much more harried profes-sional environment. Leaders, almost by definition, need to multitask anddrive parallel agendas forward while deflecting myriad forces of negativity.This section covers important topics related to “working an organization,”how to build and pitch successful project proposals, career advancement, time

XII MAKING IT BIG IN SOFTWARE

management, avoiding software project overruns, work-life balance, andhigher-level management and leadership insights. “Part III, Greatness,” dis-cusses topics around innovation—how to reach the pinnacle of the profession(becoming a software visionary or guru), how to start your own business, areview of compensation rates, and a retrospective on things I wish I hadknown earlier in my career.

Between the chapters you’ll find a number of interviews I did with leadingpersonalities. These interviews deliberately include a mix of business execu-tives, researchers, and industry leaders. I feel it’s important for readers to getperspectives broader than my own. To enhance the structure of the book, theinterviews are all marked with a gray bar along the leaf edge of their pages,including the interviewee’s name. I’ve made a moderate effort to place theinterviews near related chapters (for example, two startup sensations, MarcBenioff CEO and founder of Salesforce.com and Diane Greene past CEO andco-founder of VMware, frame the chapter on software startups). Some inter-views didn’t have a clear correlation to a specific topic, so there’s an admit-tedly arbitrary aspect in the placement of a few. It’s absolutely not the casethat interviews placed in the Fundamentals section are any less profoundthan those in the Greatness section. I think it’s fair to say that everyone Iinterviewed has reached the heights of the profession. After all, that’s whatmade them such interesting people to speak with.

Feedback

If you have feedback on the book or find any errors, please contact me. Youcan send feedback to [email protected]. Although I can’tguarantee a reply to every email, I’ll make sure that every email is read.

Sam Lightstone

To learn more about Making it Big in Software,including upcoming events and additional publications,

please go to:www.MakingItBigCareers.com

PREFACE XIII

www.MakingItBigCareers.com

CHAPTER 1

Making It Big

“Success didn’t spoil me, I’ve always been insufferable.” —Fran Lebowitz (1950– )

Software is an amazing place to build a professional career. In few otherdomains can you have so much fun with so much positive potential to changethe world, while pulling down a decent living to boot. Software has madecomplex technology accessible, and allowed us to control systems andprocesses in a way that manual operators could once only dream about.We’ve shrunken the world, brought people and societies to greater commonunderstanding, and allowed families and friends to connect when they areapart. Business and researchers have faster and more accurate access tostrategic business information, historical records, data analysis, and mathe-matical optimization. The world is creating nearly 15 petabytes of digitalinformation daily, and by 2011 an estimated 2 billion people will be con-nected to the Internet.1 Almost everything that has an electrical power source,from handheld phones to refrigerators, is running software. That’s what I calldemand. All that demand means a world of opportunity for software profes-sionals. With all that potential, it’s worth knowing what it takes to evolveyour career to its highest possible potential for impact, leadership, innova-tion, freedom, financial compensation, and fun.

Making It Big in Software is a book about maximizing your career successand your professional impact. From getting a job and honing key skills tobecoming a leader and innovator, this book walks you through the skills,

1 Steve Mills, Senior Vice President IBM Software Group, Keynote address, IBM AnalystConnect Symposium, Stamford CT, Nov 2009.

behaviors, and personal qualities you need to reach your professional poten-tial. In addition to my own thoughts, stories, and metrics, I’ve included anumber of interviews with industry-leading luminaries between the chapters.These interviews with major executives, innovators, and researchers providefresh insights into the art and business of the software professional. Theirideas are often profound and sometimes controversial. Having gone throughthe extraordinary process of interviewing all of them, I found it profoundlyinteresting to see the points of convergence and variation among them ontopics from time management to the value of graduate degrees. One of themajor points of convergence is that all these leaders and innovators clearlylove what they do. It’s both a cause and an effect: Loving what you do is themost necessary of all ingredients for success, but it’s also true that being suc-cessful allows people to spend more of their time on things they love.

What Do “Big Shots” in Software Do?

Success means different things to different people. For many people, the firstand most important meaning of success is financial compensation. The moremoney you earn for what you do, the more “successful” you are. “He’s a verysuccessful lawyer, a partner in the firm.” “She’s a successful entrepreneur. Herbusiness grew into an international conglomerate.” “He’s a successful sur-geon. He earns enough in six months to spend the rest of the year traveling.”We’re all accustomed to that way of thinking about success. Make no mistakeabout it, financial rewards are indeed a very significant part of what mostpeople consider career success, and for some this is the most important com-ponent. However, it’s a shallow mind indeed that considers it the only com-ponent. Beyond financial rewards lie several other measures of success, andthe relative value of each varies from one person to the next. Here are someother hallmarks of success gleaned from the interviews in this book, as wellas from decades of discussion with industry leaders at major software com-panies around the world:

. Fun and interesting work

. Corporate and industrial influence

. The betterment of society

. Freedom to work on what you want, when you want

. Fame

. Travel

CHAPTER 1 MAKING IT BIG 3

Successful people in software are defined by some or all of the attributesin this list, and financial rewards follow as a result. For example, most of thesoftware giants interviewed in this book define their own success by theircontributions to the industry and their impact on society rather than by theirbank balances. Even so, several of them are very wealthy. Although relativelyfew people in the software industry become fabulously rich, it’s a surprisingand hopeful fact that the short list of the world’s wealthiest people containsseveral notable software gurus: Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Google foundersSergey Brin and Larry Page, Oracle founder Larry Ellison, and Facebookfounder Mark Zuckerberg, just to name a few. Microsoft’s success createdmany millionaires in the 1980s and 1990s through employee stock optionprograms, as did several other high-flying software firms of the period.Indeed, if becoming rich is your goal, there’s precedent for doing it througha career in software. Many a software millionaire has been made by softwaredevelopers just doing their thing, writing great code and marking just theright time to “cash out.”

Corporate and industrial influence comes after you have made a reputa-tion for yourself as an industry expert in a technical field or as an executivewith a track record of leading great success. When that happens, your opin-ion is sought to direct the strategic investments in new technologies, toapprove standards, and to help foster industrial research efforts. This givesyou significant influence over how technology evolves, not only in your owncompany, but also across the world.

Technology aids in the betterment of society, though many people feel thatit continues to be our downfall and that in some pockets of life technologywill always do more harm than good. Even so, the general purpose of tech-nology is the betterment of society: reducing humankind’s labor and suffer-ing, engendering freedom, and advancing our exploration and understandingof the universe. Software big shots, our business strategists and technicalarchitects, are the people who have the greatest influence on technology.Okay, it takes a village to raise a child, and it takes a wide range of profes-sionals to successfully bring good software to market, including wiseinvestors, savvy managers, salespeople and sales channels, and a lot of luck.But nobody influences the shape of technology more than those who createit. Having read this, the venture capitalists are now red-faced and fuming, thesalespeople are pounding their tightened fists, and the project managers arerolling their eyes, but I stand by it. Certainly, without these people, most proj-ects never achieve lift-off. But although they enable, they do not shape,define, or mold the creative expression of the engineering team the way thetechnical and executive visionaries do.

4 MAKING IT BIG IN SOFTWARE


Follow Your Bliss

Software is one of the few professions that allows its practitioners to come towork and dream, solve puzzles, surf the Internet, and then collect a handsomepaycheck at the end of the day. Whether you’re writing your very first “Helloworld” program in a new computer language or putting the finishing toucheson a new cloud computing infrastructure for your corporate data center,every programmer has enjoyed the remarkable sensation of seeing technol-ogy spring to life when their software runs for the first time. Not only is soft-ware fun, but having fun in software is a catalyst for a successful career. Itwas striking to me how often this theme came up in the interviews for thisbook. Almost everyone I interviewed commented on the importance of find-ing enjoyable work. If all the gurus seemed to agree on one piece of advice,this was it. Check out the consistency across these statements:

“If you are entering the field, find something that you really lovedoing and get excited about doing, so that you almost feel as if youshould be paying them to come to work. I think you need to be happyto be successful, not successful to be happy.”—David Vaskevitch, Microsoft CTO

“Be sure that you like what you do at work and that you like thepeople you work with—you’ll have to live with them for a long time.”—Bjarne Stroustrup, inventor of C++

“The more you can merge what you want to do with your job, thebetter.”—Steve Wozniak, inventor of the Apple computer

“One piece of advice I would give people is to always make sure you’rein an environment that leaves you feeling empowered to fully use yourtalents, and that you feel appreciated for the work you do.”—Diane Greene, co-founder and past CEO of VMware

“I believe that I just work better if I enjoy what I’m doing. I suspectthat if anybody wants to be ‘the best’ at whatever they do, they haveto realize that it takes decades of hard work. And the main way toactually keep doing decades of hard work is to simply enjoy it so muchthat you don’t want to stop.”—Linus Torvalds, original author of GNU/Linux


“…if you can find a job that you really like, the better you’re gonna be.You’re gonna be more productive. You’re going to be happier. You’regoing to be more satisfied in general with what’s going on.”—Ray Tomlinson, inventor of email

“Follow your bliss.”—Jon Bentley, author of Programming Pearls

“For me, work is really enjoyable, making it hard to define where workends and fun begins.”—Marissa Mayer, Google VP

“That’s what’s great—my career is a lot of fun. I don’t view it as work.Computers have always been my hobby. The fact that I get to go towork and work on my hobby and get paid for it is just fantastic.”—Mark Russinovich, Microsoft Technical Fellow

“What is really important is to make sure that they are growing,contributing, and enjoying what they do.”—John Schwarz, CEO Business Objects

“My number one piece of advice is to have fun.”—James Gosling, inventor of Java, Sun VP and Fellow

“…follow your passion. Most of all, be sure you have fun in theprocess.”—Grady Booch, IBM Fellow

“Any career is a marathon race, not a sprint. For it to be rewardingover years and decades, it has to be something you like to do. As youconsider career decisions, listen to your heart as well as your head.Your head will tell you how to succeed in a traditional sense. Yourheart will tell you what fulfills you, what you find fun. Here is asimple metric: Ask yourself how fast the time passes at work. If you“lose yourself” in your work—that is, if time passes quickly—that is apowerful, positive message.”—Tom Malloy, Chief Software Architect for Adobe Systems

Having fun is critical to career success in any profession; those of us insoftware are fortunate to be in a place where having fun is easy. When you’rehaving fun, you’ll work with more enthusiasm and more energy, and you’llget more done. The natural frustrations of professional life will slide past you,paled by the enthusiasm and excitement of your work. As Grady Booch told

me in my interview with him, “I can’t think of any other industry that hasimpacted every other business in the way that we as humans and civilizationsconnect. What a cool business to be in.”

Why Bother?

But with long hours, considerable stress, and no guarantees, the obviousquestion is whether it’s even worth trying to make it big. I believe the answeris unequivocally yes. The most compelling reason is that, in most cases, youhave to show up to the office and work like a lunatic anyway—it’s really notoptional (if you want to eat). So if the difference between being a midlevelcareer programmer and making it big is an incremental strategic investmentof time and energy, then it’s more than worth it for you and for your family.In the long run, the benefits are significant: a more satisfying career, greaterinfluence and impact within your company and the industry, more fun, andmore money. And while there may not be less “crap” to do, at least it’s strate-gic work rather than “grunt” work. How much more money is there really,after all that effort? According to data at PayScale.com and the United StatesBureau of Labor Statistics, in 2007, the lowest-paid software engineers earnedapproximately $38,000, while senior architects earned more than $211,000, adifference of 5.55 times. If you add to this the benefits from bonuses, pre-ferred stock, and stock options that are always dolled out more generously tothe senior staff, the variance in compensation between the ends of the jobperformance spectrum can be pretty astounding.

Plus, making it big gives you the freedom to work on what you want to.That broad statement is true in degrees, depending on just how big you makeit. The higher up the totem pole of technology you climb, the more freedomyou can have in what you work on. The late computer scientist Jim Gray, whowas one of the founders of modern database systems and a leader in scalablecomputing before his mysterious disappearance in a boating accident on aclear, calm day in 2007, was a great example. Before recruiting Gray,Microsoft had always resisted the pressure to establish R&D sites outside oftheir core location in Redmond, Washington. Gray just wasn’t interested inliving there. No problem. In 1995, they built their new laboratory, called theMicrosoft Bay Area Research Center (BARC), around him. Some may believethat Microsoft had decided to finally tap into the incredible pool of softwaretalent and dynamism in the Bay area, but in truth, the move to open BARCwas motivated heavily by a desire to attract Gray to Microsoft. According toSenior Vice President of Microsoft Research Rick Rashid, “If Jim had wanteda lab in Monte Carlo, we would have built a lab in Monte Carlo.” That’s the


freedom to work not only on what you want, but where you want! Why doesthis happen? This kind of freedom comes with the value you provide throughyour creativity, insight, and industrial influence.

Big shots in technology have more “eureka moments” per unit time thanthe little shots. They are leaders and connectors. They are the charismaticinspirations for new ideas who build consensus to forge ahead on new tech-nology initiatives. They have the ideas that create and shape the technologyof the future. This makes them sensationally valuable assets to any enterprise.The more valuable you are, the more control you have over your destiny.Your employer, colleagues, and industrial associates will do more for you andgive you that freedom, to keep you happy and focused on what you haveexcelled at. Notice that I said “freedom to work on what you want,” but I didnot say the freedom to work the amount you want. In software, successfulpeople generally work hard. The climb to fame and fortune in software gen-erally exacerbates this fate until you decide you have climbed enough, doneenough, and earned enough, that you’re willing to let your contributionsplateau.

Fame awaits those who make it big. When eWeek, TechWorld, and othermagazines want to get the inside scoop on emerging technology, they turn tothe technical gurus. Big shots in software write the books, publish the papers,present the lectures, and are interviewed for columns that present technologyto the world. Fame isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, but whatever it is, the bigshots get a larger share.

Finally, I contend that those who make it big have more meaningful andfulfilling jobs. More satisfying work means you’ll have more enthusiasm forwhat you do. Enthusiasm means you’ll work harder and be more profoundlyinspired. As a result, you’ll not only be more successful, but you’ll have agood time doing it. Why is that?

. The most successful people have larger degrees of control on whatthey work on, so they can bias their work toward the things theyenjoy. Perhaps just as important, when you work on the things youenjoy, your enthusiasm will rub off on others, and that’s a kind ofleadership, too.

. Big shots don’t do grunt work. The least pleasant and lower-skilledtasks are delegated to the junior employees, while senior folks focuson the strategic items. This is a gross oversimplification. After all,senior staff also gets involved in decisions to cancel technology proj-ects, meetings to lay off staff (possibly including co-workers theyhave known for years), and painful arguments over technical strategy.



It’s definitely not all fun and games. Some of these responsibilitiesinclude miserable experiences you wouldn’t wish on your worstenemy, even after he’d stabbed you in the back, kicked your dog,stolen your life savings, and burned down your home. As miserable assome of the tasks of senior staff can be, they tend to be strategic innature. Their influence is large and profound. The process of execut-ing these tasks can be gut-wrenching, but there’s a concomitant senseof accomplishment of having made a radical and profound difference.Okay, it’s hell, but it’s hell that matters. In contrast, some of the mis-erable tasks relegated to junior staff are more likely described as justplain miserable.

One constant runs throughout: Nobody makes it big without a large andsustained outlay of effort. Success in achieving your long-term goals alwaysmeans hard work for several years.

It’s Not as Hard as You Think

Throughout the chapters ahead, you’ll see that making it big isn’t the impos-sible elusive dream that some people think it is. Making it big requires a mod-erately consistent effort and the careful and strategic use of time to focusyour energy and talents in meaningful ways. Yes, it’s true that most success-ful people in software tend to work longer hours than career journeymen, butyou don’t need to be a workaholic to get to the top. Working smart is alwaysmore important than working hard. In fact, although the most successful peo-ple work hard, long hours, their career success is gated more by what they dothan by how much of it. The chapters ahead tell the tale.

Index

Symbols@ symbol, 100, 105-106“2008 Compensation and Entrepreneurship

Report in IT,” 379

Aaccomplishments

Bentley, Jon, 38Booch, Grady, 238communicating, 179-180Greene, Diane, 397Kahn, Dr. Robert, 325Malloy, Tom, 251-252, 257Mayer, Marissa, 26Norvig, Peter, 123Russinovich, Mark, 195Schwarz, John, 156Stallman, Richard, 81Stroustrup, Bjarne, 63Tomlinson, Ray, 102Torvalds, Linus, 171Wozniak, Steve, 355

achieving work-life balance, 249assessing, 249Benioff, Marc, 377Bentley, Jon, 40Booch, Grady, 241defining yourself, 245Gosling, James, 285Greene, Diane, 401Kahn, Dr. Robert, 330

life impacts work, 247-248Malloy, Tom, 256Mayer, Marissa, 29Norvig, Peter, 125organizational culture, 246-247repartitioning time, 245Russinovich, Mark, 197Schwarz, John, 159Stallman, Richard, 83stressors, 248Stroustrup, Bjarne, 65tips, 246Tomlinson, Ray, 108Torvalds, Linus, 174Vaskevitch, David, 217work environment, 247working backward, 249

acquisition of startupsbenefits, 392categories, 392-393getting the word out to potential

buyers, 394growth comparison, 390-392problems, 394-395

adaptability (startups), 389-390Advanced Logistics Project (ALP), 101advancement

accomplishments, communicating, 179-180

credibility, 178evaluations, 177goal-oriented careers, 181-184management peer impact, 187-188

418

manager influence, 185career discussions, 186-187helping managers look good, 185technical/organizational assistance, 185

promotibility inversion, 189-191promoting others, 189

adviceexecutives

Benioff, Marc, 372-373Greene, Diane, 399

field opportunities, 30startups, 372success

Benioff, Marc, 371, 375, 378Bentley, Jon, 41-42Booch, Grady, 242-243Gosling, James, 286-287Greene, Diane, 403Kahn, Dr. Robert, 328, 331Malloy, Tom, 257-259Mayer, Marissa, 27Norvig, Peter, 126Russinovich, Mark, 198-200Schwarz, John, 159-160Stallman, Richard, 83Stroustrup, Bjarne, 66Tomlinson, Ray, 106, 109Torvalds, Linus, 175Vaskevitch, David, 216-218Wozniak, Steve, 358-359

affiliative leadership, 292affinitizing, 319aggressive estimates, 228agile development process methodology, 272agreements, 151-153All the President’s Men, 300ALP (Advanced Logistics Project), 101angel funding, 384Apple

computer development, 336iPhone, 310Jobs, Steve

academics, 53business fluency, 337

stock growth, 337Wozniak, Steve

accomplishments, 355advice, 358-359biography, 352-353debugging, 354future of software, 357inspirations, 356

personal future, 357personal success, 356pet peeves, 355Tetris, playing, 357time management, 357trends/innovations, 358viewing self as hardware person,

353-354architects, 112The Art of Japanese Management

(Pascale), 302assertions, 89assessing, work-life balance, 249attracting new customers, 15audiences. See customersauthority

leadership, 291-294visionaries, 333-334world-class status, 334

awards (resumés), 47

Bbad projects, 11-12balancing work-life, 244

achieving by working backward, 249assessing, 249Benioff, Marc, 377Bentley, Jon, 40Booch, Grady, 241defining yourself, 245Gosling, James, 285Greene, Diane, 401Kahn, Dr. Robert, 330life impacts work, 247-248Malloy, Tom, 256Mayer, Marissa, 29Norvig, Peter, 125organizational culture, 246-247repartitioning time, 245Russinovich, Mark, 197Schwarz, John, 159Stallman, Richard, 83stressors, 248Stroustrup, Bjarne, 65tips, 246Tomlinson, Ray, 108Torvalds, Linus, 174Vaskevitch, David, 217work environment, 247

BARC (Microsoft Bay Area Research Center), 7believing in yourself, 336-337

INDEX 419

benefitsbig shots, 7-9CEOs, 379publishing, 342startup acquisitions, 392

Benioff, Marcadvice for success, 371, 375, 378attraction to software as a service, 371biography, 369-370future of software, 377getting started, 370graduate degrees, 376listening to customers, 21philanthropy, 373-374platform independence, 375SaaS, 374software executives, 372-373startups, 372time management, 377trends/innovations, 376work-life balance, 377

Bentley, Jonaccomplishments, 38advice for success, 41-42biography, 37-38future of software, 41getting started, 38personal success, 39pet peeves, 39time management, 40trends/innovations, 40work-life balance, 40, 249writing code, 39

best and worst programmers differences, 295betterment of society, 4big shots, 7-9biographies

Benioff, Marc, 369-370Bentley, Jon, 37-38Booch, Grady, 236-237Gosling, James, 281Greene, Diane, 396Kahn, Dr. Robert, 323-325Malloy, Tom, 252Mayer, Marissa, 23-24Norvig, Peter, 122-123Russinovich, Mark, 192-193Schwarz, John, 154-155Stallman, Richard, 79-80Stroustrup, Bjarne, 62-63Tomlinson, Ray, 100-101Torvalds, Linus, 170Vaskevitch, David, 214-216Wozniak, Steve, 352-353

bloggers, 342bonus plans, 408Booch, Grady

accomplishments, 238advice for success, 242-243biography, 236-237future of software, 241-242getting started, 237knowledge, 239personal success, 239pet peeves, 240Rational Software beginnings, 238time management, 240trends/innovations, 239work-life balance, 241

book publishing, 342brainstorming, 312-313Brin, Sergey, 380Brooks, Frederick, 225, 349browser engines, rendering, 25buggy code, writing, 133building

emotional caches, 189teams, candidates, 295

attracting, 295filtering, 296interviewing successfully, 296-298keeping best people happy, 298-299mix, 299prima donnas/superstars, 300

trust, 140burning bridges, 128business of software, learning, 70business plans, 381-382business skills, 337-338

CC/C++, 63, 87The C++ Programming Language

(Stroustrup), 64candidates

attracting, 295filtering, 296interviewing successfully, 296-298

careersadvancement

accomplishments, communicating,179-180

credibility, 178evaluations, 177goal-oriented careers, 181-184management peer impact, 187-188manager influence, 185-187


promotibility inversion, 189-191promoting others, 189

early yearsbusiness of software knowledge, 70career paths, choosing, 74expertise, 70job satisfaction, 76-78low-level programming skills, 71mentors, 74-75networking, 72-73tradecraft skills, 69-70watching leaders, 72

paths, choosing, 74planning/placement, 49roles

architects, 112CEOs, 111channel salespeople, 114chief architects, 112CTOs, 111department managers, 113direct salespeople, 114directors of engineering, 111directors of marketing, 111fellows, 111function verification testers, 114product managers, 113program managers, 113programmers, 113release managers, 112research staff members, 113second-line managers, 112system verification testers, 114technical evangelists, 115technical managers, 112technical salespeople, 114usability engineers, 113Vice Presidents, 111visibility, 116

satisfaction, 8, 76-78statistics, 416success. See success

CDAs (confidential disclosure agreements), 381CEOs, 111

benefits, 379salary ranges, 409

changing career goals, 183channel salespeople, 114chief architects, 112choosing

career paths, 74companies, 43-46, 411-412

Circles of Concern/Influence, 205-206

climbing the corporate ladder, 45cloud computing services, 383co-opetition, 115coaching

interviews, 60leadership, 291-292

codedebugging, 88-90reuse

innovation, 320schools versus industry, 34

writing, 39coercive leadership, 291-292cold calling, 50collaboration

agreements, 151-153communication, 149development environment, 238innovation, 317

columnists, 342commercially available components

(COTS), 320communication

effective, 117-118email, 117four modes of in-person, 118-120importance, 116interviews, 57managers, 121near-real-time, 179personal accomplishments, 179-180personal requests, 118post-factum, 180working the org, 149

companies. See also industrychoosing, 43-46, 411-412communication

effective, 117-118email, 117four modes of in-person, 118-120importance, 116managers, 121personal requests, 118

core competencies, 162-163culture

core competencies, 163work-life balance, 246-247

high/low performer differences, 115impressions, 121roles, 110

architects, 112CEOs, 111channel salesperson, 114

INDEX 421

chief architects, 112CTOs, 111department managers, 113direct salespeople, 114directors of engineering, 111directors of marketing, 111fellows, 111function verification testers, 114product managers, 113program managers, 113programmers, 113release managers, 112research staff members, 113second-line managers, 112system verification testers, 114technical evangelists, 115technical managers, 112technical salespeople, 114usability engineers, 113Vice Presidents, 111visibility, 116

visiting, 51working the org

agreements, 151-153communication, 149dressing for success, 150-151emotional motivators, 140-143getting people on-side, 140negotiations, 144-149problems, 130social networking, 143

compensationbonus plans, 408companies

choosing, 411-412differences, 405

financialindustrial, 33rewards, 3-4salary ranges 2010–2013, 409schools versus industry, 35

graduate degrees, 405-406indirect, 409-411larger companies, 405preferred stock, 407retirement plans, 408startups, 405stock options, 406-407

competitive offerings, 18complainers, 129confidence in interviews, 57confidential disclosure agreements (CDAs), 381constraints (time and resource), 319

contactsbuilding, 72-73finding jobs, 49

Convolution Principle, 227coop students, 266core competencies, 162-163corporate influence, 4costs

patents, 338software defects, 276, 279startups, financing, 383-385

COTS (commercially available components), 320

creating opportunities, 366-367credibility, 121

career advancement, 178project proposal success, 164

critical success factors (CSFs), 203cross-disciplinary studying, 334-336crossing the chasm, 386-389

customer focus, 387demos, 388Internet, leveraging, 388looking big, 389

Crossing the Chasm (Moore), 17, 368CSFs (critical success factors), 203CTOs, 111, 409culture (companies)


curriculum, 32customers

attracting new, 15criteria, 18existing, 15feedback, 21-22focus, 16listening, 21product development influence, 16startup focus, 387types, 16

Ddatabases, 10debugging, 88-89

assertions, 89code inspections, 90Design by Contract, 89Wozniak, Steve, 354

decision making, market-driven, 14defects, 276, 279delegation, 303


democratic leadership, 291-292demos, 388department managers, 113dependency management, 227Design by Contract, 89developing

emotional intelligence, 98-99goals, 183growth skills, 92-94hard skills, 84soft skills, 84, 95, 99technical skills, 85

debugging, 88-90programming languages, 86-88reviews, 91-92

time-management skills, 93-94development

based on existing customers, 15customer criteria, 18customer focus, 16defects, 276, 279maturity, testing, 275-276methodologies, 270-274popularity, 416quality, 18, 279-280SaaS example, 19-21technical skills, 85technologies, 17-18user feedback, 21-22value, 16

direct salespeople, 114directed career path example, 181directing others, 304directors of engineering, 111directors of marketing, 111disruptive technology, 18domain expertise skills, 86dressing for success, 150-151drivers, schools versus industry, 35

Eearly adopters, 17early career years

business of software knowledge, 70career paths, choosing, 74expertise, 70job satisfaction, 76-78low-level programming skills, 71mentors, 74-75networking, 72-73tradecraft skills, 69-70watching leaders, 72

early majority adopters, 17education. See schoolEI (emotional intelligence), 95, 99

developing, 98-99maturity and common sense, 96personalities, 98self-assessment, 98side-by-side comparison example, 96-97

Eisner, Michael, 319elevator pitches, 164, 381Ellison, Larry, 53email

@ symbol, 100, 105-106discussions, 117evolution, 102future, 104invention of networked, 103-104length, 117managing, 210-213

emotional caches, building, 189emotional intelligence. See EIemotional motivators, 140-143

face time, 142giving something for nothing, 141inspiring self-worth in others, 141sharing glory, 142

employment agencies, 49engines, rendering in browsers, 25enjoying work, 5-6enthusiasm, 8, 58estimates, 227-228evaluations (employee), 177executives

adviceBenioff, Marc, 372-373Greene, Diane, 399

salary ranges, 409schedule overruns, 221

existing customers, 15expertise

defined, 190early career, 70

external business plans, 382extracurricular activities

resumés, 48value, 54-55

Fface-saving exits, 265face-to-face private meetings, 118Fagan, Michael, 90

INDEX 423

failuresrates, 12startups, 380success, 416visionaries, 348

fame, 8feedback, 21-22fellows, 111financing startups, 383

angel funding, 384fourth-stage, 385investment capital, 385second-stage, 384third-stage, 385

findinginnovation opportunities, 311-312jobs. See job searchesmentors, 74-75

first few months at work, learning curve, 361-362

colleagues, 364good mentors, 362managers, 362-363managing your boss, 366opportunities, creating, 366-367pushing yourself, 368

following the money, 301formal code reviews, 90FORTRAN, 86four modes of in-person communication,

118-120face-to-face private meetings, 118large group presentations, 119-120small group discussions, 118small group presentations, 118

fourth-stage funding, 385free software, 82freedom of motion, 35fun work environments, 76-78function verification testers, 114fundamental technical skills, 85future

email, 104software, 416

Benioff, Marc, 377Bentley, Jon, 41Booch, Grady, 241-242Gosling, James, 285-286Greene, Diane, 402Kahn, Dr. Robert, 330Malloy, Tom, 258Mayer, Marissa, 29Norvig, Peter, 125

Russinovich, Mark, 199Schwarz, John, 158Stallman, Richard, 83Stroustrup, Bjarne, 66-67Tomlinson, Ray, 108Torvalds, Linus, 174Vaskevitch, David, 217Wozniak, Steve, 357

GGates, Bill

academic grades, 53business fluency, 337

Gerstner, Lou, 13, 208getting people on-side, 140getting started

Benioff, Marc, 370Bentley, Jon, 38Booch, Grady, 237Gosling, James, 282-283Greene, Diane, 397Kahn, Dr. Robert, 325Malloy, Tom, 252Mayer, Marissa, 24Norvig, Peter, 123Russinovich, Mark, 193Schwarz, John, 155Stallman, Richard, 80Stroustrup, Bjarne, 63Tomlinson, Ray, 101Torvalds, Linus, 171Vaskevitch, David, 216

getting to revenue, 385-386Gladwell, Malcolm, 73, 334goal-centric time management, 202-203goal-oriented careers, 181-184

changing with time, 183developing, 183directed career path example, 181trying different jobs, 183undirected career path example, 181working backward, 184

goal-oriented project management, 261-264goals, 226-227good ideas versus good business, 380-381good software

market embracing, 12market-driven, 14-15

Googlefounders, 380successful innovation, 315work environment, 247


Gosling, Jamesadvice, 286-287biography, 281future of software, 285-286getting started, 282-283graduate degrees, 287Java inspirations, 283personal success, 284pet peeves, 284time management, 285trends/innovations, 284work-life balance, 285

gossiping, 128government agencies, 50GPS, value perception cycle, 314graduate degrees

Benioff, Marc, 376compensation, 405-406Gosling, James, 287Greene, Diane, 403Malloy, Tom, 255Mayer, Marissa, 28Russinovich, Mark, 199Schwarz, John, 160Stroustrup, Bjarne, 65Tomlinson, Ray, 106Vaskevitch, David, 216

graphical user interface, 340Gray, Jim, 7Greene, Diane

accomplishments, 397advice for success, 403architecture degree, 397biography, 396future of software, 402getting started, 397graduate degrees, 403influences/inspirations, 399leading software companies, 399personal success, 400pet peeves, 397starting VMware, 398-399time management, 401work-life balance, 401

growthproblems, 135-137skills, 92-94startup acquisition comparison, 390-392statistics, 416

gurus. See visionaries

Hhalo-effect, 121Hamilton, James, 12, 211-212hard skills, 84high performers, 115higher-level programming languages, 87human nature, managing, 264-266

face-saving exits, 265making people feel loved, 264status reports, 265

humility in interviews, 57

IIBM

Gerstner, Lou’s guiding principles, 13IMS, 10patents, 341successful innovation, 315

identifying successful innovations, 309images, revitalizing, 121impressions, 121IMS, 10In Search of Excellence, 303incremental improvements, 18indecision (time management), 207indirect compensation, 409-411individual work (schools), 32industry. See also companies

compared to schools, 34-36code reuse, 34drivers and shapers, 35financial compensation, 35freedom of motion, 35innovation, 35interpersonal networking, 35leadership, 35learning/doing, 35personal portfolios, 36productivity, 36recognition, 36risks, 36teamwork, 34

compensation. See compensationculture


early careersbusiness of software knowledge, 70career paths, choosing, 74expertise, 70

INDEX 425

job satisfaction, 76-78low-level programming skills, 71mentors, 74-75networking, 72-73tradecraft skills, 69-70watching leaders, 72

four modes of in-person communication,118-120

influence, measure of success, 4leaders, watching, 72limited field of vision, 33-34publications, 341

influencesGreene, Diane, 399managers on employee success, 185-187Mayer, Marissa, 24Vaskevitch, David, 216

informal code walkthroughs, 90innovation, 17

2005 McKinsey report on corporatesuccess concerns, 307

benefits, 306brainstorming, 312-313business advantage, 308fostering successful

affinitizing, 319avoiding dictating solutions, 318best people, 316carrying through, 322collaboration, 317current state of the art, 321data, 319Google, 315IBM, 315iteration, 318market as source, 321Microsoft, 315reusing existing components, 320rewards, 316studying other fields, 321time and resource constraints, 319

keeping upBenioff, Marc, 376Bentley, Jon, 40Booch, Grady, 239Gosling, James, 284Malloy, Tom, 255Mayer, Marissa, 28Norvig, Peter, 125Russinovich, Mark, 197Schwarz, John, 157-158Stallman, Richard, 82Stroustrup, Bjarne, 65

Tomlinson, Ray, 107Torvalds, Linus, 173Vaskevitch, David, 217Wozniak, Steve, 358

opportunities, 311-312resumés, 48schools versus industry, 35self-made innovators, 336-337successful, 309-311

identifying, 309iPhone example, 310marketing, 309OS/2 flop example, 310

value perception cycle, 313-315inspections (code), 90inspirations

Greene, Diane, 399Wozniak, Steve, 356

interface designs (Mayer, Marissa), 26internal business plans, 382Internet

finding jobs, 50frequency of top 24 programming

languages and platforms, 87leveraging for startups, 388release cycles, 29server warehouses, 30

internship students, 266interpersonal networking, 35interviews, 56-61

candidates, 296-298coaching, 60communication, 57company negativity, 59confidence/humility, 57enthusiasm, 58falsifying information, 60follow-up etiquette, 60interest in software, 57knowing the competition, 58Norvig, Peter, 124personal/medical information, 59positive, 58research, 56selling yourself, 59skill-testing questions/brainteasers, 56

investment capital, 385iPhone, 310IQ, 96iteration

development methodology, 271innovation, 318


JJava, 87. See also Gosling, JamesJericho, 101job roles, 110

architects, 112CEOs, 111channel salespeople, 114chief architects, 112CTOs, 111department managers, 113direct salespeople, 114directors of engineering, 111directors of marketing, 111fellows, 111function verification testers, 114product managers, 113program managers, 113programmers, 113release managers, 112research staff members, 113second-line managers, 112system verification testers, 114technical evangelists, 115technical managers, 112technical salespeople, 114usability engineers, 113Vice Presidents, 111visibility, 116

job satisfaction, 8, 76-78job searches

career planning/placement offices, 49choosing companies, 43-46cold calls, 50employment agencies, 49extracurricular activities, 54-55friends/contacts, 49government agencies, 50importance of grades, 52-54Internet searches, 50interviewing, 56-61

coaching, 60communication, 57company negativity, 59confidence/humility, 57enthusiasm, 58falsifying information, 60follow-up etiquette, 60interest in software, 57knowing the competition, 58personal/medical information, 59positive, 58research, 56

selling yourself, 59skill-testing questions/brainteasers, 56

newspaper postings, 51professors, 50resource effectiveness, 51-52resumés, 46-48

mailing, 51school performance, 46student positions, 55visiting companies, 51

Jobs, Steveacademics, 53business fluency, 337

KKahn, Dr. Robert

accomplishments, 325advice for success, 328, 331biography, 323-325future of software, 330getting started, 325networking contributions, 326personal success, 327pet peeves, 326pivotal career point, 326software scale, 327technology/trends, 329time management, 329work-life balance, 330

Kay, Alan, 350Kennedy, John F., 261

Llaggards, 17large group presentations, 119-120late majority adopters, 17lateness. See overrunsLaw of the Few, 143leadership. See also visionaries

authority, 293-294delegation, 303directing others, 304following the money, 301innovation

2005 McKinsey report on corporatesuccess concerns, 307

affinitizing, 319avoiding dictating solutions, 318benefits, 306best people, 316brainstorming, 312-313

INDEX 427

business advantage, 308carrying through, 322collaboration, 317current state of the art, 321data, 319Google, 315IBM, 315identifying valuable, 309iPhone example, 310iteration, 318market as source, 321marketing, 309Microsoft, 315opportunities, 311-312OS/2 flop example, 310reusing existing components, 320rewards, 316studying other fields, 321successful, 309-311time and resource constraints, 319value perception cycle, 313-315

managing, compared, 288-290proceeding without formal support, 294resumés, 47rewards, 301-302schedule overruns, 235

average example, 223avoiding, 235causes, 224-231effects, 223executive perception, 221handling, 232-233leadership, 235right people, 235statistics, 222

schools versus industry, 35shared values, 303styles, 290-292teams, building, 295-300

lean development methodology, 273learning

business of software, 70expertise, 70low-level programming skills, 71programming languages, 86-88schools versus industry, 35tradecraft skills, 69-70

learning curve (first few months at work),361-362

colleagues, 364good mentors, 362managers, 362-363managing your boss, 366

opportunities, creating, 366-367pushing yourself, 368

lengthemails, 117resumés, 48

life impacts work, 247-248Lightstone’s Convolution Principle, 227limited field of vision, 32

industry, 33-34school, 33school as, 32

Linux, 173. See also Torvalds, LinusLogAD (Logistics Anchor Desk), 101low performers, 115low-level programming skills, learning, 71

Mmailing resumés, 51Malloy, Tom

accomplishments, 251-252advice for success, 257-259biography, 252chief software architect role, 254future of software, 258getting started, 252graduate degrees, 255personal success, 254, 257pet peeves, 259risk-taking decisions, 253technical accomplishments, 257time management, 256trends/innovations, 255work-life balance, 256

The Management of Innovation, 303managers

communication, 121employee’s first few months, 362-363influences on employee success, 185-187managing, 366peer impact, 187-188

managingdependency, 227leadership, compared, 288-290managers, 366projects

defects, 276, 279development methodologies, 270-274goal-oriented, 261-264human nature, 264-266maturity, testing, 275-276plans, changing, 269-270quality, 279-280


SMART, 262students, 266value, measuring, 267-269

schedule overruns, 232-233marketing, 309marketplace

driving software, 14-15embracing good software, 12influence on schools, 33

Master’s degrees, 406maturity, testing, 275-276Mayer, Marissa

accomplishments, 26advice for success, 27biography, 23-24choosing Google, 43field opportunities, 30future of software, 29getting started, 24graduate degrees, 28influences, 24listening to customers, 22personal success, 27pet peeves, 25time management, 29trends/innovation, 28women in computing, 26work-life balance, 29

measuringsuccess, 3-6value, 267-269

mentors, 74-75, 362methodologies (development), 270

agile development process, 272iterative development, 271lean development, 273rapid prototyping, 274scrum, 271waterfall development process, 274XP, 273

Meyer, Bertrand, 89mezzanine funding, 385Microsoft

Bay Area Research Center (BARC), 7stock growth, 337successful innovation, 315work environment, 247

mistakesfundamentals versus incidentals, 137growth

excessive self-promotion, 136self-marketing wrong messages, 136

technical skills, 135unimportant roles, 137

people, 127burning bridges, 128complainers, 129gossiping, 128inappropriate decision making, 131snitching on coworkers, 129too many suggestions, 130working the org, 130

productivity, 133buggy code, 133lack of productivity, 134missing dates consistently, 134skunkworks focus, 135time management, 135

team, 131-132Moore, Geoffrey, 17, 386motivation, emotional, 140-143

face time, 142giving something for nothing, 141inspiring self-worth in others, 141sharing glory, 142

The Mythical Man Month, 225

NNDAs (nondisclosure agreements), 381near-real-time communication, 179negotiating, 144

meeting in the middle, 145-147mutual gain options, 147-148outcomes, estimating, 145quitting while ahead, 149seeking first to understand, 144

networked email, 103-104networking

early career, 72-73Kahn, Dr. Robert’s contributions, 326wasting time, 209working the org, 143

new customers, attracting, 15new graduates

career paths, choosing, 74finding jobs, 52-54industry leaders, watching, 72job satisfaction, 76-78learning

business of software, 70expertise, 70low-level programming skills, 71tradecraft skills, 69-70

INDEX 429

mentors, 74-75networking, 72-73resumés, 46school performance, 46

new writer advice, 344-345newspaper job postings, 51nondisclosure agreements (NDAs), 381North American salary ranges 2010–2013, 409Norvig, Peter

accomplishments, 123advice for success, 126biography, 122-123future of software, 125getting started, 123job interview example, 124personal success, 124pet peeves, 124time management, 125trends/innovations, 125work-life balance, 125

OOOP (object-oriented programming), 63

languages, 88Stroustrup, Bjarne, 63

open source, 383opportunities

creating, 366-367innovations, 311-312Mayer, Marissa, 30

OS/2 flop, 310Outliers, 334overruns

average example, 223avoiding, 235causes, 224

adding manpower, 225aggressive estimates, 228bad estimates, 227-228dependency management, 227fundamentals, bypassing, 230human performance, 224scope creep, 224social dynamics, 229-230strategic changes, 231time away from deliverables,

forgetting, 231unclear goals, 226-227

effects, 223executive perception, 221handling, 232-233

leadership, 235right people, 235statistics, 222

Ppacesetting leadership, 291-292Page, Larry, 380paralysis by analysis, 207Parkinson’s Law, 230passion, 350-351patents, 338

career success, 341costs, 338criteria, 338graphical user interface example, 340names, 341style-mixing pants example, 339worthy ideas, 340

Patton, General George, 207people problems, 127

burning bridges, 128complainers, 129gossiping, 128inappropriate decision making, 131snitching on coworkers, 129too many suggestions, 130working the org, 130

performance (schedule overruns), 224Perlis, Alan, 86personal portfolios, 36personal success, defining, 415personal tenacity (proposals), 168personal walkthroughs, 90pet peeves

Bentley, Jon, 39Booch, Grady, 240Gosling, James, 284Greene, Diane, 397Kahn, Dr. Robert, 326Malloy, Tom, 259Mayer, Marissa, 25Norvig, Peter, 124Russinovich, Mark, 199Schwarz, John, 160Stallman, Richard, 81Stroustrup, Bjarne, 65Tomlinson, Ray, 109Torvalds, Linus, 172Vaskevitch, David, 217Wozniak, Steve, 355

Peters, Tom, 303


Ph.Ds, 406philanthropy (Benioff, Marc), 373-374pitching proposals, 166-168plans (project), changing, 269-270platforms

independence, 375Internet frequency of top 24 programming

and platforms, 87popularity of software development, 416post-factum communication, 180preferred stock, 407presentations

large group, 119-120small group, 118summary, 381

proactiveness (urgency), 208problems

acquisitions, 394-395fundamentals versus incidentals, 137growth

excessive self-promotion, 136self-marketing wrong messages, 136technical skills, 135unimportant roles, 137

people, 127burning bridges, 128complainers, 129gossiping, 128inappropriate decision making, 131snitching on coworkers, 129too many suggestions, 130working the org, 130

productivity, 133buggy code, 133lack of productivity, 134missing dates consistently, 134skunkworks focus, 135time management, 135

team, 131-132product development

based on existing customers, 15customer criteria, 18customer focus, 16quality characteristics, 18SaaS example, 19-21technologies, 17-18user feedback, 21-22value, 16

product managers, 113productivity

problems, 133-135schools versus industry, 36

professional activities, 48

professors, 50program managers, 113programmers

9-to-5 job, 108high/low performers, 115role, 113

programming languagesInternet frequency of top 24 programming

languages and platforms, 87learning, 86-88

Programming Pearls, 38project management

defects, 276, 279development methodologies, 270

agile development process, 272iterative development, 271lean development, 273rapid prototyping, 274scrum, 271waterfall development process, 274XP, 273

goal-oriented, 261-264human nature, 264-266maturity, testing, 275-276plans, changing, 269-270quality, 279-280SMART, 262students, 266value, measuring, 267-269

projectsfailures, 11-12good

market embracing, 12market-driven, 14-15

managing. See project managementoverruns

average example, 223avoiding, 235causes, 224-231effects, 223executive perception, 221handling, 232-233leadership, 235right people, 235statistics, 222

proposalsconnecting privately with decision

makers, 164converting naysayers to believers, 163core competencies, 162-163credibility, 164elevator pitch, 164example, 165

INDEX 431

executive commitment, 169others’ ideas, including, 164personal tenacity, 168pitching, 166-168

skunkworks, 135promotibility inversion, 189-191promoting others, 189promotions. See advancementproprietary software, 194proposals

connecting privately with decision makers, 164

converting naysayers to believers, 163core competencies, 162-163credibility, 164elevator pitch, 164example, 165executive commitment, 169others ideas, including, 164personal tenacity, 168pitching, 166-168

public speaking, 345-348adapting to audiences, 346antagonists, 348clarity and pace, 346engaging audience, 346first person, 347hand motions, 347purpose, 348smiling, 347speaking the charts, 347understanding audience, 346

publishing, 343benefits, 342books, 342columns/blogs, 342impact, 341industrial/trade publications, 341new writer advice, 344-345research papers, 341value, 343whitepapers, 342

pushing yourself, 368

Q–Rquadrants of time, 93-94quality

products, 18testing, 279-280

R&D, bootstrapping, 382-383rapid prototyping development

methodology, 274

Rational Software beginnings, 238recognition, 36recruiting candidates

attracting, 295filtering, 296interviewing successfully, 296-298

relational databases, 156release cycles, 29release managers, 112remote workers, 383rendering browser engines, 25research papers, 341research staff members, 113resources

constraints, 319finding jobs

career planning/placement offices, 49cold calls, 50effectiveness, 51-52employment agencies, 49friends/contacts, 49government agencies, 50Internet searches, 50mailing resumés, 51newspaper postings, 51professors, 50visiting companies, 51

responsiveness (startups), 389-390resumés

awards, 47details, 47-48extracurricular activities, 48grades, 52-54innovations, 48leadership roles, 47length, 48mailing, 51new graduates, 46professional activities, 48technical domain skills, 47

retirement plans, 408revenue (startups), 385-386reviews (technical), 91-92revitalizing images, 121rewards, 301-302, 316risks

schools versus industry, 36toleration, 17

roles (companies), 110architects, 112CEOs, 111channel salesperson, 114chief architects, 112


CTOs, 111department managers, 113direct salespeople, 114directors of engineering, 111directors of marketing, 111fellows, 111function verification testers, 114product managers, 113program managers, 113programmers, 113release managers, 112research staff members, 113second-line managers, 112system verification testers, 114technical evangelists, 115technical managers, 112technical salespeople, 114usability engineers, 113Vice Presidents, 111visibility, 116

Russinovich, Markaccomplishments, 195advice for success, 198-200biography, 192-193future of software, 199getting started, 193graduate degrees, 199Microsoft recruitment, 195personal success, 196pet peeves, 199proprietary software, 194time management, 196trends/innovations, 197Windows incorporation of tools, 195Winternals development, 193-194work-life balance, 197

SSaaS (software as a service), 19, 374

Benioff, Marc, 374technology adoption example, 19-21

salary ranges 2010–2013, 409Salesforce.com, 369satisfaction, 76-78schedule overruns

average example, 223avoiding, 235causes, 224

adding manpower, 225aggressive estimates, 228bad estimates, 227-228dependency management, 227

fundamentals, bypassing, 230human performance, 224scope creep, 224social dynamics, 229-230strategic changes, 231time away from deliverables,

forgetting, 231unclear goals, 226-227

effects, 223executive perception, 221handling, 232-233leadership, 235right people, 235statistics, 222

Schmidt, Eric, 380school

career planning/placement offices, 49compared to industry, 34-36curriculum, 32importance of grades, 52-54individual work, 32limited field of vision, 32-33market influences, 33performance, 46student positions, 55

Schwarz, Johnaccomplishments, 156advice for success, 159-160biography, 154-155career goals, 184future of software, 158getting started, 155graduate degrees, 160path to CEO position, 156personal success, 160pet peeves, 160time management, 158trends/innovations, 157-158work-life balance, 159

scope creep, 224scrum development methodology, 271second-line managers, 112second-stage funding, 384self-made innovators, 336-337server warehouses, 30shapers, 35shared values, 303sharing glory, 142Sharpen the Saw story, 92-94skills

business, 337-338communication

effective, 117-118

INDEX 433

email, 117four modes of in-person

communication, 118-120importance, 116managers, 121personal requests, 118

growth, 92-94hard, 84leadership

authority, 293-294delegation, 303directing others, 304following the money, 301innovation. See leadership, innovationmanaging, compared, 288-290proceeding without formal support, 294rewards, 301-302schedule overruns, 235shared values, 303styles, 290-292teams, building, 295-300

low-level programming, 71soft

defined, 84developing, 84, 95emotional intelligence, 95-99

technicaldebugging, 88-90development, 85domain expertise, 86fundamental, 85growth required, 85problems, 135programming languages, 86-88reviews, 91-92tradecraft, 86

time-management, 93-94tradecraft, 69-70

skunkworks projects, 135small group discussions/presentations, 118SMART (specific, measurable, attainable,

realistic, timely), 262SMPs (symmetric multiprocessors), 267socializing

dynamics, 229-230networking, 143, 349-350wasting time, 209

soft skillsdefined, 84developing, 84, 95emotional intelligence, 95-99

developing, 98-99maturity and common sense, 96personalities, 98

self-assessment, 98side-by-side comparison example,

96-97software

as a service. See SaaSscale, 327

space program project management example,261-264

specific, measurable, attainable, realistic,timely (SMART), 262

Stallman, Richardaccomplishments, 81advice for success, 83biography, 79-80free software champion, 82future of software, 83getting started, 80personal success, 81pet peeves, 81time management, 83trends/innovations, 82work-life balance, 83

startupsacquisition

benefits, 392categories, 392-393getting the word out to potential

buyers, 394problems, 394-395

adaptability, 389-390Benioff, Marc advice, 372business plans, 381compensation, 405crossing the chasm, 386-389elevator pitches, 381external business plans, 382failures, 380financing, 383

angel funding, 384fourth-stage, 385investment capital, 385second-stage, 384third-stage, 385

getting to revenue, 385-386good ideas versus good business, 380-381growth versus acquisition, 390-392internal business plans, 382R&D, bootstrapping, 382-383responsiveness, 389-390summary presentations, 381

statisticsjob growth, 416overruns, 222

status reports, 265


stock options, 406-407stressors, 248Stroustrup, Bjarne

accomplishments, 63advice for success, 66biography, 62-63The C++ Programming Language, 64future of software, 66-67getting started, 63graduate degrees, 65personal success, 64pet peeves, 65time management, 65trends/innovations, 65work-life balance, 65

studentslimited field of vision, 32managing, 266positions, 55

styles, leadership, 290-292success. See also advancement

adviceBenioff, Marc, 371, 375, 378Bentley, Jon, 41-42Booch, Grady, 242-243Gosling, James, 286Greene, Diane, 403Kahn, Dr. Robert, 328, 331Malloy, Tom, 257-259Mayer, Marissa, 27Norvig, Peter, 126Russinovich, Mark, 198-200Schwarz, John, 159Stallman, Richard, 83Stroustrup, Bjarne, 66Tomlinson, Ray, 106Torvalds, Linus, 175Vaskevitch, David, 216Wozniak, Steve, 358-359

characteristics, 8credibility, 121defining, 415dressing for success, 150-151enthusiasm, 8failures, 416fame, 8freedom, 7fun work environment, 76-78innovation, 309-311

affinitizing, 319avoiding dictating solutions, 318best people, 316carrying through, 322collaboration, 317

current state of the art, 321data, 319Google, 315IBM, 315identifying, 309iPhone example, 310iteration, 318market as source, 321marketing, 309Microsoft, 315OS/2 flop example, 310reusing existing components, 320rewards, 316studying other fields, 321time and resource constraints, 319

IQ, 96job satisfaction, 8luck, 414management peers impact, 187-188manager influence, 185-187measures

betterment of society, 4corporate/industrial influence, 4enjoyment, 5-6financial compensation, 3-4

patents, 341personal

Bentley, Jon, 39Booch, Grady, 239Gosling, James, 284Greene, Diane, 400Kahn, Dr. Robert, 327Malloy, Tom, 254, 257Mayer, Marissa, 27Norvig, Peter, 124Russinovich, Mark, 196Schwarz, John, 160Stallman, Richard, 81Stroustrup, Bjarne, 64Tomlinson, Ray, 103Torvalds, Linus, 172Vaskevitch, David, 218Wozniak, Steve, 356

positive impressions, 121project proposals

connecting privately with decisionmakers, 164

converting naysayers to believers, 163core competencies, 162-163credibility, 164elevator pitch, 164example, 165executive commitment, 169others ideas, including, 164

INDEX 435

personal tenacity, 168pitching, 166-168

qualities, 413-414rates, 12

summary presentations, 381symmetric multiprocessors (SMPs), 267Sysinternals, 195System 360 project, 349system verification testers, 114

Ttask-centric time management, 203-205teams

building, 295attracting, 295filtering, 296interviewing successfully, 296-298keeping best people happy, 298-299mix, 299prima donnas/superstars, 300

co-opetition, 115problems, 131-132schools versus industry, 34

technical domain skills, 47technical evangelists, 115technical managers, 112technical salespeople, 114technical skills

debugging, 88-89assertions, 89code inspections, 90Design by Contract, 89

development, 85domain expertise, 86fundamental, 85growth requirements, 85problems, 135programming languages, 86-88reviews, 91-92tradecraft, 86

technology. See also innovationadoption lifecycle, 17

customer criteria, 18quality characteristics, 18SaaS example, 19-21technologies, 18

disruptive, 18tenacity (urgency), 208TENEX, 102testing

maturity, 275-276quality, 279-280

thinking inside the box, 319third-stage funding, 385time

constraints (innovation), 319management

1950s–1980s, 2011990s, 201Benioff, Marc, 377Bentley, Jon, 40Booch, Grady, 240Circles of Concern/Influence, 205-206email, 210-213goal-centric, 202-203Gosling, James, 285Greene, Diane, 401indecisions, 207Kahn, Dr. Robert, 329Malloy, Tom, 256Mayer, Marissa, 29Norvig, Peter, 125problems, 135Russinovich, Mark, 196Schwarz, John, 158skills, developing, 93-94Stallman, Richard, 83Stroustrup, Bjarne, 65task-centric, 203, 205time wasting, 209-210Tomlinson, Ray, 107Torvalds, Linus, 173urgency, 208-209Vaskevitch, David, 217Wozniak, Steve, 357

wasting, 209-210time-shared computing, 100The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can

Make a Big Difference (Gladwell), 73, 143Tomlinson, Ray

@ sign, 103-106accomplishments, 102advice for success, 106, 109biography, 100-101evolution of email, 102future of email, 104future of software, 108getting started, 101graduate degrees, 106invention of networked email, 103-104personal feelings toward email, 104personal success, 103pet peeves, 109programming as a 9-to-5 job, 108time management, 107


trends/innovations, 107work-life balance, 108

Torvalds, Linusaccomplishments, 171advice for success, 175biography, 170future of software, 174getting started, 171personal success, 172pet peeves, 172time management, 173trends/innovations, 173work-life balance, 174

trade publications, 341tradecraft skills, 69-70, 86trends, keeping up. See also innovation

Benioff, Marc, 376Bentley, Jon, 40Booch, Grady, 239Gosling, James, 284Kahn, Dr. Robert, 329Malloy, Tom, 255Mayer, Marissa, 28Norvig, Peter, 125Russinovich, Mark, 197Schwarz, John, 157-158Stallman, Richard, 82Stroustrup, Bjarne, 65Tomlinson, Ray, 107Torvalds, Linus, 173Vaskevitch, David, 217Wozniak, Steve, 358

trust, 140types

audiences, 16leadership, 291-292

U–Vunclear goals, 226-227undirected career path example, 181urgency (time management), 208-209usability engineers, 113

valueextracurricular activities, 54-55perception cycle, 313-315products, 16publishing, 343shared, 303software, measuring, 267-269

Vaskevitch, Davidadvice for success, 216-218biography, 214-216

future of software, 217getting started, 216graduate degrees, 216influences, 216personal success, 218pet peeves, 217time management, 217trends/innovations, 217work-life balance, 217, 249

vice presidents, 111visibility, 116visionaries. See also leadership

authority, 333-334believing in yourself, 336-337business skills, 337-338cross-disciplinary studying, 334-336defined, 333failures, 348passion, 350-351patents, 338

career success, 341costs, 338criteria, 338graphical user interface example, 340names, 341style-mixing pants example, 339worthy ideas, 340

public speaking, 345-348adapting to audience, 346antagonists, 348clarity and pace, 346engaging audience, 346first person, 347hand motions, 347purpose, 348smiling, 347social networking, 350speaking the charts, 347understanding audience, 346

publishing, 343benefits, 342books, 342columns/blogs, 342impact, 341industrial/trade publications, 341new writer advice, 344-345research papers, 341value, 343whitepapers, 342

self-made innovators, 337visiting companies, 51VMware foundation, 398-399

INDEX 437

W–Zwasting time, 209-210watching industry leaders, 72waterfall development process, 274Welch, Jack, 186whitepapers, 342Winternals, 193-194women in computing, 26work environment, 247work-life balance, 244

achieving by working backward, 249assessing, 249Benioff, Marc, 377Bentley, Jon, 40Booch, Grady, 241defining yourself, 245Gosling, James, 285Greene, Diane, 401Kahn, Dr. Robert, 330life impacts work, 247-248Malloy, Tom, 256Mayer, Marissa, 29Norvig, Peter, 125organizational culture, 246-247repartitioning time, 245Russinovich, Mark, 197Schwarz, John, 159Stallman, Richard, 83stressors, 248Stroustrup, Bjarne, 65tips, 246Tomlinson, Ray, 108Torvalds, Linus, 174Vaskevitch, David, 217work environment, 247

working the orgagreements, 151-153communication, 149dressing for success, 150-151emotional motivators, 140-143getting people on-side, 140negotiations, 144

meeting in the middle, 145-147mutual gain options, 147-148outcomes, estimating, 145quitting while ahead, 149seeking first to understand, 144

problems, 130social networking, 143

world-class authority status, 334worst and best programmers differences, 295Wozniak, Steve, 336

accomplishments, 355advice, 358-359biography, 352-353debugging, 354future of software, 357inspirations, 356personal future, 357personal success, 356pet peeves, 355Tetris, playing, 357time management, 357trends/innovations, 358viewing self as hardware person, 353-354

writing code, 39

XP development methodology, 273


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