I’m currently reading a couple of very good books (tech books of course):
- Software Estimation: Demystifying the Black Art by Steve McConnell – At work we’re running into a very concrete need for better and more realistic estimates, so I figured I’d do a little reading. Once I get done with this I may pull out my Personal Software Process book from back in college and see what tidbits I can pull out and use (and teach others to use too).
- Windows Vista Security by Roger Grimes and Jesper Johansson – This gives a very good look at the new security features of Vista from a standpoint of why the feature was needed, how it’s implemented, and how the implementation improves security. It’s very interesting to read the history of Windows exploits and the steps being taken to prevent them in the future. The chapter that caught my attention and made me purchase the book has to do with UAC (User Account Control) and what developers are and aren’t supposed to be doing anymore. Highly recommended if you’re like me and want to know why Vista behaves like it does. It helps greatly to understand the why’s and how’s about its sometimes seemingly odd behavior.
I also just finished up Writing Secure Code for Windows Vista. I found it to be very interesting even though it’s targeted toward lower-level Windows developers (think C and C++). It definitely gave me a good summary of how to interact with the new security features in Vista, which is why I bought the book in the first place.
The Johnson Blog 