Writing Solid Code 
Microsoft's Techniques for Developing Bug-Free Programs

If the developers give responsibility for finding bugs to the testers, the
users of the product will find 40 percent of the bugs. -- From the
Foreword by David M. Moore -- Director of Development, Microsoft
Corporation

In WRITING SOLID CODE from Microsoft Press, author Steve Maguire shows
programmers how to take back the responsibility for writing bug-free
source code. Maguire doesn't expect programmers to write flawless code
every time they sit in front of the keyboard. But he does believe that
programmers who follow the guidelines in WRITING SOLID CODE can make
progress toward keeping bugs out of the master sources before their code
goes to Testing.

As a top Microsoft developer and source code troubleshooter for Microsoft,
Maguire knows what he is talking about. He has seen firsthand that with
the growing complexity of software and the associated climb in bug rates
programmers must produce bug-free code much earlier in the development
cycle if products are to ship on time--or at all. He is convinced that the
key to writing bug-free code is to become more aware of how bugs come
about.

The guidelines in WRITING SOLID CODE are the result of programmers
regularly asking themselves

* How could I have automatically detected this bug?
* How could I have prevented this bug?

Maguire focuses on little-known, hard-won techniques for writing code,
techniques that don't turn up in textbooks or in programming courses. And
he draws candidly on his experiences at Microsoft for cases in point--both
good and bad. The result is practical, lively instruction in how to
achieve "a nearly shippable product every day."

Entertaining, anecdotal chapters describe

* Increasing the number of bugs that can be detected
  automatically
* Using debugging assertion statements and debug-only backup
  algorithms
* Using subsystem integrity checks
* Stepping through code with an appropriate focus
* Writing easily validated functions that minimize the amount 
  of error handling code that must be written
* Exchanging risky practices for comparably efficient but safer
  alternatives
* Avoiding the seemingly innocuous, most treacherous coding
  practices
* Developing the essential attitudes and habits

Each chapter contains points for quick review and exercises that push the
programmer beyond the chapter. Appendixes contain checklists for a variety
of coding situations, a useful linked list version of memory logging
routines discussed in the book, and full answers to the questions posed at
the ends of the chapters. An annotated table of contents and a
comprehensive index help readers quickly locate information on any topic
in the book.

Steve Maguire has been programming professionally for 17 years. He worked
on Microsoft Excel for the Macintosh and led the development of
Microsoft's Intel processor-hosted MC680x0 cross-development system for
the Macintosh. He was the driving force behind Microsoft's switch to a
cross-platform shared code strategy in its applications development and is
perhaps best known in the company for his efforts to increase the utility
and quality of shared code libraries. WRITING SOLID CODE is the first of
several books he is writing to give programmers practical guidelines for
developing professional, high-quality software.

Microsoft Press is the book division of Microsoft Corporation and the
leading publisher of quality computer books about programming and
Microsoft development tools. More than 10 million users at all skill
levels rely on a complete line of Microsoft Press books to make
developing, learning, and using software easier. Titles ranging from
streamlined tutorials for first-time computer users to technical
references and advanced development books for professional programmers are
distributed to book and software retailers worldwide. Consumers in the
United States can also order directly from the publisher at
l-800-MSPRESS.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in
software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of
products and services for business and personal use, each designed with
the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take
advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.

Writing Solid Code
By Steve Maguire
288 pages, $24.95
ISBN: 1-55615-551-4
Pub. Date: May 31, 1993

Microsoft Press, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052-6399
206-882-8080

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