The Blog of Xangis

I just finished reading Eric Sink on the Business of Software (Expert’s Voice).  I’ve been meaning to read it for a while, but my to-be-read pile is just insane these days.  Part of the reason I put it off is because one of the thoughts I had was “Who the heck is Eric Sink!?  I’ve never heard of him, so why should I take his advice about the software business?”

I shouldn’t have procrastinated.  It’s a mighty fine book.  It may not be the best book ever written, but it addresses a lot of the issues faced by someone wanting to start grow a Micro-ISV (Independent Software Vendor).  It reads a lot like a Joel Spolsky book, possibly because they’re both mainly annotated collections of blog posts.  If you like Joel you’ll probably like Eric.  Conversely, if you don’t, you won’t.

Many of the issues the book touches on are common sense to anyone who has been in the software field a while and/or released any of their own applications, whether they be freeware, shareware, payware, adware, or some other scheme.  Even so, the book touches on a lot of topics that are overlooked, neglected, or completely ignored.  I would declare the book most valuable and useful for the information and advice on marketing, hiring, and figuring out whether your idea is likely to make a good product.  Sure, it’s all a crapshoot in the end, but at least I know a few guidelines and things to watch out for thanks to this book.

If I had to give this book a star rating, I would give it 4 out of 5.  There’s some good information, but nothing earth-shattering or phenomenally life-changing.  It’s just a good, solid dose of well-annotated common sense and worth the cover price.