Joel on Software

What's Going On Here?

Ah yes, you have arrived at the very strange world of Joel on Software. I'm Joel Spolsky. Almost everything you see here is written by me, and it reflects my (shall-we-say) unique sensibilities about software development.

Who Are You, Anyway?

I'm a software developer in New York City. I've worked at Microsoft, Viacom, and Juno Online Services. Now I have my own company, Fog Creek Software, which makes CityDesk, the software used to publish this site. You can learn more about me personally from my creaky old personal web site. But the best way to get to know me is to read what I write.

How Often Do New Things Appear Here?

"Whether or not I put things up will depend largely on whether, on a particular day, I have anything to put up," to paraphrase McSweeneys.

So, Am I Supposed to Check Back Every Day?

Don't bother. Subscribe to my mailing list by entering your email address at the bottom of any page. Then I'll email you whenever I write a new full-length article.

What Else Have You Written?

Since this site was created in March 2000, I've written quite a few longer articles and even a full-length book on UI design. It's all in the archive, which should provide you with hours of browsing fun.

But You're Completely Wrong. How Can I Let You Know?

Ah, yes, for this purpose we have a truly excellent discussion group. As Dr. Harvey Motulsky says, "The forum is great because you attracted a group of thoughtful people who can write clearly. No flames. No all caps. No crap. Little HTML showing where it shouldn't. No one replying just to be the first to reply."

 

Work with me, here! Fog Creek Software has great paid internships in software development for qualified college students. They’re in New York City. Free housing, lunch, and more. And you get to work on real, shipping software with the smartest developers in the business.

Want to know more?

You’re reading Joel on Software, stuffed with years and years of completely raving mad articles about software development, managing software teams, designing user interfaces, running successful software companies, and rubber duckies.

About the author.

I’m Joel Spolsky, founder of Fog Creek Software, a New York company that proves that you can treat programmers well and still be highly profitable. Programmers get private offices, free lunch, and work 40 hours a week. Customers only pay for software if they’re delighted. We make FogBugz, an enlightened project management system designed to help great teams develop brilliant software, and Fog Creek Copilot, which makes remote desktop access easy.