I. M. Wright's Hard Code is a collection of 49 columns Eric Brechner wrote for the Interface magazine at Microsoft from June 2001 till April 2007. The topics of the columns range from software development to career development to being a better manager. And along the way give you great insight in the process of software development at Microsoft.

The best column is "Where's the beef? Why we need quality", which describes the change Microsoft needed to make when the primary users switched from enthusiasts to consumers and enterprises. Customers that want a turnkey solution - you turn it on and it works. The key to making the switch is, according to Eric, raising the quality bar and focus on customer issues. And the three areas to work on are:

• Better design and code
• Better instrumentation and test
• Better supportability and recovery

Highly recommended.

Also read Eric's blog, where he posts a column every month.