The Mythical Man-Month is fifty years old and still describes my industry

The hardware in it is ancient, and that almost makes it better. You read about a huge IBM project from the 1960s and then recognise the same mistakes in projects today.

Everyone knows the famous line about adding people to a late project making it later. The part I think about more is the second-system effect: the urge to stuff every idea you held back into your next design. Get the anniversary edition, because it includes No Silver Bullet, and that essay alone is worth the price.