Computers in Context: The Philosophy and Practice of System Design

Ask yourself "Do I really need to spend money on a system to automate a task when it works already to a satisfactory level?". It may be that buying and installing the equipment to automate the task causes more problems than it solves. We don't need to buy equipment to perform a task that works already, especially if the consequences can include apparently random problems that we don't have knowledge of, or aren't trained for. If you've never thought of these questions (and loads more besides) then read this book. You might find answers and you'll be glad you did.

This book is very important for all those people dealing with IT and Organizations. It gives very good insights into different perspectives from which the relation between technology, people, and organizations must be considered. I recommend this book to practitioners and experts who already had the chance to face the problem in systems development and introduction into organizations. Finally, a book which does what any good book should do: make you think. Don't expect good answers, find instead the right questions.

Karl Marx goes Techno. That was the first thought that came to mind having glanced through this book. Plato, Descartes, and Hegel were not the kind of guys I was expecting to meet in a book on Computer Systems Development. A few years ago I would have shredded this publication after having read the introduction but since I'm now a more mature person I kept reading and guess what - it didn't turn out bad at all! Ok, maybe it raises more questions than it provides answers but, hey, if the reader has to think for himself - so what? Most of the questions are worth reflecting upon and the book provides many new points of view for those of us who are open to change, willing to develop, unafraid of the unknown, etc. It not quite like the X-files but this book is deeper than it looks. Read it, but don't do it alone (at least you'll need a fully trained philosopher to help you understand some of the sections).