Getting Real

The latest in my run of techy book reviews — this time an old classic: Getting Real by the team behind Basecamp. This too, has been doing the rounds at Automattic and has been recommended by a colleague. Unlike the book on typography, this is absolutely the kind of book I’d ordinarily read, and thus has stiffer competition from the likes of The Lean Startup, Zero to One, and Hackers \& Painters. Showing its age The first thing that struck me about the book was that it feels dated. In the early chapters, the authors present two alternatives: release versioned software every few years on CD-ROMs, or release something every day (or at least once a month) on a website. Maybe that advice would have hit differently in 2006, but in 2026, it feels like it belongs in a museum. Similarly, the companies and products that the book cites as bastions of wisdom are underwhelming (though presumably were reasonable in their day). Launching my company through specific named people’s blogs, or taking…

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