This book shows how to build software tools to bootstrap from a crummy environment (FORTRAN on IBM 370) to a much more productive environment. Stop whining, get coding, build tools. Expounds on tool pipelines based on Unix pipes. .

Buying Borders would give HP about 400 stores in US overnight. Remove the stationery, most CDs and DVDs, keep the books. Divide into thirds: 1. HP tablets, phones, computers, printers, Kobo e-reader, show how WebOS connects them; 2. Coffee bar, event space with huge internet TVs, sponsor book clubs and author interviews; 3. Books, magazines, top CDs and DVD/blurays. HP will need to demo directly to customers why WebOS is great. HP should either get serious or just give up.

On June 3, 2010, the Computer History Museum hosted a 6-session conference on the PLATO learning system, all of the videos are up in the Computer History Museum channel. Search on youtube.com for 'Computer History Museum Plato'. There were several later model terminals (still orange plasma and touch screen) running off of a modern PC emulating the CDC mainframe.

Read: The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering, Anniversary Edition by Frederick P. Brooks

Literate Programming by Donald E. Knuth

Beautiful Code: Leading Programmers Explain How They Think by Andy Oram and Greg Wilson

But the real answer is: since there is no professional testing / licensing for software engineers or software managers; most of them are actually incompetent and/or inexperienced.