Currently Reading: Getting Real

Could the process of building web applications in an environment you enjoy really be that simple? There’s only one way to find out. Read, then build.

37signals, the Chicago-based, web contructioneer firm, has just released its latest book, Getting Real, in PDF-only format. I’m in the middle of it and loving it. If 2005 was about tagging, Ajax, and Web 2.0, 2006 will be about putting the Getting Real principles into practice wherever web sites and applications are built. At least, one can hope.

They aren’t saying anything new. They aren’t saying things most of us haven’t read or thought about before. But they’re saying it. They’re bringing the ideas of simplicity, focus, and transparency back to the table. And given their reputation and credibility I think it’s worth sitting up and listening for a while.