What's Going On Here?

Ah yes, you have arrived at the very strange world of Joel on Software. I'm Joel Spolsky. Almost everything you see here is written by me, and it reflects my (shall-we-say) unique sensibilities about software development.

Who Are You, Anyway?

I'm a software developer in New York City. I've worked at Microsoft, Viacom, and Juno Online Services. Now I have my own company, Fog Creek Software, which makes CityDesk, the software used to publish this site. You can learn more about me personally from my creaky old personal web site. But the best way to get to know me is to read what I write.

How Often Do New Things Appear Here?

"Whether or not I put things up will depend largely on whether, on a particular day, I have anything to put up," to paraphrase McSweeneys.

So, Am I Supposed to Check Back Every Day?

Don't bother. Subscribe to my mailing list by entering your email address at the bottom of any page. Then I'll email you whenever I write a new full-length article.

What Else Have You Written?

Since this site was created in March 2000, I've written quite a few longer articles and even a full-length book on UI design. It's all in the archive, which should provide you with hours of browsing fun.

But You're Completely Wrong. How Can I Let You Know?

Ah, yes, for this purpose we have a truly excellent discussion group. As Dr. Harvey Motulsky says, "The forum is great because you attracted a group of thoughtful people who can write clearly. No flames. No all caps. No crap. Little HTML showing where it shouldn't. No one replying just to be the first to reply."

Students: Fog Creek Software has awesome summer internships in New York City. You get free housing, free lunches, lots of free New York activities, and a chance to write great code with great developers. And a competitive salary. Apply today: we only have four open positions and usually get hundreds of applications, which will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis.

About the Author: I'm your host, Joel Spolsky, a software developer in New York City. Since 2000, I've been writing about software development, management, business, and the Internet on this site. For my day job, I run Fog Creek Software, makers of FogBugz - the smart bug tracking software with the stupid name, and Fog Creek Copilot - the easiest way to provide remote tech support over the Internet, with nothing to install or configure.

Enter your email address to receive a (very occasional) email whenever I write a major new article. You can unsubscribe at any time, of course.