Runtime Error

Not Invented Here #1

by Bill Barnes, Paul Southworth

Behind each great piece of software is a talented, concientious team of hardworking individuals dedicated to producing the highest quality product using internationally accepted best practices and industry standards. And then there are these guys. Meet Desmond: star programmer and ukulele player. Owen: a project manager who should maybe try thinking inside the box. Marketroid: robot marketer extraordinaire. If you've ever worked in software, or know someone who has, you'll enjoy Not Invented Here.

Genres: Comics, Humor, Graphic Novels, Comic Strips

167 pages, Paperback

First published July 15, 2011

About the author

I'm the artist of Unshelved and write Not Invented Here. I mostly read sci-fi, history, biography, science, and mainstream comics. Whenever went wrong in the past and resulted in an alternate dystopian present, I'm a happy man. I have a small bookcase of favorite books that I re-read every year or two.

Reviews

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great details in each panel. Perfect for anyone who works in I.T. Funny and sadly real-to-life. Even more sad is that I'm more like Owen than Desmond.

[Niffer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy Unshelved a lot, so I had high hopes for this strip. I was moderately disappointed. I feel like it's a little too plot driven--that there are lots of storylines that last 5-6 strips--and that the individual strips didn't hold up well as standalones. I know that short story arcs are standard in strips like this, but for some reason this collection it felt more obvious and made for very choppy reading.

I also overall found the comic depressing. I know the main characters are supposed to be borderline losers but to have each short story arc ending with them getting walked on got old after awhile.

I prefer Bill Barnes artwork, too, but overall this wasn't too bad. I loved the little tributes to other web comics!

[Reepacheep · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy the Unshelved series (also with Bill Barnes), so naturally when I heard about this book I was eager to read it. I don't think you'd need to be much of a geek to enjoy the humor here, but any sort of computer background (particularly programming) will magnify your enjoyment. The artwork is very good, too, and certainly contributes to the overall package. I was pleased to see some of the development art in the back of the book, showing how the characters evolved to their final form. I can't wait to read more about Desmond and Owen.

[Eric Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Got a free copy at the Madison Ruby 2013 conference, even though I had not read the comic before, it looked fun. Now I definitely will follow the comic, since I enjoyed the book a lot--particularly how the jokes apply so well to the techie & coder life (much more so than, for example, Dilbert's generic "engineer" job). However, I do *not* intend to try the Coder's Sunrise breakfast, ever, no way, uh-uh.

[The other John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really, really wanted to write an amusing review of this book, the first collection of strips from the webcomic Not Invented Here , but my muse isn't cooperating. I just spent about a half hour perusing the book again, looking for ideas, chuckling to myself and not writing. So if you're into web development, computing, science fiction, geek culture or Weird Al, get a copy of this book. (I know, how quaint.)

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

It got some laughs out of me, and the ridiculous but true-to-life situations are recognizable to anyone working in software. That said, many of the jokes relied on stereotypes of developers and their relationship to other professions rather than genuine insight, and the cast was unsurprisingly short on women (although I did love Fang).

[Hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first compilation of the Not Invented Here online comic strip. It is great to go back and read the story lines in one sitting. My only complaint is that I would have liked a little commentary on some of the strips from the authors. Ah well. Maybe the next book :)

[Heydi Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This comic strip collection is done in part by the same Bill Barnes that has brought us Unshelved. I love the art but the jokes just didn't hit me like Unshelved. So all in all, I think I'll stick with Unshelved and leave Runtime for someone else.

[Janet]

Predictable jokes.

[Joshua · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great collection of cartoons guaranteed to appeal to those in IT and many outside it.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Computer nerdy fun.