Software Quality: Theory and Management has been in print around the world since 1992. After the publisher accidentally removed it from the European market in 1998, it continued to sell well in South East Asia and has to date sold over 10,000 copies world-wide. Originally used with BSc and MSc students at the University of Salford, previous editions have been used as a textbook in the UK, Europe, North America and Asia. However, the contents of the second edition look sadly dated by now, and even core concepts such as development methodologies have moved on substantially. Therefore, I have decided to produce a third edition which has been updated in both content and method of delivery.

This book has been written as a response to the increasing polarisation of the public debate between science and religion. On one side of the debate, there are the "aggressive atheists", who claim to represent Science. On the other you have religious fundamentalists, who amongst other things insist on the literal truth of Scriptural writings. This view ignores a huge constituency or people with more moderate views: scientists inspired by a sense of wonder at what they discover in their daily work, religious adherents who hold much more tolerant and inclusive views of the world, or indeed agnostics who either hold no strong view or acknowledge that they simply "don't know". Many people look to science or religion for answers because they feel uncertain about the future. They want nice simple answers that make them feel secure. This book will not provide simple answers. It will try to follow Einstein's advice that "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler."

This book has been designed to help dentists to establish and maintain information systems that are necessary for effective working. It will consider the context of dentists in the UK, USA and Canada. It tries to do at least six (almost ) impossible things: 1. Talk about information in an interesting way. 2. Show how information can actually be useful. 3. Explain how to get you to love your computer. 4. Make SNODENT Codes interesting. 5. Help practices to share meaningful information. 6. Make you smile while reading a book about information. It includes references to incredibly unhip comedy series such as 'The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy' (such as why not round off this chapter by breakfast at Milliways, the Restaurant at the End of the Universe?). The book assumes that you the reader are based in, or work with, a dental practice. Each chapter includes exercises that generally require you to have access to a dental practice.