4 ms·

It'd certainly be interesting to relate a multi-decade software project from the outside :-) I will have to talk to my father about this... and explain why fol

It'd certainly be interesting to relate a multi-decade software project from the outside :-) I will have to talk to my father about this... and explain why folks on the internet must hear his stories. In the interim, would anyone happen to have an example of a good secondhand account of a software project? A basis or, at the least, an inspiration for how to proceed.

atombender 11y ago
Joe Armstrong's paper on the history of Erlang (of which he was one of the authors) is superb (though it's less about corporate culture than about the language): http://cobweb.cs.uga.edu/~maria/classes/4500-Spring-2010/papers/ErlangHistory.pdf http://cobweb.cs.uga.edu/~maria/classes/4500-Spring-2010/pap... There's The Mythical Man-Month: http://www.amazon.com/The-Mythical-Man-Month-Engineering-Anniversary/dp/0201835959 http://www.amazon.com/The-Mythical-Man-Month-Engineering-Ann... Showstopper, the book about the development of Windows NT, is great: http://www.amazon.com/Show-Stopper-Breakneck-Generation-Microsoft/dp/0029356717 http://www.amazon.com/Show-Stopper-Breakneck-Generation-Micr...
- hitekker 11y ago
  Thank you kindly. I knew about the mythical month, but the others are completely new to me.
i336_ 11y ago
My example is not explicitly software-related, but it's very very close. https://www.reddit.com/user/36055512/submitted https://www.reddit.com/user/36055512/submitted Start oldest first, bottom of the list, and go upwards for chronological order (identical titles are to different subs, so only comments will be different). Last I heard a book was in the works. I'm not yet sure if it's surfaced yet, but these posts make for a good few hours' reading. They're great. The secondary suggestion here is that finding a forum that will appreciate the posts and give feedback - note the upvotes and sheer quantity of gold - can be incredibly encouraging. This format also benefits from the fact that there are so many posts on a daily basis all the readers have plenty to keep busy with while they wait, so each writer can establish a lazy pace of writing and submitting that isn't pressured or hectic. As for continued inspiration, https://www.reddit.com/r/talesfromtechsupport https://www.reddit.com/r/talesfromtechsupport features some great technical writing. Sort by top/week or top/month to find quality examples and the latest top authors (top/all is also awesome, but changes there are months apart) - just try not to drown in the firehose of cringe-inducing idiocy reporting! xD The idea here would be that the subreddit's sentiment is grokked, inspiration happens, and a new writer appears :D (Stop by Reddit's TOS and overview, and do NOT skip installing Reddit Enhancement Suite if you decide you like this particular site.) Wherever the content ends up - a subreddit like TFTS, another messageboard or forum, or a blog - definitely please do link it. :D
- hitekker 11y ago
  Thank you & any technical blog post I write will certainly get submitted through here!
vram22 11y ago
Not just a software project. More of hardware. But a good read, IMO: The Soul of A New Machine by Tracy Kidder. About the race to build a new minicomputer, by a team at Data General. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Soul_of_a_New_Machine https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Soul_of_a_New_Machine Prize winning book.
- hitekker 11y ago
  This is actually my favorite engineering book of all time. Excellent to bring up!
  - vram22 11y ago
    Cool. My favorite part of the book is this: [ Many of the engineers state that, "They don't work for the money", meaning they work for the challenge of inventing and creating. The motivational system is akin to the game of pinball, the analogy being that if you win this round, you get to play the game again; that is, build the next generation of computers. ]

atombender 11y ago

Joe Armstrong's paper on the history of Erlang (of which he was one of the authors) is superb (though it's less about corporate culture than about the language): http://cobweb.cs.uga.edu/~maria/classes/4500-Spring-2010/papers/ErlangHistory.pdf http://cobweb.cs.uga.edu/~maria/classes/4500-Spring-2010/pap... There's The Mythical Man-Month: http://www.amazon.com/The-Mythical-Man-Month-Engineering-Anniversary/dp/0201835959 http://www.amazon.com/The-Mythical-Man-Month-Engineering-Ann... Showstopper, the book about the development of Windows NT, is great: http://www.amazon.com/Show-Stopper-Breakneck-Generation-Microsoft/dp/0029356717 http://www.amazon.com/Show-Stopper-Breakneck-Generation-Micr...

hitekker 11y ago
Thank you kindly. I knew about the mythical month, but the others are completely new to me.

i336_ 11y ago

My example is not explicitly software-related, but it's very very close. https://www.reddit.com/user/36055512/submitted https://www.reddit.com/user/36055512/submitted Start oldest first, bottom of the list, and go upwards for chronological order (identical titles are to different subs, so only comments will be different). Last I heard a book was in the works. I'm not yet sure if it's surfaced yet, but these posts make for a good few hours' reading. They're great. The secondary suggestion here is that finding a forum that will appreciate the posts and give feedback - note the upvotes and sheer quantity of gold - can be incredibly encouraging. This format also benefits from the fact that there are so many posts on a daily basis all the readers have plenty to keep busy with while they wait, so each writer can establish a lazy pace of writing and submitting that isn't pressured or hectic. As for continued inspiration, https://www.reddit.com/r/talesfromtechsupport https://www.reddit.com/r/talesfromtechsupport features some great technical writing. Sort by top/week or top/month to find quality examples and the latest top authors (top/all is also awesome, but changes there are months apart) - just try not to drown in the firehose of cringe-inducing idiocy reporting! xD The idea here would be that the subreddit's sentiment is grokked, inspiration happens, and a new writer appears :D (Stop by Reddit's TOS and overview, and do NOT skip installing Reddit Enhancement Suite if you decide you like this particular site.) Wherever the content ends up - a subreddit like TFTS, another messageboard or forum, or a blog - definitely please do link it. :D

hitekker 11y ago
Thank you & any technical blog post I write will certainly get submitted through here!

vram22 11y ago

Not just a software project. More of hardware. But a good read, IMO: The Soul of A New Machine by Tracy Kidder. About the race to build a new minicomputer, by a team at Data General. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Soul_of_a_New_Machine https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Soul_of_a_New_Machine Prize winning book.

hitekker 11y ago
This is actually my favorite engineering book of all time. Excellent to bring up!
- vram22 11y ago
  Cool. My favorite part of the book is this: [ Many of the engineers state that, "They don't work for the money", meaning they work for the challenge of inventing and creating. The motivational system is akin to the game of pinball, the analogy being that if you win this round, you get to play the game again; that is, build the next generation of computers. ]