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Cache/archive/mirror: https://archive.is/jrQ4n#selection-727.0-731.211 https://archive.is/jrQ4n#selection-727.0-731.211 In short: > What is the Second Sock Sy

by 3JPLW 7y ago

Cache/archive/mirror: https://archive.is/jrQ4n#selection-727.0-731.211 https://archive.is/jrQ4n#selection-727.0-731.211 In short: > What is the Second Sock Syndrome? > SSS usually refers to the inability to produce complete pairs of socks. Knitting the first sock usually goes quickly. But the second one seems to drag on, never gets completed or even cast on in the first place. It's entirely a knitting blog, but surely this was posted here as it's a problem I know I face in all sorts of domains, including programming. Once the interesting part is figured out, finishing the project is the tough part.

imglorp 7y ago
It seems similar in name only to Second System Effect, from Fred Brooks. The challenge for your second sock is to accurately repeat your process of the first one. The challenge of the second system--where you reimplement something from scratch maybe--is to keep the scope limited but you are trying to depart from the mistakes of the first one. https://adamo.wordpress.com/2019/02/03/the-second-system-effect/ https://adamo.wordpress.com/2019/02/03/the-second-system-eff...
- perl4ever 7y ago
  Yeah, but maybe you should be making a second system instead of a second sock.
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
meristem 7y ago
This is valid for team paradigms— building a successful team requires understanding what is interesting to each candidate member and building the group where most product engineering falls under the different members’ ‘interesting’ slices
m_a_g 7y ago
Being creative and innovative have their downsides. Most of them find it impossible to do repetitive tasks.
- wkey 7y ago
  Doing repetitive/ tasks is excruciating unless I am doing it for something I care about (i.e. a start up idea or project of my own). If I know I'm doing something for "the man" or something I don't have equity in it gets really bad.
perl4ever 7y ago
I find the solution is to use my half-finished product, or let someone else use it. The problems they, or I, run into tell me what to complete, or what to add, or to just start over and do it again. Any time I have doubts about how to finish, what that really means is I need more feedback and take a completely fresh look at my priorities.
coolgeek 7y ago
Your summary - and, importantly, the title here on HN - skips the important part: 'and How to Fight It' As such, I was going to skip the article. Fortunately, I saw mumblemumble's comment below https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22407569 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22407569

by 3JPLW 7y ago

imglorp 7y ago

It seems similar in name only to Second System Effect, from Fred Brooks. The challenge for your second sock is to accurately repeat your process of the first one. The challenge of the second system--where you reimplement something from scratch maybe--is to keep the scope limited but you are trying to depart from the mistakes of the first one. https://adamo.wordpress.com/2019/02/03/the-second-system-effect/ https://adamo.wordpress.com/2019/02/03/the-second-system-eff...

perl4ever 7y ago
Yeah, but maybe you should be making a second system instead of a second sock.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]

meristem 7y ago

This is valid for team paradigms— building a successful team requires understanding what is interesting to each candidate member and building the group where most product engineering falls under the different members’ ‘interesting’ slices

m_a_g 7y ago

Being creative and innovative have their downsides. Most of them find it impossible to do repetitive tasks.

wkey 7y ago
Doing repetitive/ tasks is excruciating unless I am doing it for something I care about (i.e. a start up idea or project of my own). If I know I'm doing something for "the man" or something I don't have equity in it gets really bad.

perl4ever 7y ago

I find the solution is to use my half-finished product, or let someone else use it. The problems they, or I, run into tell me what to complete, or what to add, or to just start over and do it again. Any time I have doubts about how to finish, what that really means is I need more feedback and take a completely fresh look at my priorities.

coolgeek 7y ago

Your summary - and, importantly, the title here on HN - skips the important part: 'and How to Fight It' As such, I was going to skip the article. Fortunately, I saw mumblemumble's comment below https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22407569 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22407569