4 ms·

The Soul of a New Machine: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Soul_of_a_New_Machine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Soul_of_a_New_Machine

Rokesmith 2y ago
Came here to say that.
padraigf 2y ago
Yes, very memorable prologue: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Soul-New-Machine-Tracy-Kidder-ebook/dp/B00FOQS8AO?crid=30J8KOI7N697V&qid=1736495361&sr=8-1&asin=B00FOQS8AO&revisionId=6d7d2d38&format=1&depth=1 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Soul-New-Machine-Tracy-Kidder-ebook...
markus_zhang 2y ago
This is a good one. I read it twice just to experience the 70-80s development atmosphere. The daughter of Tom West did complain on Reddit a few years ago that Tom neglected them during the period, but I still admire such personality. The same admiration goes to David Cutler in "Showstopper".
- ghaff 2y ago
  Tom was very intense. Dotted line worked for him for a while. Latterly he had an internet-related effort that didn't pan out (welcome to the crowd) but also was fairly instrumental in CLARiiON RAID disk arrays and an early NUMA architecture, neither of which ultimately saved Data General but probably helped keep it running for longer than it otherwise would have.
adamc 2y ago
This is the best non-fiction book I have ever read. It's great simply as a piece of writing -- and the story it tells is an interesting one. I liked it enough that after I listened to it on Audible I went out and bought a hardback version to re-read. That almost never happens.
Gooblebrai 2y ago
Feels like season 1 of Halt And Catch Fire
- ghaff 2y ago
  Different segment of the industry but about the same time period (HaCF is maybe set a few years later).
superconduct123 2y ago
My main takeaway from reading that book was that working in tech in the late 70s was not that different from now days Just different technology/hardware/timescale Same workplace problems, personality types, company politics, etc... Did not expect to find it so relatable in 2024
- throwawayohio 2y ago
  Curious -- To me it just seemed pretty standard (for any industry). Did you think the tech work environment today was somehow more enlightened than previous generations general working environments?
- jbullock35 2y ago
  There's at least one huge respect in which tech is different, at least in the USA: worker compensation. In the book, Tracy Kidder writes repeatedly about how Data General (the company at the heart of the book) is proud of its austerity. It doesn't pay well. It's proud of having an ugly, austere, warehouse-like building. It puts its critical engineers in the windowless basement of this building. Kidder is describing a world that's very far from the FAANG of today, at least were compensation is concerned.
  - withinboredom 2y ago
    I worked for a guy that converted half the office into a store with windows so shoppers could "watch us work" ... things haven't changed much, for non-FAANG.
  - silvestrov 2y ago
    Is a windowless basement that much worse than the open officies of Facebook? I'd rather have a small room with silence than work in a well lit factory with tons of noise like this: https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2015/12/01/19/facebook-office-wp.jpg https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/imag... There isn't any dividers or other stuff that blocks noise.
    - 2y ago

Rokesmith 2y ago

Came here to say that.

padraigf 2y ago

Yes, very memorable prologue: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Soul-New-Machine-Tracy-Kidder-ebook/dp/B00FOQS8AO?crid=30J8KOI7N697V&qid=1736495361&sr=8-1&asin=B00FOQS8AO&revisionId=6d7d2d38&format=1&depth=1 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Soul-New-Machine-Tracy-Kidder-ebook...

markus_zhang 2y ago

This is a good one. I read it twice just to experience the 70-80s development atmosphere. The daughter of Tom West did complain on Reddit a few years ago that Tom neglected them during the period, but I still admire such personality. The same admiration goes to David Cutler in "Showstopper".

ghaff 2y ago
Tom was very intense. Dotted line worked for him for a while. Latterly he had an internet-related effort that didn't pan out (welcome to the crowd) but also was fairly instrumental in CLARiiON RAID disk arrays and an early NUMA architecture, neither of which ultimately saved Data General but probably helped keep it running for longer than it otherwise would have.

adamc 2y ago

This is the best non-fiction book I have ever read. It's great simply as a piece of writing -- and the story it tells is an interesting one. I liked it enough that after I listened to it on Audible I went out and bought a hardback version to re-read. That almost never happens.

Gooblebrai 2y ago

Feels like season 1 of Halt And Catch Fire

ghaff 2y ago
Different segment of the industry but about the same time period (HaCF is maybe set a few years later).

superconduct123 2y ago

My main takeaway from reading that book was that working in tech in the late 70s was not that different from now days Just different technology/hardware/timescale Same workplace problems, personality types, company politics, etc... Did not expect to find it so relatable in 2024

throwawayohio 2y ago
Curious -- To me it just seemed pretty standard (for any industry). Did you think the tech work environment today was somehow more enlightened than previous generations general working environments?
jbullock35 2y ago
There's at least one huge respect in which tech is different, at least in the USA: worker compensation. In the book, Tracy Kidder writes repeatedly about how Data General (the company at the heart of the book) is proud of its austerity. It doesn't pay well. It's proud of having an ugly, austere, warehouse-like building. It puts its critical engineers in the windowless basement of this building. Kidder is describing a world that's very far from the FAANG of today, at least were compensation is concerned.
- withinboredom 2y ago
  I worked for a guy that converted half the office into a store with windows so shoppers could "watch us work" ... things haven't changed much, for non-FAANG.
- silvestrov 2y ago
  Is a windowless basement that much worse than the open officies of Facebook? I'd rather have a small room with silence than work in a well lit factory with tons of noise like this: https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2015/12/01/19/facebook-office-wp.jpg https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/imag... There isn't any dividers or other stuff that blocks noise.
  - 2y ago