:-( I'm going to dig out my copy and read it next month.
Tracy Kidder has died
61–70 of 72 posts
Re: Tracy Kidder has died
#62The Soul of a New Machine really grabbed me in college. Tracy Kidder wrote with a unique style that (to me) really drives the narrative forward while making you stop and consider the forces behind the story he's telling. The characters he writes about are real people and they seem like it. Moutains Beyond Mountains[1], another book by Kidder, is even more compelling to me. It's a fascinating story of Paul Farmer, who…
My favorite was actually the one about the carpenters/house builders (forget the name of it, I need to dig it out of some box in the garage and read it again)
Yeah, I bought that and SoaNM as a pair because my parents had copies back in the day. Never regretted it and went on to read everything he wrote. Will miss the opportunity to dive into some subject I know little to nothing about with him.
Re: Tracy Kidder has died
#63My dad was Tom West from Soul of a New Machine. Tracy Kidder lived at our house on weekends in the late 1970s while he was working on this book. He and my dad remained friends for the rest of his life, going out on boats, drinking a lot, talking about big ideas. Tom and Tracy and (Richard) Todd were the guys, when I was a girl. I wasn't as in touch with Tracy but I'd see him at events sometimes, I had a Tracy Kidder…
I commented once before to you here on hackernews but this book, and the story of your dad, influenced my entire career as an electrical engineer and software developer (class of 1988, I think we were asked to read the book, and its still here on the shelf today). It helped me keep a good perspective on my career over all these years.
I am honored and humbled to be able to say this to you, so many years later.
Re: Tracy Kidder has died
#64My dad was Tom West from Soul of a New Machine. Tracy Kidder lived at our house on weekends in the late 1970s while he was working on this book. He and my dad remained friends for the rest of his life, going out on boats, drinking a lot, talking about big ideas. Tom and Tracy and (Richard) Todd were the guys, when I was a girl. I wasn't as in touch with Tracy but I'd see him at events sometimes, I had a Tracy Kidder…
Thank you for your service. A lot is owed to Tracy and your father.
This is one of the reasons why I like this site so much.
Re: Tracy Kidder has died
#65Re: Tracy Kidder has died
#66I know Bryan Cantrill was a fan - I bought her book because of his talks.
> I bought her book because of his talks.
Same!
Re: Tracy Kidder has died
#67My dad was Tom West from Soul of a New Machine. Tracy Kidder lived at our house on weekends in the late 1970s while he was working on this book. He and my dad remained friends for the rest of his life, going out on boats, drinking a lot, talking about big ideas. Tom and Tracy and (Richard) Todd were the guys, when I was a girl. I wasn't as in touch with Tracy but I'd see him at events sometimes, I had a Tracy Kidder…
Thanks for sharing this, and especially the "So What" from the professor. I guess a lot of the engineers (described in the book) did feel "So What" at the end of a big project, especially one as grinding as the Eagle, but they probably found some answers when working on it -- and that's why I, as a wanna-be engineer, really enjoyed the analogy of "pinball" -- that's probably the best analogy I could find for engineers.
Re: Tracy Kidder has died
#68Earlier quoted context omitted.
Did your team work similar jobs as described in the book? That must be fantastic! Yeah I know most of work is 80% chore, but at least the other 20% part is fantastic.
Entirely software, far above the Hardy Boys and Microkids in the stack. But the general pace and pressure of the story are still relatable. I got the same vibes, by the way, from Season One of Halt and Catch Fire (recently and deservedly discussed here https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47056314 ).
I can't confirm it, but I think a few of the scenes from Halt and Catch Fire come from Soul of a New Machine.
Re: Tracy Kidder has died
#69The Soul of a New Machine really grabbed me in college. Tracy Kidder wrote with a unique style that (to me) really drives the narrative forward while making you stop and consider the forces behind the story he's telling. The characters he writes about are real people and they seem like it. Moutains Beyond Mountains[1], another book by Kidder, is even more compelling to me. It's a fascinating story of Paul Farmer, who…
My favorite was actually the one about the carpenters/house builders (forget the name of it, I need to dig it out of some box in the garage and read it again)
I don't know if I liked it more then Soul Of A New Machine but for some reason House stuck with me. I remember a bit that talked about building to a "good and workmanlike manner." It's funny the stuff that sticks with you.
Re: Tracy Kidder has died
#70I love the book. We had an Eclipse MV/8000 at college. And abused the hell out of it - when one of my classmates compiled their ADA programs we knew to take a coffee break. But I can't help but think that the book helped normalize death-marches in the industry. I'm still recommending it to colleagues, but with the caveat that we are not in a "do or die" situation, so go home and get some good sleep.
When I read the book as a teenager, I was awed by the technical achievement of the team. When I re-read the book ten or fifteen years later as an adult facing burnout, I was awed again – by the human cost of the project. Grim stuff. Fantastic book, but it bothers me that technologists who talk about it almost universally want to talk about the product, and often don't even notice how well the book depicts a real meat…
Nowadays I think grinding is just a big part of the project. Like the ancient Chinese wisdom that says half of the road is the first 90% and the other half is the last 10%. I guess by saying grinding you also meant 1) how the engineers were treated, and 2) how quickly they were burnt out, which I agree, but I really like the pinball analogy, and I believe most people feel that way, is because they never got the chance to really play pinball -- they just play games they don't enjoy, so when they read the books they say "Oh those guys' lives really suck".