false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165606419m/7090.jpg 7090 12 The computer revolution brought with it new methods of getting work done--just look at today's news for reports of hard-driven, highly-motivated young software and online commerce developers who sacrifice evenings and weekends to meet impossible deadlines. Tracy Kidder got a preview of this world in the late 1970s when he observed the engineers of Data General design and build a new 32-bit minicomputer in just one year. His thoughtful, prescient book, <I>The Soul of a New Machine</I>, tells stories of 35-year-old "veteran" engineers hiring recent college graduates and encouraging them to work harder and faster on complex and difficult projects, exploiting the youngsters' ignorance of normal scheduling processes while engendering a new kind of work ethic.<p> These days, we are used to the "total commitment" philosophy of managing technical creation, but Kidder was surprised and even a little alarmed at the obsessions and compulsions he found. From in-house political struggles to workers being permitted to tease management to marathon 24-hour work sessions, <I>The Soul of a New Machine</I> explores concepts that already seem familiar, even old-hat, less than 20 years later. Kidder plainly admires his subjects; while he admits to hopeless confusion about their work, he finds their dedication heroic. The reader wonders, though, what will become of it all, now and in the future. <I>--Rob Lightner</I> 882196 1 6 1981 The Soul of a New Machine total:538|5:160|4:225|3:123|2:25|1:5| 538 2124 807 73 5 0 false false Fri Apr 01 00:00:00 -0800 1983 Mon Mar 16 07:43:13 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 16 07:43:13 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Jul 19 17:40:06 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 11 20:24:13 -0700 2009 I read the book in the Mid-80...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Jun 07 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Jun 28 18:05:52 -0700 2009 Sun Jun 28 18:18:33 -0700 2009 Kidder follows a team of engineers at Data General as they design, build, and debug a new machine for the company. At the time (late 1970s), the biggest deal in computer tech was the mi...more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Sep 07 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 07 14:35:53 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 07 14:35:53 -0700 2009 5?
Having just completed a fourth project management class, I'm trying to see the intersection of that discipline with what is described in this book.

There is <way way> more detail about how computers work in this b...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Nov 09 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Oct 13 14:23:25 -0700 2008 Mon Nov 10 04:39:25 -0800 2008 1 more...]]> 2 0 false false Wed Dec 19 12:21:04 -0800 2007 Wed Dec 19 12:21:54 -0800 2007 Things That Make Us Smart.

The book recounts the development of the Data General Eclipse, a 32bit minicomputer being developed in the early 1980's. It foc...more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Fri Aug 03 22:18:04 -0700 2007 Fri Aug 03 22:34:19 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun May 10 12:20:36 -0700 2009 Sun May 10 12:23:34 -0700 2009
Some of my favorite quotes from the book (paraphrased)
"Engineers are like mushrooms, keep them in the dark and feed them full of s@#t." ...more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Jul 10 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Jul 14 21:08:05 -0700 2008 Mon Jul 14 21:15:39 -0700 2008 I'm somewhat glad Kidder was light on the technical details here: where he does try to explain what something it doing, it is at such a high level of detail (and, of course, reflecting technology that is 20+ years old) as to be pretty meaningless. And in any case the specs of an ancient VAX wa...more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu Oct 23 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Sep 06 18:10:16 -0700 2008 Thu Oct 23 08:12:06 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 1 false false Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 1983 Fri Sep 05 22:25:08 -0700 2008 Fri Sep 05 22:41:22 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Aug 09 09:52:00 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 09 09:54:11 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 1988 Wed Oct 14 07:06:46 -0700 2009 Wed Oct 14 07:06:46 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Sun May 03 14:06:37 -0700 2009 Sun May 03 14:09:09 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Fri May 15 10:56:46 -0700 2009 Mon May 18 09:56:49 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 1986 Tue Oct 27 10:51:54 -0700 2009 Tue Oct 27 11:00:10 -0700 2009 1 3 0 false false Mon Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Jun 13 06:21:29 -0700 2009 Sat Jun 13 06:23:21 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Mon Apr 27 08:05:10 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 27 08:05:10 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 1988 Sat Jul 18 23:24:44 -0700 2009 Sat Jul 18 23:25:46 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Thu Apr 02 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Oct 07 15:16:26 -0700 2008 Fri Apr 03 17:56:09 -0700 2009 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=7090