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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
This is relevant today (36 years later) and documents the history of early computer development.
A writer followed the Eclipse team at Data General throughout the Eagle Project while they struggled to build a 32-bit backward compatible minicomputer. The book ended up winning a well deserved Pulitzer prize.
There are many good things about this book. People are introduced gradually and it feels the author successfully grasped the essence of each one involved in the project.
This is not a project management book - in fact the conditions in which the Eagle was built are simply atrocious. Instead it's a casual pleasant read for anyone who likes technology.
The book could be a bit shorter, in my opinion. Towards the end when the project starts to wind down it starts to feel like the book has ran its course. But perhaps that's part of the genius of it, since the feeling isn't far from what the Eclipse team was experiencing as their machine was close to done.
When the project is all done, those involved look back and reminisce. The author makes us share that moment. The nostalgia is ours as is it theirs.
There are many good things about this book. People are introduced gradually and it feels the author successfully grasped the essence of each one involved in the project.
This is not a project management book - in fact the conditions in which the Eagle was built are simply atrocious. Instead it's a casual pleasant read for anyone who likes technology.
The book could be a bit shorter, in my opinion. Towards the end when the project starts to wind down it starts to feel like the book has ran its course. But perhaps that's part of the genius of it, since the feeling isn't far from what the Eclipse team was experiencing as their machine was close to done.
When the project is all done, those involved look back and reminisce. The author makes us share that moment. The nostalgia is ours as is it theirs.
Good read. I'm not sure if it would have been so enjoyable for someone who isn't a computer programmer.
Kidder makes technical language so engaging, which seems to be a rare treat!
A delightful book, well-written and deeply humane. Also, very readable explanations of how computers work internally, with useful analogies to help the non-technical reader.
Possibly contributed to my going into IT later that same year (start of a 30+ year career.)
Soul of A New Machine is another book that landed on my to-read list via Bryan Cantrill's talk at Surge 2013 (http://youtu.be/bGkVM1B5NuI). It is the story of the creation of Data General's Eclipse MV/8000 computer, codenamed Eagle, from the perspective of the author, Tracy Kidder, who sat with and interviewed many of the engineers involved. Soul is a wonderful tale of a group of talented individuals coming together and focusing all of their energy on a common goal: building something larger than themselves, something that no one of them alone could build. Though the process of building a computer can seem largely opaque from the outside, Kidder's insider look lets the reader truly see the human side; the camraderie, the frustration, the anxiety and fear, the eventual trimuph, and the aftermath of 'what next?'. Even if you're not a computer person, Soul can really serve as an inspirational tale of the incredible things that motivated people with focus and dedication can achieve.
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
He explains simple things in great detail and ignores anything unusual. Maybe this book just doesn't age well.
informative
reflective