As a counterpoint, I found "Accelerate" to be just ok. It is essentially a rehash of all the popular software and methodology best practices blog posts and articles we've all read in the last 15 years. This is disappointing because I expect a book to dig deeper and present new information. The main value is in the surveys measuring the improvements that organizations experienced from these practices.
Re:Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?
by ncphillips on Wednesday December 12, 2018 @10:13PM
(#18669596)
I think I actually agree with you. That said, I would recommend it _because_ it actually has something to back it up–that's worth a lot imo.
Agree with you on Taleb. The guy has an Incredible mind.
I started 'Introduction to General Systems Thinking' but I abandoned because I couldn't find anything interesting in it. I think I didn't really get it even though I had big expectations. What would you said it's the main idea?
Re:Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?
by ncphillips on Wednesday December 12, 2018 @10:24PM
(#18669646)
Mathematics is useful for modelling systems of small numbers (mechanics) and large numbers (statistics), but most of the systems we engage with are systems of medium numbers. For medium number systems we must rely on heuristics. General Systems Thinking is about finding heuristics that can be applied to medium number systems.
This idea is examined from different angles in both Pirsig's and Taleb's books as well.
That said, it is a bit difficult to read. I really had to sit down and read it slowly and deliberately. I think I would suggest trying to come back to it in a couple years. Different books catch our attention at different times, and that's okay.
That's why I had high expectations :) I'll keep it round and approach more patiently
Re:Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?
by roundthecorner on Wednesday December 12, 2018 @10:28AM
(#18664681)
Jerry was a gem. Every one of his books is worth its weight in gold.
+1 for Introduction to General Systems Thinking
I read that and the first of the follow ons recently. They were both good reads, and I plan to finish up the 4 (e-book) series [1] over the next month.
[0] Passive Regulation, in print form it and Active Regulation were one book.
Re:Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?
by koolhead17 on Thursday December 13, 2018 @11:37AM
(#18673634)
+1 Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance :)
Book: Accelerate
I picked up this book after hearing high praises from Martin Fowler and Dan North during conference talks. Forsgren and her colleagues have been doing research into DevOps and its effects on organizational performance. This is a much more rigorous account than is usual in this space, so I believe it is a must read for everyone in software.
---
Author: Gerald Weinberg
Books:
* Are Your Lights On?
* Becoming a Technical Leader'
* Introduction to General Systems Thinking
Jerry's books have had a tremendous amount of impact on my thinking in the past couple years. I highly recommend reading everything you can get your hands on.
---
Author: Nassim Taleb
Books:
* The Black Swan
* Fooled by Randomness
Taleb has changed my way of looking at the world. His books are enjoyable to read, and his ideas thought provoking. I will continue to read the rest of his books over the next year.
---
Author: Robert Pirsig
Book: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
A classic. I reread this for a bookclub. It's a bit esoteric, but I coupled it with Weinbergs General Systems Thinking and extracted some vague but interesting insights.
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Author: Timmothy Snyder
Book: On Tyranny
This is a short and captivating book. I read it in about an hour and a half on Remembrance Day.