Microserfs
Microserfs by Douglas Couplandby Douglas Coupland
Shares rank 53 of 122 novels by recommenders
Recommended for its comparison of IBM and Microsoft company culture. The most common caveat is that it now feels notably dated.
Recommended for its comparison of IBM and Microsoft company culture. The most common caveat is that it now feels notably dated.
5 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 4
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 80%
Recommended in 3 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 4 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 4 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 3 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Compares IBM and Microsoft cultures
“He did a lot of comparison between the culture of IBM and Microsoft.”
Comment from 29 Dec 2025 in “Remembering Lou Gerstner”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Feels notably dated now
“Microserf's is notably dated by now.”
Comment from 27 Dec 2025 in “Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?”
Other novels people recommend
The four most recommended other novels, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime and Punishmentby Fyodor Dostoevsky | 39 | 9 | 81% | 6 | — | Approved |
| The Brothers Karamazovby Fyodor Dostoevsky | 28 | 8 | 78% | 5 | — | Approved |
| Infinite Jestby David Foster Wallace | 26 | 5 | 84% | 9 | 10 yrs6 owners | Approved |
| The Great Gatsbyby F. Scott Fitzgerald | 24 | 9 | 73% | 6 | — | Approved |
| Microserfsby Douglas CouplandThis page | 4 | 1 | 80% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
2 of the 5 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“He did a lot of comparison between the culture of IBM and Microsoft.”
“Microserf's is notably dated by now.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.