The Soul of a New Machine by Tracy Kidder

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Every quote

The 40 most detailed of 66 comments. Each links to the original.

1. it's an amazing book for folks to understand the joy and shortcommings and pressures a project can put on you

   Recommends · Mar 2026 · in “Tracy Kidder, Author of 'The Soul of a New Machine,' Dies at 80”

2. really enjoyed the analogy of "pinball" -- that's probably the best analogy I could find for engineers

   Recommends · Mar 2026 · in “Tracy Kidder, Author of 'The Soul of a New Machine,' Dies at 80”

3. Soul of a new machine was a wonderful journey that was full of real people and real experiences

   Recommends · Feb 2026 · in “Halt and Catch Fire: TV's Best Drama You've Probably Never Heard Of (2021)”

4. Tracy Kidder wrote with a unique style that (to me) really drives the narrative forward

   Recommends · Mar 2026 · in “Tracy Kidder, Author of 'The Soul of a New Machine,' Dies at 80”

5. Reading it as a teen probably contributed substantially to the direction of my career

   Recommends · Mar 2026 · in “Tracy Kidder, Author of 'The Soul of a New Machine,' Dies at 80”

6. when I read this book in 1982 or so it changed the trajectory of my life and career

   Recommends · Apr 2026 · in “The Soul of an Old Machine”

7. I love the book. ... the book helped normalize death-marches in the industry

   Mixed · Mar 2026 · in “Tracy Kidder, Author of 'The Soul of a New Machine,' Dies at 80”

8. influenced my entire career as an electrical engineer and software developer

   Recommends · Mar 2026 · in “Tracy Kidder, Author of 'The Soul of a New Machine,' Dies at 80”

9. Soul of a New Machine was a favorite of my formative years as an engineer

   Recommends · Mar 2026 · in “Running Tesla Model 3's Computer on My Desk Using Parts from Crashed Cars”

10. I really like the analogy of “pinball” from _The Soul of a New Machine_.

    Recommends · Sep 2026 · in “Project Xanadu: Even More Hindsight (2025)”

11. Soul of a New machine is a great read, never slow or self-gratifying

    Recommends · Apr 2026 · in “The Soul of an Old Machine”

12. I don't hold the book in nearly the same high regard as others

    Mixed · Feb 2026 · in “Halt and Catch Fire: TV's Best Drama You've Probably Never Heard Of (2021)”

13. the general pace and pressure of the story are still relatable

    Recommends · Mar 2026 · in “Tracy Kidder, Author of 'The Soul of a New Machine,' Dies at 80”

14. I'm very into the idea of "pinball" talked about in the book.

    Recommends · Sep 2026 · in “Ask HN: What are you reading?”

15. I joined DG in their last days, largely due to kidders book.

    Recommends · Feb 2026 · in “Halt and Catch Fire: TV's Best Drama You've Probably Never Heard Of (2021)”

16. the book brought alive the machine right in front of my eyes

    Recommends · Mar 2026 · in “Tracy Kidder, Author of 'The Soul of a New Machine,' Dies at 80”

17. he brought those people, not just their machines, to life

    Recommends · Mar 2026 · in “Tracy Kidder, Author of 'The Soul of a New Machine,' Dies at 80”

18. This book of Tracy Kidder told story of some early computer industry engineers doing something great through brains, effort, and perseverance

    Recommends · Mar 2026 · in “Tracy Kidder, Author of 'The Soul of a New Machine,' Dies at 80”

19. Kidder was not a technologist, and I think that gave him a wonderful ability to really see everything that was happening around him

    Recommends · Mar 2026 · in “Tracy Kidder, Author of 'The Soul of a New Machine,' Dies at 80”

20. are quite striking and forthright in their discussion of hardware limitations and the ingenuity needed to get things done

    Recommends · Sep 2026 · in “Project Xanadu: Even More Hindsight (2025)”

21. His book amazed me when it was published because I never heard of anyone writing a non-textbook about our field.

    Recommends · Mar 2026 · in “Tracy Kidder, Author of 'The Soul of a New Machine,' Dies at 80”

22. I love _The Soul Of A New Machine_. It was one of the books that got me started loving computer history

    Recommends · Mar 2026 · in “Tracy Kidder, Author of 'The Soul of a New Machine,' Dies at 80”

23. I think I read a condensed version of "Soul of a New Machine" in a Reader's Digest when I was 10 or 11

    Recommends · Mar 2026 · in “Tracy Kidder, Author of 'The Soul of a New Machine,' Dies at 80”

24. I hoovered up all the hardcover copies I could and for many years gave them as gifts to my teammates

    Recommends · Mar 2026 · in “Tracy Kidder, Author of 'The Soul of a New Machine,' Dies at 80”

25. It's a great book I think anyone involved in engineering of any kind should give it a read.

    Recommends · Mar 2026 · in “Tracy Kidder, Author of 'The Soul of a New Machine,' Dies at 80”

26. Those two books are probably the two best about tech projects I've ever read.

    Recommends · Apr 2026 · in “The Soul of an Old Machine”

27. he wrote so many books that were, if not better, at least just as good

    Recommends · Mar 2026 · in “Tracy Kidder, Author of 'The Soul of a New Machine,' Dies at 80”

28. constitutes the literary foundation of our craft: it is our Odyssey

    Recommends · Mar 2026 · in “Tracy Kidder, Author of 'The Soul of a New Machine,' Dies at 80”

29. HACF, Silicon Valley, and The Soul of a New Machine are a trifecta.

    Recommends · May 2026 · in “Halt and Catch Fire”

30. I read 3/4 of "The Soul of a new Machine" and thought it was good

    Recommends · Sep 2026 · in “Ask HN: What are you reading?”

31. this book exists as a durable & accurate snapshot of the period

    Recommends · Feb 2026 · in “Halt and Catch Fire: TV's Best Drama You've Probably Never Heard Of (2021)”

32. Never regretted it and went on to read everything he wrote.

    Recommends · Mar 2026 · in “Tracy Kidder, Author of 'The Soul of a New Machine,' Dies at 80”

33. For historical technology, one of the must reads along with

    Recommends · Oct 2026 · in “Tell HN: Bob Cringely has died”

34. I don't know if I liked it more then Soul Of A New Machine

    Mixed · Mar 2026 · in “Tracy Kidder, Author of 'The Soul of a New Machine,' Dies at 80”

35. I've read The Soul of a New Machine a couple of times too.

    Recommends · Oct 2026 · in “Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?”

36. I enjoyed "The Soul of a New Machine" when it came out.

    Recommends · Mar 2026 · in “Tracy Kidder, Author of 'The Soul of a New Machine,' Dies at 80”

37. A book certainly worth reading for anyone who hasn't.

    Recommends · Mar 2026 · in “Tracy Kidder, Author of 'The Soul of a New Machine,' Dies at 80”

38. the fantastic and seminal book Soul of a New Machine

    Recommends · Feb 2026 · in “Halt and Catch Fire: TV's Best Drama You've Probably Never Heard Of (2021)”

39. I recommend two books, none of them is technical.

    Recommends · Jan 2026 · in “Ask HN: Reading list for being a better engineer?”

40. The Soul of a New Machine is my personal favorite

    Recommends · Mar 2026 · in “Tracy Kidder, Author of 'The Soul of a New Machine,' Dies at 80”