Top all-time · #11334
David Stutz
Personal blog · synthesist.netwritingculture
David Stutz writes Synthesist, a personal blog at synthesist.net about writing and culture. Since 2007, 7 different Hacker News readers have linked it 10 times, most often “Advice to Microsoft regarding commodity software (2003)”. The last post was in 2023, but the archive is still widely read.
Too few sampled comments (6) to say how often HN recommends it.?
Why HN links it
HN readers link David Stutz's site for music inspired by Anathem and a Turing-themed piece, and for a 2003 essay on leaving Microsoft and the risks of open source.
Summarised by Claude from a sample of 6 HN comments that link here. Each comment is marked recommending, critical or neutral (citing without judging); how this works.
Most-linked posts?
- Advice to Microsoft regarding commodity software (2003)4 people · 5 mentions · first linked 2007-06-09
What Hacker News says?
Anathem was one of the rare novels that when I read enough to get into it I was utterly delighted that there was so much of the book still to read. I've even bought some of the music tracks by David Stutz: http://synthesist.net/music/anathem/ Profits from this go to the Long Now Foundation - which is very appropriate given then themes in the book.
Comment linking /music/anathem/
on “Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why”Submitted Advice to Microsoft regarding commodity software (2003) as a story · 5 points
HN discussionSomeone had a go at creating music in the style of the mathic world from Anathem - I rather like it: https://synthesist.net/music/anathem/
Comment linking /music/anathem/
on “Unifying the Technical Interview”Submitted Why cellular automata work for music (2008) as a story · 3 points
HN discussionI'm participating in an event tonight in Seattle that commemorates Turing's life and work: http://synthesist.net/music/turing/ It's very avant-garde -- sort of a mix between a concert and an exhibit. I'm not 100% sure what to expect from it, since I've only been working with a few of the musical elements. It looks interesting though.
Comment linking /music/turing/
on “Alan Turing's 100th Birthday - Mathematician, logician, cryptanalyst, scientist”Submitted David Stutz's Resignation Letter (2003) as a story · 2 points
HN discussionMaybe in the style of the music from Anathem you could be asked to sing FizzBuzz? http://synthesist.net/music/anathem/
Comment linking /music/anathem/
on “Tripping through IBM’s astonishingly insane 1937 corporate songbook (2014)”Submitted Advice to MS on commodity SW (useful SW written above the level of the single device commands high margins for future) as a story · 2 points
HN discussion'... Too bad Joel stopped blogging about software... ...' I've noticed this as well. A while ago he lamented the fact there was nothing more to write about ( i forget the exact post, article it was in ) having got everything off his chest about software & software development (old skool desktop mainly). But don't despair. I think a lot of the stuff he's pump( ed & ing ) out is ahead of the curve. The articles are wh…
Comment linking /writing/onleavingms.html
on “Joel on Software: The inches add up to feet, the feet add up to yards, and the yards add up to miles. And you ship a truly great product.”> the single factor determining Microsoft’s future: if the company can navigate the move from the desktop to mobile, it will succeed; if it can’t, it will fail. Sounds fair, but the vultures have been circling a long time now. Here's one of my favorites, from a former head warning of the dangers of open source: http://www.synthesist.net/writing/onleavingms.html Sure, he hits some good points, back in 2003. Then the…
Comment linking /writing/onleavingms.html
on “Chart of the day, Microsoft edition ”
