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  • Tracy Kidder, Author of 'The Soul of a New Machine', Dies At 80

    From Errol Casey@VERT/TL-QWK to All on Thursday, March 26, 2026 15:39:25
    Tracy Kidder, Author of 'The Soul of a New Machine', Dies At 80 ===============================================================

    Ancient Slashdot reader wiredog writes: Tracy Kidder, author of "The Soul of a New Machine," has died at the age of 80. "The Soul of a New Machine" is about the people who designed and built the Data General Nova, one of the 32 bit superminis that were released in the 1980's just before the PC destroyed that industry. It was excerpted in The Atlantic.

    "I'm going to a commune in Vermont and will deal with no unit of time shorter than a season."





    Read more of this story at Slashdot.

    Read more: https://news.slashdot.org/story/26/03/26/1628201/tracy-kidder-author-of-the-soul-of-a-new-machine-dies-at-80?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed

    I was an operator on a Data General Nova at NCSU while an undergraduate.

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  • From poindexter FORTRAN@VERT/REALITY to Errol Casey on Saturday, March 28, 2026 12:25:08
    Errol Casey wrote to All <=-

    "I'm going to a commune in Vermont and will deal with no unit of time shorter than a season."

    I was just thinking of that line, yesterday. Work's been hectic, but
    nothing like life at Data General.

    RIP, and thanks for the memories.

    https://realitycheckbbs.org/images/bookcase.jpg



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  • From amessyroom@VERT/ALTERANT to poindexter FORTRAN on Saturday, March 28, 2026 23:17:00
    On March 28 2026, poindexter FORTRAN wrote:
    Errol Casey wrote to All <=-

    "I'm going to a commune in Vermont and will deal with no unit of time
    shorter than a season."

    I was just thinking of that line, yesterday. Work's been hectic, but nothing like life at Data General.

    RIP, and thanks for the memories.

    https://realitycheckbbs.org/images/bookcase.jpg

    Nice collection and picture. What kinda of camera is that a Lecia ?
    --
    Errol Casey
    Sysop, Too Lazy BBS

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  • From Ogg@VERT/CAPCITY2 to poindexter FORTRAN on Sunday, March 29, 2026 08:39:00
    Hello pF!

    ** On Saturday 28.03.26 - 12:25, poindexter FORTRAN wrote to Errol Casey:

    RIP, and thanks for the memories.

    https://realitycheckbbs.org/images/bookcase.jpg

    Ah.. a well-read man.
    The cannibal one seems to be the odd one out though. :D


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  • From poindexter FORTRAN@VERT/REALITY to amessyroom on Sunday, March 29, 2026 10:36:38
    amessyroom wrote to poindexter FORTRAN <=-

    https://realitycheckbbs.org/images/bookcase.jpg

    Nice collection and picture. What kinda of camera is that a Lecia ?

    That's a FED-2, a Soviet copy of a Leica introduced in 1955. Shoots
    like a Leica without the high quality, but it's a fun shooter. Load it
    up with ISO 100 film and guesstimate the exposure, set it to a middle
    distance and it becomes a great street shooter.



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  • From poindexter FORTRAN@VERT/REALITY to Ogg on Sunday, March 29, 2026 10:36:38
    Ogg wrote to poindexter FORTRAN <=-

    https://realitycheckbbs.org/images/bookcase.jpg

    Ah.. a well-read man.
    The cannibal one seems to be the odd one out though. :D

    I just picked that one up at an estate sale - couldn't pass up the
    title.



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  • From Ogg@VERT/ALTERANT to poindexter FORTRAN on Sunday, March 29, 2026 12:06:18
    On March 29 2026, poindexter FORTRAN wrote:

    Ah.. a well-read man.
    The cannibal one seems to be the odd one out though. :D

    I just picked that one up at an estate sale - couldn't pass up the
    title.

    Had to look it up. Apparently it's modestly acclaimed classic. And a recent release has been made in 2025:

    https://bookmanager.com/item/-Az7-_ID4T-IiGT2uArNiQ

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