Mastodawn

Reid Burke Jan 4, 2025

Systems Software Research is Irrelevant (PDF, 2000)

Rob Pike in the “Things to Do” section of his February 2000 paper while working at Bell Labs:

Go back to thinking about and building systems. Narrowness is irrelevant; breadth is relevant: it’s the essence of system.

Work on how systems behave and work, not just how they compare. Concentrate on interfaces and architecture, not just engineering.

Be courageous. Try different things; experiment. Try to give a cool demo.

Get involved in the details.

Via X

https://twitter.com/martin_casado/status/1874262640325013762?s=46&t=eiFxK1QptUyAmbt9lcSqeA

martin_casado (@martin_casado) on X

Perhaps the best calls to arms in the history of systems research. Penned by one of the few true renaissance talents in the industry. If you haven't read it, you should.

X (formerly Twitter)