
Hints and Principles for Computer System Design [pdf] - matt_d
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/4cex542zznbjh7b/AADM59pqAb9YBy4eeT1uw0t8a?dl=0&preview=Hints+190+full.pdf
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nrhodes
Note that this is a _much_ expanded 2020 version of the 1983 classic.

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CalChris
Lampson has been expanding on it over the years. This is an expanded (20
pages) over his 2019 version.

[https://www.microsoft.com/en-
us/research/uploads/prod/2019/0...](https://www.microsoft.com/en-
us/research/uploads/prod/2019/09/Hints-137-short.pdf)

No complaint here. Anything written by Lampson is worth reading.

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ncmncm
I used to carry a copy of the (quite a lot shorter) 1983 version with me, and
re-read it every few months, each time learning something new, unlocked by my
increased experience.

I have just learned that Lampson was a fierce opponent of Lynn Conway's VLSI
design methods program, at Xerox PARC. Fortunately, his opposition did not
carry the day, the methods took over the industry in record time, and Conway's
career at Xerox was not ultimately harmed. It would still be interesting to
learn the basis for his opposition.

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dooglius
Direct PDF link:
[https://uc3133356f3394d49f6cc6907502.dl.dropboxusercontent.c...](https://uc3133356f3394d49f6cc6907502.dl.dropboxusercontent.com/cd/0/get/A-oKuxG_wfHDht_rvxT_AcY4rwj__eH_Vz8FyNfFDxbEHhtNQWi7xKQ3D755QEZeAQw9qHHHydkc6RpKSi8XLf6BuwvCwMU9y0opJlMhhaM0IYmUwEqbgnATQ3JSOtEsxQg/file?_download_id=83427292797208955443435114218257121417210679788060006949014270464238&_notify_domain=www.dropbox.com&dl=1)

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jonjacky
Here are Lampson's brief descriptions of many many hardware and software
systems he has worked on, starting in the 1960s and continuing into the 21st
century.

[http://bwlampson.site/Systems.htm](http://bwlampson.site/Systems.htm)

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andrewl
I learned about Lampson from reading Alan Kay, who has praised him highly. He
was one of the founding members of Xerox PARC, among many other achievements.

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cpr
Hadn't looked at the older version for years, now skimming through this, it's
Pure Gold (tm).

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aloukissas
This is required reading that everyone in CS should revisit frequently. Gold.

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elevenoh
Anything in particular that's non-obvious & sticks out to you?

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aloukissas
The one thing that stuck with me the first time (when we studied this in grad
school) was that designing interfaces (to functions, APIs, etc) is hard - and
that you'll never get it right the first time.

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person_of_color
Computers.. are becoming old hat.

What's the next big thing?

