Systems Thinking for Developers
summary
Compares precise, von Neumann style logic with Bateson’s context‑first systems view and offers concrete patterns: versioned protocols and observability to detect who uses what, thundering herd caused by synchronous retries, mitigation via exponential backoff with jitter, and classifying feedback as reinforcing (network effects, runaway tech debt) or balancing (tests, control rods). Argues to own more of the operational loop, add metrics/logs, and treat deployment as ongoing capability with continuous updates and migrations.
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chapters (12)
- 0:00Start
- 0:18Jessica Kerr
- 4:51John Von Neumann
- 5:54Modern Computer Architecture
- 7:46Gregory Bateson
- 14:47Widening the System
- 15:17Thundering Herd
- 17:45Circular Causality
- 19:55Reinforcing Loop
- 21:20Reinforcing Loop of Schismogenesis
- 22:26Balancing Loop
- 25:19Context Matters
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