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@@ -8,6 +8,13 @@ month, and announced on [Lars's blog][]. [Lars Wirzenius]: http://liw.fi/ [Lars's blog]: http://blog.liw.fi/ +# Origin story + +This is a practice story set some years before Hacker Noir happens. +Ther may be contradictions. Retonning in the future is possible. + +* [[Origin]] + # Chapters * [[Negotiation]] diff --git a/origin.mdwn b/origin.mdwn new file mode 100644 index 0000000..96f3088 --- /dev/null +++ b/origin.mdwn @@ -0,0 +1,453 @@ +<!-- -*- mode: markdown; fill-column: 60; -*- --> + +[[!meta title="An origin story"]] + +A Friday gripe session +====================== + +I'm sitting in a booth at my usual Friday joint, nursing a +double Scotch single malt. It's a neighbourhood restaurant, +not classy in any way, but comfortable. It's very late for +lunch, quite early for dinner, and the place is mostly +empty, which is the perfect time. I'm looking forward to +food, drinks, and a weekly gripe session with Robin, before +I go home to forget about work for a couple of days. + +Robin and I go back a long time. We've worked together for +various employers over the decades. Even when we don't share +an employer, we keep in touch. The Friday dinners have been +going on for a couple of years, ever since her disastrous +divorce. Over the past few months, they've morphed from +bad-mouthing men and relationships to griping about work. + +"There you are." + +A tall, large woman comes in through the doors. It's Robin. +Middle-aged, graying hair, tired walk. She lumbers to the +booth, and collapses on the other side of the table from me. + +"RUDE WORD I'm tired of Arnold. He's been especially +tiresome this week." + +No surprise there. Arnold's a regular target of Robin's +griping. To say they do not get along is like saying sodium +and water may have a bit of a reaction. + +"Here, let me get you a drink. Your usual?" + +"Yeah." + +I wave to get the attention of the chirpy waitress, and +order Robin her beer. After a short minute, the pint stands +in front of Robin, condensate glistening on the outer +surface. A narrow ray of late summer evening sunlight lights +it up, having navigated between tables, window ads, and +potted plants to our gloomy corner booth. The effect is like +a carefully manufactured beer commercial. + +Robin takes an unladylike gulp. "I needed that. Shall I +begin or do you have some urgent griping of your own lined +up?" + +"No, I'm just in the same rut as always, fighting the same +battles, and slowly losing my will to live." + +Robin nods. She's heard my gripes enough times. + +"Today is the last day of our four-week Scrum iteration. You +know what that means. Arnold runs meetings all day, just to +so he can listen to himself all day. I swear he lives for +this one day every month." + +I've met Arnold a few times. He's handsome, and thinks his +condenscending way of treating others is the same as having +charisma. Even so, Robin hates him more than I can really +understand. + +"That's his one single talent: listening to himself talk." +I'm goading Robin on. She needs to let off some steam, and +this isn't the time to be fair to anyone else. I fear that +if she doesn't get to vent enough some Friday, the next week +there'll be an explosion. I also have an ulterior motive +tonight. + +"Ain't that the truth. He certainly can't do anything else +well. Like run meetings. We had the usual five today, +starting at oh nine hundred hours. Guess how long he stayed +on agenda? I give you one guess. Go on!" + +"Fifteen minutes?" + +"Hah! Your naive belief in your fellow man will come back +and bite your ass some day. Zero! He didn't stay on agenda a +single minute today. He started the first meeting by saying +he's going to talk about something entirely different." + +"No! Really?" + +"Yes, really. It was supposed to be the retrospective +meeting, to go over what we've done over in this iteration. +Instead, King Arnold the First started talking about the +state of the loos and that time in that other company when +the men's toilets were in a disgusting state and he had to +physically haul the janitor in there to get them cleaned up. +Toilets! Who the RUDE WORD in all the RUDE WORD world wants +to hear about toilets in a work meeting? For an hour!" + +That's two RUDE WORDs in one sentence. Venting is well +underway and getting close to ranting. This is good, since I +want Robin to get the past week out of her system before I +make my move. I want her steam to run out, and her relaxed, +to start enjoying herself before I suggest to her the +thing I've been thinking about all week. + +I'm amused by Robin's use of RUDE WORD. She's definitely not +a prude and through her twenties she'd often swear in the +most vulgar ways. Then our friends started sprogging, and +getting worried that Robin would inadvertently teach their +offspring most of the F dictionary. After a couple of +dust-ups, a pact was made and she's been saying RUDE WORD +instead ever since. I'm not sure that RUDE WORD is a +thing small children won't enjoy saying very emphatically in +kindergarten. I am looking forward to hearing what the +teachers think of it. + +We order, a steak with pepper sauce for me, fish and chips +for Robin, and eat. Robin continues to vent, but slows down +towards the end of the meal. + +"I don't know, I really don't, how long I can continue like +this. And it's not just Arnold, of course, nobody in the +firm knows anything about making software. If I could afford +to, I would just quit, but you know the divorce left me in a +bad state, financially." + +"Mmm, yes, it's a bind. I wanted to talk about that, +actually. Would you mind staying a bit longer and have +another drink?" + +"Are you buying?" Robin usually has a strict one-drink +limit, partly for financial reasons, but also because she +tends to not like getting drunk, even tipsy. She's made +enough mistakes when under the influence. + +I wave the waitress again and we get refills. + +"So, what do you have in mind?" + +"I know you're not happy in your job, and you know I have +reservations of mine. I want to fix that." + +"Oh yeah? Do you have something concrete?" She is in the +perfect state for this. She's calmed down, having gotten the +week's frustrations out of her system, and is in a relaxed state +and hopefully has an open mind. I'm about to suggest +something that may upset her entire life, and I don't want +her to reject it while upset, or take a leap with me +into the unknown without weighing the risks properly. If +there's sharks in the water, I don't want to be blamed for +luring her into the sea. + +"We've both worked for several different companies, and +there's always some jerk or idiot ruining everything, right? +Or several. We're also getting old enough that having to +deal with same incompetences over and over in every job is +getting tiresome." + +"Yes..." + +"I've thought about this a lot for a while, and I think I +want to start my own company. A small company, with a +handful of carefully picked colleagues, a team that works +well and can avoid all the usual bullshit." + +"That sounds too good to be true. And therefore it is." + +"Perhaps, but I think it's possible, especially now. I'm +thinking specifically of doing something in the IoT space." + +"Insecurity of things? You're not serious. All that stuff is +just a disaster waiting to happen." + +"I am completely serious. It's already a big market, but a +young market, and there's a lot of wrongness there, +wrongness that will be a business problem in the long run. +Such as everything being horribly insecure. If things don't +change, the market may collapse after another few PR +disasters." + +"Like the home heating system that was dependent on the +manufacturer, who decided to discontinue the product line +and shut down the servers? Thus making people's houses cold +and unlivable?" + +"Like that, yes. I think there's a real business opportunity +there." + +"Maybe. It would at least be good to build those things in +sensible ways." + +I've got her nibbling on the hook. We sit in the restaurant +a long time, while I sketch the idea I have to start a +business to develop tools and services for building high +quality IoT products. I don't want to build the products +themselves, but help those who do build them. + +"OK, Anna, I believe you may have something. You're telling +this to me beause you want something from me." + +"Yep. I want you to join me. You're wasted in your current +job, building web sites to help deal with government +bureaucracy. You're a great developer and you think at the +system level, like a good architect. I'm not a techie, you +know that, so I want you." + +"I don't know, Anna, you know I'm in a squeeze and can't +take financial risks. As much as I hate my current job, they +they pay reliably, and I can't afford to not be +paid." + +"I know. I don't want you to take risks you can't handle. I +think you should find a new job anyway, somewhere that still +pays on time, but where you enjoy yourself. But I'd like to +work together again." + +"I'd like that too, but it's damn hard to find another job. +I'm middle-aged, which is bad enough in this industry, and +I'm a woman, which makes it so much worse." + +I sighed, since I knew exactly how that is. + +"Here's what I propose: if I can say that you'll be on +board, assuming sufficient financial security, I can talk to +a few people I know who could fund us initially. If it's +just me, they won't talk to me, but if I have a credible +tech expert, I have an in." + +Robin sits quiet for a while. Takes the last gulp from her +pint. Looks at me hard. I sit and wait while she makes up +her mind. + +"OK. I'm not committing to anything right now, but I'm +interested. Go talk to a few people." + + +Bad news +======== + +It's the same joint. It's even the same booth. I nurse +another double Scotch. I've arranged with the same chirpy +waitress to serve a beer as soon as Robin comes in. + +"Hi." + +Robin is subdued. The waitress comes with a pint, and Robin +puts her hands around it, fingers laced, but doesn't drink, +just looks into the foam. There's no ray of sunlight today, +the weather is gloomy making our gloomy booth gloomier than +usual. + +"Robin, what's wrong?" + +"I'm going to be fired. Probably. Next week." + +"What!" + +"It's my own fault. I blew up at work, at Arnold. They're +used to that, but then I went and said that I'd rather +resign than work with him anymore. You know what they're +like. They're owned by an American corporation who think +that looking for a new job is grounds for terminating +employment. RUDE WORDers. They've set up a meeting with HR +on Tuesday. It'd be on Monday, but there seems to be a queue +of unhappy people for HR to intimidate." + +"Oh, Robin, sweetie, that's awful. How are you holding up?" + +"I'm angry and afraid. Mostly afraid. I was stupid." + +"Maybe, but I don't think you did anything wrong. They're +not the kind of people anyone should have to work for." + +"If I'm fired, I don't know what I'll do. I hate looking for +work." + +"Well, I may have good news for you." + +"Oh yeah? Your crazy IoT idea?" + +"I met with someone who'd be willing to be an angel investor, +and fund us for a few months. It'd not be a lot of money, +but it'd be enough to get started." + +"You're not quite filling me with enthusiasm." + +"Sorry. I was hoping you'd think of this as good news, but +you're clearly not in the right mood for that. If it helps, +he knows me, and was impressed by what I said about you, so +he'd be willing to put in enough for the first three months' +expenses and salaries, for a fifth of the company." + +"How much are we talking about?" + +"You'd have to take a small pay cut, to start with." + +"I don't know, I'm in debt, and I can't afford to ruin my +credit rating any further. Sorry, this doesn't sound good to +me right now." + +"Let me see what I can arrange, please? Can I continue to +talk to the guy?" + +"I guess. I don't want to kill this, it'd be fun if it +worked out, but my head is full scary visions of the future +right now." + +We change topic. It's time to not dwell on problems. We +don't stay late. + + +Is that a train coming at us? +============================= + +Another Friday. Another double Scotch. Another beer +scheduled for Robin's arrival. + +"Hey, Anna!" + +Robin flounces into the booth. Moody, depressed Robin is +clearly not with us tonight. The weather has improved since +last week, and the sun is shining outside. There's no ray of +sunlight, since a beer lorry is parked in front of the +windows. + +"Don't you look like a cheerful person! What's happened?" + +"They didn't fire me! I'm going to have to attend some +workplace behavior training, but I get to keep my job." + +The waitress visits us, and places the pint in front of +Robin, who smiles back and nods a thank you. + +"That's good news, sweetie!" + +"I hate it actually." She grins, and takes the first gulp of +beer. "I am going to be so angry after that training, but +the black cloud of bankruptcy has passed, at least. I'll +live. And Arnold is livid, he thought he'd finally be rid of +me." + +I grin back at her. "I'm so happy and sad for you, both at +the same time. Those HR training courses are boring as RUDE +WORD." + +Robin giggles. It's like she's a twenty-year-old CS student +again. + +"I know what you mean, A." + +"I almost hesitate to tell my IoT news." + +"Oh yeah?" + +"I talked to my angel investor again. He's a bit upset, since +he thought you were in the bag, so to speak. He was all +ready for us to start this week." + +"And now?" + +"He'd be willing to up his funding, so that you could keep +your salary, but he'd want a third of the company. And he +wants to start as soon as possible." + +"Wait what?" + +"You heard me." + +"You're kidding me." + +"Nope." + +"But that's for three months. What happens after that?" + +"After three months, we need to either have a paying +customer, or enough of a product or service that we can +attract real venture capital." + +"That sounds risky." + +"Of course. It requires us to trust ourselves so much we can +bet that we can produce something useful to a customer in +three months." + +"Isn't that optimistic? Three months for a product that can +be sold?" + +"No, no, you misunderstand. We don't need to have a product +in three months. We need to have a paying customer in three +months. It's enough to have enough of a product to show a +customer that they're confident we're going to get it +finished in time." + +"I guess." + +"Trust me on this. This is where I am good. You make it, I +sell it. I'm confident I can find a customer in three +months." + +"If you say so. I'm still scared." + +"Here's what I want to suggest: I'll set up a meeting with +you, me, and the angel, for next week. We'll prepare a +sketch of a spec for the product for that, and discuss it +with him. Afterwards, you get to decide if this is a train +you want to jump onto. What do you say?" + +"I can commit to a meeting." + +"Great! Shall we order food?" + +The rest of the evening we bounce ideas off each other for +what the product should be, and should not be. Reliability, +security, upgradeability, software freedom, performance, all +the usual technical envisioning that happens at the start of +a software project, when everything seems easy and possible. + + +It's a fast train! +================== + +I throw the office door open, with a flourish. + +"What do you think?" + +"It's an office." + +"It could be our office. Do you want it?" + +It's an office, all right. A front room, with windows in the +wall towards the corridor, and enough space for a +receptionist. Two back rooms, with outside windows. It's an +old, red-brick building from the era between the world +wars. A bit run-down, not entirely clean, borderline dingy. +It'd make a great film noir detective office. + +"How much is it? Seems a bit large for us." + +"We're getting our first client signed up next week. We'll +need room to hire a couple more people. You've worked +wonders, the past two months, but we need a team." + +"Shouldn't we get the money first?" + +"Absolutely, but this is free now, and we need to decide if +we want it, and if we do, we need to reserve it. Once the +money is coming in, we can move in and start hiring." + +There's a desk and a chair in one of the back rooms. The +windows have grime on them. I pull a bottle of rye from my +backpack, and two glasses. I pour the liquid, sit down on +the chair, lift my feet on top of the desk, and pick up one +of the glasses. + +"What do you say, partner?" |