Publisher's Synopsis
What do a Lotus Elise, a Makarov pistol, and a railway system have in common?
They were designed to endure.
In Gears, Triggers, and Systems, engineering leader Marc-Daniel Ortega takes readers on a powerful journey through the disciplines that shaped our modern world. From automotive design to firearms, architecture to aerospace, medicine to survival systems, the author reveals the lessons these disciplines offer to an IT industry that has lost its way.
This is not a book about nostalgia. It is a confrontation.
With piercing clarity and systems insight, Marc challenges the software world's addiction to speed, complexity, and shallow iteration. Drawing on examples from Porsche to the AK-47, Citroën to the FN FAL, he uncovers how the best systems are forged through constraint, discipline, feedback, and care ... not hype.
You'll learn:
Why subtraction, not addition, builds performance
How Toyota, Glock, and the Land Rover Defender all reflect cultures of engineering clarity
What system permanence actually looks like in railways, watches, and aircraft
How survivalists, not startups, embody true systems thinking
And why IT, despite its noise, remains the least mature discipline in the modern engineering pantheon
Whether you are a software architect, team lead, or just someone tired of systems that break and cultures that brag, this book is your invitation to build differently.
Read this if you are ready to trade sprints for stewardship and build systems that last.
