It's been a while since I read it, but my takeaway was that there's a kind of tension or dilemma between classical quality and subjective quality.
The example from early on is about how Pirsig sees a beer can as a perfect shim for motorcycle handlebars because it meets the specifications of what's needed for the job (classical quality) while his friend isn't sure because it doesn't feel right to put a beer can into a BMW motorcycle (subjective quality).
The book's resolution of this dilemma is kind of hazy to me (something about cleaving a marble in half while reaching the top of a mountain?) but I think it's about how these are individually insufficient ways to define quality and you need both.
I suppose the software version of this is like: passing tests don't imply that anybody is going to want the thing you've made.
The example from early on is about how Pirsig sees a beer can as a perfect shim for motorcycle handlebars because it meets the specifications of what's needed for the job (classical quality) while his friend isn't sure because it doesn't feel right to put a beer can into a BMW motorcycle (subjective quality).
The book's resolution of this dilemma is kind of hazy to me (something about cleaving a marble in half while reaching the top of a mountain?) but I think it's about how these are individually insufficient ways to define quality and you need both.
I suppose the software version of this is like: passing tests don't imply that anybody is going to want the thing you've made.