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78th out of 196 books
—
132 voters
Fire in the Valley: The Making of the Personal Computer
"A book not to be missed, just plain good reading about the drama of the Kids next door turning their dreams into millions."--The New York Times"Swaine and Freiberger capture the communal spirit of the early computer clubs, the brilliance and blundering of some of the first start-up companies, the assortment of naivete, noble purpose and greed that characterized various pi...more
Paperback, 463 pages
Published
November 29th 1999
by McGraw-Hill Companies
(first published 1984)
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This is one of the finest book written on the history of personal computers and computer revolution tracing back from 1960 to 1984. It traces it back to the hobbyist culture which shaped the industry. It talks about the attempts made my individuals who were interested in electronics, computers and who cared about this thing even before it was widely known to the general public. The history of machines and companies like IMSAI took me by surprise as even in the very early days, there was this com...more
Sep 19, 2009
Chris
rated it
1 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
only those interested in a 50,000 ft view of the history of computing
This book does a decent job of covering the history of the personal computer since the 1960s. Still, it falls flat, with pedestrian explanations dumbed down to the point where even those clueless about computers would feel their intelligence being insulted.
As well, while Freiberger and Swaine cover some of the people and businesses involved in the history of personal computing, they forgot to cover quite a few others, passing them by at best. And to make matters worse, events in the book aren't...more
As well, while Freiberger and Swaine cover some of the people and businesses involved in the history of personal computing, they forgot to cover quite a few others, passing them by at best. And to make matters worse, events in the book aren't...more
Loved this book! I read it back when it was first published and during the time I was working at my first job after graduating from Cal...Apple. The mid-late 80's at Apple were the best of times (Mac intro, the "1984" commercial, huge profit margins, brilliant & creative colleagues, and wildly over the top parties) and the worst of times (Black Friday layoffs of '85, the rebellious black pirate flag hanging atop the Mac building (Steve's lair), the bitter and acrimonious dethroning and depar...more
An entirely captivating look at how the technology of the personal computer evolved from garage hobby project to household essential. I read the original 1984 version first and was left thirsting for more so tracked down this updated one. The only downside is that it is in desperate need of updating again because 10 years have passed since this edition. I would love to see a new version or a new book written on the further impact of the Internet, Social Networking, and how Silicon Valley recover...more
(3.0) Was expecting it to be more entertaining
Okay, decent stab at a comprehensive history of the personal computer. Definitely achieves the breadth of that ambitious goal, so I give it credit there. I've been wanting to read this for a while, so still glad that I have.
I don't know quite what it was missing. Wasn't as good as Hackers, though certainly covered a lot of the same ground (at times, felt like I was rereading sections from Hackers, and kind of wonder if one of the two books borrowed f...more
Okay, decent stab at a comprehensive history of the personal computer. Definitely achieves the breadth of that ambitious goal, so I give it credit there. I've been wanting to read this for a while, so still glad that I have.
I don't know quite what it was missing. Wasn't as good as Hackers, though certainly covered a lot of the same ground (at times, felt like I was rereading sections from Hackers, and kind of wonder if one of the two books borrowed f...more
2 likes · like · see review
A fascinating look into the early (and not so early) days of the microcomputer. Very interesting stories of the very beginnings of microcomputers, leading up to the usual Apple / Jobs soap opera stories. This 2nd edition goes up to about 1999, and includes the beginning and end of Netscape. Not enough on where the IBM PC came from, and not enough about the formative value of computer games, but still a worthwhile read.
"A book not to be missed, just plain good reading about the drama of the Kids next door turning their dreams into millions."--The New York Times"Swaine and Freiberger capture the communal spirit of the early computer clubs, the brilliance and blundering of some of the first start-up companies, the assortment of naivete, noble purpose and greed that characterized various pioneers, and the inevitable transformation of all this into a major industry. Must reading."--Philip Lemmons, editor-in-chief,...more
Great early history of personal computers, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. Was turned into a movie
Dropped it. Wasn't what I thought it was.
dry. informative. dry.
A fascinating look at the history of the personal computer. It was intersting to read how fast everything developed, computer companies coming out of nowhere, interesting read. The chronology jumps a bit which was a bit annoying. I love looking at picture sections in a book like this but the pictures were a bit out of order.
Very thorough history of the pc revolution and its origins which ironically did not come from the big mincomputer companies of the time like IBM. The organization of the narrative could be improved significantly. It's difficult to follow as the author jumps back and forth in time through various stage of pc innovation. It's a good education on early pc and mac products.
Fascinating in it's depth, this is a book that isn't to be missing if you're a technology lover. Helped me realize how far we've come, and how far we still need to go!
I absolutely loved this book! It helps that I grew up at the same time computers grew up. The book was extremely well written too which was a great boon! It was also interesting from a business perspective, seeing what worked and what didn't.
Everything your inner nerd wanted to know about the earliest personal computers...and more information than most care about. However, I'm glad this is all documented because this is history too important to be forgotten.
This is a great book. As a Computer Professional I found this book very informative and motivating. It was hard to put down.
Really good book about the personal computer revolution. Text book sized and a slow read but I am learning a lot from it.
Seminal report on the driving forces of the personal computer revolution.
Too bad it did not cover the other silicon valley activities...
May 19, 2013
Ranjan Satija
marked it as to-read
May 13, 2013
Jonathan
marked it as to-read
May 11, 2013
Kelli
marked it as to-read
May 03, 2013
Morten Nygaard Åsnes
marked it as to-read
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Jan 20, 2013 07:03am