<![CDATA[In the Beginning...was the Command Line]]>

false <![CDATA[In the Beginning...was the Command Line]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167160272m/18937.jpg 18937 4 Neal Stephenson, author of the sprawling and engaging Cryptonomicon, has written a manifesto that could be spoken by a character from that brilliant book. Primarily, In the Beginning ... Was the Command Line discusses the past and future of personal computer operating systems. "It is the fate of manufactured goods to slowly and gently depreciate as they get old," he writes, "but it is the fate of operating systems to become free." While others in the computer industry express similarly dogmatic statements, Stephenson charms the reader into his way of thinking, providing anecdotes and examples that turn the pages for you. Stephenson is a techie, and he's writing for an audience of coders and hackers in Command Line. The idea for this essay began online, when a shortened version of it was posted on Slashdot.org. The book still holds some marks of an e-mail flame gone awry, and some tangents should have been edited to hone his formidable arguments. But unlike similar writers who also discuss technical topics, he doesn't write to exclude; readers who appreciate computing history (like Dealers of Lightning or Fire in the Valley) can easily step into this book. Stephenson tackles many myths about industry giants in this volume, specifically Apple and Microsoft. By now, every newspaper reader has heard of Microsoft's overbearing business practices, but Stephenson cuts to the heart of new issues for the software giant with a finely sharpened steel blade. Apple fares only a little better as Stephenson (a former Mac user himself) highlights the early steps the company took to prepare for a monopoly within the computer market--and its surprise when this didn't materialize. Linux culture gets a thorough--but fair--skewering, and the strengths of BeOS are touted (although no operating system is nearly close enough to perfection in Stephenson's eyes). As for the rest of us, who have gladly traded free will and an intellectual understanding of computers for a clutter-free, graphically pleasing interface, Stephenson has thoughts to offer as well. He fully understands the limits nonprogrammers feel in the face of technology (an example being the "blinking 12" problem when your VCR resets itself). Even so, within Command Line he convincingly encourages us as a society to examine the metaphors of technology--simplifications that aren't really much simpler--that we greedily accept. --Jennifer Buckendorff 530507 1 11 1999 In the Beginning...was the Command Line total:1215|5:264|4:468|3:394|2:82|1:7| 1215 4545 1584 65 2 2 false false Tue Sep 09 16:04:20 -0700 2008 Wed Feb 25 01:53:48 -0800 2009
As ...more...]]> 3 1 false false Wed Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Wed Sep 05 11:21:40 -0700 2007 Tue Dec 18 06:17:58 -0800 2007
It's bit dated (at one point he indicates he is writing a por...more...]]> 2 1 false false Sun Mar 15 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon May 25 10:55:56 -0700 2009 Mon May 25 11:09:32 -0700 2009
St...more...]]> 4 1 false false Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2001 Tue Feb 12 12:51:23 -0800 2008 Tue Feb 12 12:58:57 -0800 2008 The Cryptonomicon, I started looking for a decent history of the development of the computer, and I came across this tiny tome. If it hadn't had Neal Stephenson's name on it, I wouldn't even have pulled it off the shelf.

Who would have thought someone could make such a gee...more...]]> 5 0 false false Fri May 22 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed May 06 09:06:14 -0700 2009 Fri May 22 18:53:47 -0700 2009 1 A few dud universes can really clutter up your basement.

- Neal Stephenson, "In The Beginning. . . was the Command Line"

What a fun read. It's about technology, sure, but more about culture. Neal takes a good look at operating systems, why we get emotionally involve...more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Sep 10 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Sep 10 16:46:32 -0700 2009 Sun Sep 20 21:59:17 -0700 2009 2 Next time I upgrade a com...more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Jun 17 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Apr 30 20:43:29 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 22 08:24:36 -0700 2009
Anyway I'm on a Stephenson kick and had just finished Anathem and Diamond ...more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon May 19 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon May 19 20:02:20 -0700 2008 Mon May 19 20:21:52 -0700 2008 Cryptonomicon,
by far my favorite Stephenson novel (and one which I think it may be time to re-read), goes a bit off in the last forty or fifty pages -- though given how entertaining the previous s...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sun Mar 09 16:12:10 -0700 2008 Tue Mar 11 14:48:56 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Jun 22 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 02 10:22:49 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 02 10:28:53 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Nov 25 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Wed Apr 15 07:44:57 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 15 09:30:17 -0700 2009 1 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Jul 11 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Jul 11 18:48:21 -0700 2009 Sat Jul 11 18:54:26 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Jan 25 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Jan 25 20:45:25 -0800 2009 Sun Jan 25 20:48:10 -0800 2009 more...]]> 2 0 false false Tue May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Sun May 20 14:03:52 -0700 2007 Sun May 20 14:09:03 -0700 2007 more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2002 Wed Aug 19 12:03:48 -0700 2009 Fri Aug 21 20:38:12 -0700 2009 http://www.nealstephenson.com/command/ ]]> 5 0 false false Mon Jan 26 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Mar 20 14:37:36 -0700 2009 Fri Mar 20 14:39:45 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Wed May 07 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Dec 26 20:54:05 -0800 2008 Fri Dec 26 20:58:28 -0800 2008 3 0 false false Sun Feb 08 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 08 10:10:18 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 08 10:11:03 -0800 2009 5 0 false false Fri Mar 20 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Apr 04 10:18:46 -0700 2009 Sat Apr 04 10:21:54 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 1998 Fri May 30 15:49:10 -0700 2008 Fri May 30 15:59:33 -0700 2008
More important, though, is his treatment of how...more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=18937