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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
funny
informative
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
A journalist's look at the computing industry from the perspective of the people designing and building Data General's 32-bit computer.
I read this about 1989 for a college course in American literature, so it's a little silly of me to put here now, but in many ways it really inspired me. another book was The Handmaid's Tale, so the professor was either brilliant at least quite prescient.
Of course, Digital Equipment Corporation still existed and the Boston 128/MIT/Massachusetts high tech industry was still lively and powerful, but it was clear the industry was moving to Silicon Valley. I often think if things had been different I might have somehow got into this industry (even though I became a Psychology major).
I think my nostalgia might be working over-time, and more specifically my dreams of what might have been... But it helped me in some ways feel like I was witness to the microcomputer revolution. I stubbornly clung to my Apple IIe and Wordperfect through college, I would have written a short paper on this book on that. I was a little too intimidated to open up the machine, and never really got into gaming (Kareteka was probably my favorite game, Zork I was one of my first!) But this book helped me dream of being in a high-pressure, seat-of-the-pants effort to bring hardware/software to the market. I think I read one or two of Kidder's other books after this. I'd certainly recommend this to college freshman (at this late date, maybe history majors rather than CompSci!) Maybe I'll re-read it once I get some other books on my list out of the way.
Of course, Digital Equipment Corporation still existed and the Boston 128/MIT/Massachusetts high tech industry was still lively and powerful, but it was clear the industry was moving to Silicon Valley. I often think if things had been different I might have somehow got into this industry (even though I became a Psychology major).
I think my nostalgia might be working over-time, and more specifically my dreams of what might have been... But it helped me in some ways feel like I was witness to the microcomputer revolution. I stubbornly clung to my Apple IIe and Wordperfect through college, I would have written a short paper on this book on that. I was a little too intimidated to open up the machine, and never really got into gaming (Kareteka was probably my favorite game, Zork I was one of my first!) But this book helped me dream of being in a high-pressure, seat-of-the-pants effort to bring hardware/software to the market. I think I read one or two of Kidder's other books after this. I'd certainly recommend this to college freshman (at this late date, maybe history majors rather than CompSci!) Maybe I'll re-read it once I get some other books on my list out of the way.
i read this many, many years ago and it sparked my interested in computers.
The Soul of a New Machine by Tracy Kidder paints well the challenging entrepreneurial journey of a group of Data General employees, led by a curious character Tom West to build 'La Machine '.
The excitement grips on to you. You feel as if you are a part of the team, working among chips, codes and confusions.
The excitement grips on to you. You feel as if you are a part of the team, working among chips, codes and confusions.
adventurous
challenging
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
emotional
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
adventurous
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
With Kidder’s dab hand at fleshing out the wide cast of “characters” in just a few paragraphs, this book makes for a livelier portrait of the personal computing boom than you might expect going in.
For the modern reader, the detailed descriptions of the now-outdated technical specs of these the-new machines occasionally dragged. The exploration of the foundational culture of an an ascendent tech sector remained engaging and relevant, however, living as we all are in the world shaped by those foundations.
For the modern reader, the detailed descriptions of the now-outdated technical specs of these the-new machines occasionally dragged. The exploration of the foundational culture of an an ascendent tech sector remained engaging and relevant, however, living as we all are in the world shaped by those foundations.
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
This essentially talks about a group within a company that is tasked with building the next generation of computer hardware.
It talks about their challenges, their attitudes, and their drivers. In a way, it illustrates how the same "emotional" realities have translated to software engineering.
It talks about their challenges, their attitudes, and their drivers. In a way, it illustrates how the same "emotional" realities have translated to software engineering.