399,00 EGP
From the Publisher
ASIN : B0BVN1S9N6
Publisher : The University of Chicago Press (May 9, 2023)
Publication date : May 9, 2023
Language : English
File size : 11162 KB
Text-to-Speech : Enabled
Screen Reader : Supported
Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
X-Ray : Not Enabled
Word Wise : Not Enabled
Sticky notes : On Kindle Scribe
Print length : 363 pages
Description
Price: $3.99
(as of Sep 08,2024 09:35:47 UTC – Details)
From the Publisher
ASIN : B0BVN1S9N6
Publisher : The University of Chicago Press (May 9, 2023)
Publication date : May 9, 2023
Language : English
File size : 11162 KB
Text-to-Speech : Enabled
Screen Reader : Supported
Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
X-Ray : Not Enabled
Word Wise : Not Enabled
Sticky notes : On Kindle Scribe
Print length : 363 pages
Customers say
Customers find the book very good and fascinatingly told. They also appreciate the surprising ending.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
A fascinating, well-researched, brilliantly written history of personal computerdom
Here is a book for anyone who has ever wondered how the early years of the personal computer set the stage for home invasion of the microcomputer. I have read a ludicrous number of books about this era of computing, from Steven Levy’s ‘Hackers,’ to Matthew G. Kirschenbaum’s ‘Track Changes,’ to Steve Wozniak’s ‘iWoz,’ and most everything in between. What Nooney does differently, and exceptionally well, I might add, is to pick a single platform, the Apple II, and illuminate the story of early home computerdom through the lens of the software that pushed this machine (and ultimately many like it) into millions of American homes. This is a deep dive into the development of a select group of formative software titles that sit within a few key categories (business software, games, utilities, home, and education). The titles Nooney chooses, and the way they draw out the story of each through interviews with key figures and research from zillions (at least) of primary sources, tell an engrossing story that is both delightful and disruptive (the in the best possible way). If you love the history of microcomputing or are simply interested in how our digitally obsessed modern world was shaped by what came before, you owe it to yourself to read this book. Or, perhaps you just want to read a good story, well told; I suggest you find a copy, snuggle up with a warm cup of coffee (tea may also be appropriate), and prepare yourself for a wonderful dive into a past that truly informs our present.
Fascinatingly told and surprising ending
I read this book after I heard it discussed with the author on The Vergecast (May 31, 2023). It’s very good. It frames the story of the personal/micro computer in context with the culture of time and the software that came to define the category. Essentially, each chapter is framed by a singular computer program. As a bit of a computer nerd myself, I found this to be a new and refreshing perspective about an era I’ve read many books about. That in and of itself would be worth a 5 star review, but the ending of this book is a spectacular conclusion that I didn’t see coming. In short, perhaps our collective romanticization of the micro computing boom is more significant than the machines actually were themselves. Highly recommend!
Written with an agenda and overall disappointing
I’m a sucker for any book on the Apple II or that era of computing so I ordered this book immediately upon hearing about it.Upon receiving the book and actually looking at it, I had an immediate sense of foreboding thanks to the generic, most decidedly-NOT-Apple-II, computer on its cover. Surely that was just a misstep and the book itself will be better, right?Well, no, not really.The book itself has an interesting concept. The idea is to trace the growth of the personal computer – which the author insists on calling “microcomputer” throughout because they simply don’t like the term “personal computer” – through the lens of the Apple II. This is done through individual chapters devoted to different software genres such as Business, Utilities, Home, Games, and Education. Each chapter then mostly focuses on a single piece of key software in that genre (such as “The Print Shop” for the Home category). The highlight here for me was the selection of “Locksmith” for the Utilities section. These chapters generally work fairly well and are interesting.The opening section of the book is a history of the personal computer itself and this was difficult to get through. The author throughout the book, but A LOT in this early section, hammers on the idea that much of the industry was created by white men from “privileged” backgrounds. Over and over and over there is snark and denigration directed at the pioneers simply because of their background, as if their achievements are somehow lessened because of their demographic. It’s wrong and it’s gross and made me consider putting down the book several times.It’s clear that the author has an agenda and it isn’t even clear if the author actually LIKES “microcomputers” in general or the Apple II specifically. This agenda is confirmed at the very end of the epilogue as the author says the purpose of their book was “a heist, tailored to rob as many people as possible of their much-cherished faith in computing’s primordial innocence.” The last portion of the book is the author visiting a vintage computer show/festival and then taking great delight in its emptiness and the less-than-gorgeous setting for it.All in all, there’s some decent information here but the heavy-handed political agenda gets in the way and detracts. And, quite frankly, the writing just isn’t good enough either, content aside.Rating: 3/10.