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1. Excellent Overview of the History of Computer Technology with Excellent Stories
   I still remember my mother’s instructions on the day that I made my first phone call. “Wally,” she said, “pick up the phone and listen for the operator to say ‘Number, please?’”
   That was 1952. It was also the year when Grace Hopper developed the first computer compiler and a computer predicted the winner of a presidential election. We’ve sure come a long way since then.
   My telephone story didn’t make Walter Isaacson’s book, The Innovators: How A Group of Hackers, Geniuses, And Geeks Created the Digital Revolution, but Grace Hopper’s story did, and so did the story of that UNIVAC computer that predicted the outcome of the presidential election. If you like stories of human ingenuity, and you’re interested in how we got to where we are today in technology, this is the book for you.
   Walter Isaacson is an amazing writer and a great storyteller. The book is a selection of stories, beginning back in 1843 with Ada Lovelace, right down to almost the present day with the stories of Wikipedia and IBM’s Watson computer beating the experts on Jeopardy!
   There are stories about people that I’m sure you’ve heard of, like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates and Steward Brand. There are also stories of people who aren’t as well-known to the general public.
   You’ll read about Paul Baran, who devised the packet-switching technology that makes the internet possible. There’s the story of Ray Tomlinson, who gets credit for creating the first email program. You’ll learn about the powerful influence that World War II had on the development of technology. You’ll trace the genealogy of important tech companies, from Bell Labs through Shockley Semiconductor, Fairchild Semiconductor, and Intel. You’ll learn how George Boole’s system of using algebra for logical reasoning (1847) was used by Claude Shannon almost a century later.
   I’ve got a special perspective on this book stories because I’ve been fascinated with technology since I was young, and because I was “present at the creation” when computers were moving from kits to finished goods and computing was changing from mainframe systems to client-server systems. I have first-hand experience with some of the people and situations described in this book, and by and large, Isaacson got them all right.
   In A Nutshell
   If you’re interested in the history of technology and how we got to where we are today, rendered in well-told, accurate stories, you’ll want to read The Innovators: How A Group of Hackers, Geniuses, And Geeks Created the Digital Revolution by Walter Isaacson.

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2. Detailed and informative narrative on foundations of technology (kindle:great;hardcover: even better)
   In a classic retelling of the story of digital revolution, Isaacson makes broader comments on the importance of collaboration and tries to de-romanticize the notion of innovation happening as a series of significant breakthroughs emanating from lone geniuses. In that sense, one could see that themes introduced in Where Good Ideas Come From and How We Got to Now: Six Innovations That Made the Modern World are (deliberately or not) explained well in the context of digital revolution. More specifically, the often ‘incremental’ nature of innovation, significant gaps between others realize the importance of someone’s invention, impact of developments in unrelated fields, and the very nature of collaboration. Later on in the book, Isaacson quotes Twitter co-founder “….they simply expand on an idea that already exists”. The author also makes an important point in reminding that corporations (IBM, Intel,Bell labs, Honeywell..etc) played a significant role in these developments, but their stories oftentimes unfairly gets discounted in the face of narratives centered around individuals.
   Trying to balance interpretive historical narration and cataloging key details pertinent to the digital revolution, Isaacson weaves a (mostly) linear complex storyline starting with Ada to more recent topics such as IBM’s Jeopardy machine. Throughout these often dense chapters, a patient reader is able to understand the core tenets of computers, programming, and the Web itself – and how they evolved over time. The calibration, refinement, and sometimes negation of these ideas over time, as with most understanding in science we take for granted, is well-documented and very informative. The fairly long chapters on computers and programming could test the patience of a reader early on, but these chapters lay the foundation for the chapters describing the dramatic growth seen in the past few decades.
   One could argue that books such as The Intel Trinity: How Robert Noyce, Gordon Moore, and Andy Grove Built the World’s Most Important Company, Tubes: A Journey to the Center of the Internetnumerous biographical sketches of Ada Lovelace, Crystal Fire: The Invention of the Transistor and the Birth of the Information Age (Sloan Technology Series) covered some of these topics with greater technical and/or biographical depth. However, most of these attempts have been stymied by a crucial fault – they all told history from a single point-of-view. In this book, there is no protagonist per se. That approach provides the author a dispassionate approach that allows for more incisive analysis, though he doesn’t necessarily capitalize on it. Discussions on who should be given credit for the first computer is a rare example where the author manages to inject his own analysis.
   Given the vast research that went into this book and access to some of the key technology leaders of the time, one wishes the author attempted to predict the next few decades or hypothesize on what’s required to make the next few steps in this field. Leveraging Ada’s story to begin and end the narration gives a unique sense of closure for the reader – and a very stark reminder that despite all the advances we’ve seen so far, we are still far away from machines that can think (this last chapter (shortest and succinct), aptly titled ‘Ada Forever’ is one of the better-written chapters). The hype-less narration, systematic building of the key concepts, doing a good job in relating the developments across decades and tracing an investigative path to where we are, makes this a very compelling read for anyone interested in technology. 4.5 stars
   (Kindle version on iPad app worked great; though the layout of the photographs and the initial detailed timeline with rare pictures are much better in the hardcopy. It would’ve been great if the timeline at the outset of the book was available as a pullout)

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3. Hay que leerlo varias veces,es un libro que describe a los innovadores desde Ada ,Turing hasta Jobs,Wales, Page.Quizas falto el creador de Oracle

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4. Enriching, informative and a must read for everyone wishing to understand the trajectory of the digital revolution. Walter Isaacson, you move the human story forward!

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5. Walter Isaacson’s “The Innovators” is an engrossing account of the minds that have shaped our digital present and future. This book masterfully intertwines the stories of numerous individuals, not just focusing on their inventions but also emphasizing the power of collaboration in the tech world. Isaacson’s narrative is engaging, making complex concepts accessible and the personalities behind them relatable.
   What sets “The Innovators” apart is its portrayal of technology as a human endeavor, highlighting the importance of diverse skill sets, teamwork, and the unique blend of creativity and perseverance that drives progress. Isaacson offers more than just a history; he provides a lens through which to view the interconnectedness of ideas and innovations that have led to the digital age.
   This book is a must-read for anyone curious about the behind-the-scenes stories of the digital revolution. It’s not only informative but also deeply inspiring, showcasing the collective human spirit and intelligence that continue to push the boundaries of possibility. “The Innovators” is a testament to creativity, collaboration, and the ongoing saga of technological advancement.

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6. Article livré sans problème, à temps et en parfait état.

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7. la qualità costruttiva del libro era decente. sono arrivato come nuovo

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