Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution

This is simply the best computer history book I've ever read. The early chapters at MIT, I think are the the stand-out chapters here. Early computer music, computer games are all pioneered in the AI lab. Finally, I understand why the MIT AI lab was so revered. The only down side, is that most other books written since simply fail to live up to the standard of journalism that has gone into this effort. Superb.

The personalities that drove the computing Boom. (3/3 people found this helpful)

When looking for a fantastic read one does not immediately jump to the computer history section, thank Levy for exceptions.
Stephen Levy, a gifted author and journalist, leads the reader on a poignant journey through an age where computing still conjured up images of 6 foot computer terminals explored studiously by social outcasts. Levy has vibrantly fleshed out each of these leading characters and probably shined personality into historical figures who otherwise may have forever remained nameless geniuses.
As much a classic as any commentary in the past 40years, assuredly to be on class reading lists in the future... so get it before your Grand-kids do!

Absolutely amazing! (2/2 people found this helpful)

Right from the beginning this book had me completely hooked. It is obvious the amount of research that has gone into this book, and it delivers exactly what it promises.
I had always hated the way the media had mis-used the word hacker, and if your interested in finding out what a true hacker is, then this is a must read.

Stephen Levy describes in detail the people that pioneered computing in the 50's, selling there souls to programming and living the hacker dream, to the hardware hackers, and finally the bedroom programmers writing games.

If your in anyway addicted to computers and want to know where it all started, or if your an open source advocate then this is a MUST read. BUY NOW!!!

Fantastic History of Computing (13/14 people found this helpful)

A hack: a neat or smart way of fixing or implementing something. This definition was in use in MIT in the late fifties in the MIT Tech Railroad Club where young engineers would devise ways of controlling their large model layout. Also in MIT were some of the first large computers and these young men (pretty exclusively so) were drawn to these behemoths like bugs to a flame. Hours were spent writing and debugging code. It wasn't easy going at the start as some of these machines had no i/o devices such as monitors, but these young men were bitten by the bug and became devoted to the cause.

The first section of the book describes the rise of the original computer hacker, and the Hacker Ethos that came with it. Software was free to all, and if you make an improvement to someone elses code, you were welcome to do so. But these young people were a priviledged few as hacking was limited to those with access to these college machines.

In the second part of the book, based mainly in the seventies, we see hacking being applied to hardware and the creation of the first home computers. The first was the Altair, which had no keyboard, but spread like wildfire. People spent ages writing programs for it and explored all it's possibilities. It's here that we meet Bill Gates, a young programmer asked to write a BASIC compiler for the machine. The hacker ethos of software being free for all didn't sit well with Mr. Gates and he wrote a letter to a popular computing magazine at the time, explaining that since he wrote the code, wasn't he entitled to some payment. Mr Gates doesn't really appear again, but that small glimpse of him seems so true.

At this time a club for computing afficionados, the Homebrew club came into existence and here many of the best and brightest would converse for ages, swapping ideas and experience. Among them was Steve Wozniak, who would create the first Apple and truly bring computing to the masses.

The third section of the book moves back to software, and the companies that sprang up in the eighties to provide games and utilities for the home computer user. In this section, the abandonment of the hacker ethos becomes clear. Companies, such as Sierra, were founded by hackers, but in order to grow and develop, something had to be left behind, and one such thing was the belief in free software.

This is a great book covering three influential sections of computing history. The descriptions of the people involved are highly captivating and it is hard to put this book down. If you remember the first apples, ataris and the apple mac, and how glamorous and liberating they were at the time, this book fills you in on all the details that went into constructing these revolutionary machines, and how they were shaped by the people behind them. If you have any interest at all in computing history, then this is a must read book.

A must read! (8/9 people found this helpful)

I have to agree with the previous reviewer. This is an absolute brilliant book and once I started reading I literally could not put it down and so far I have not encountered this feeling with any other book. I have also re-read it several times and whilst computer nerds will it enjoy it the most I can recommend it to anyone with even the minimal of interest in computers. PS If you are a nerd buy two! One 'good' copy and one you can just keep reading and lend out to friends.

Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution

Steven Levy

Reader Reviews:

Best of breed (1/1 people found this helpful)

The personalities that drove the computing Boom. (3/3 people found this helpful)

Absolutely amazing! (2/2 people found this helpful)

Fantastic History of Computing (13/14 people found this helpful)

A must read! (8/9 people found this helpful)

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