Favourite computer history books?
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From: Joe Morris on 2 May 2010 21:11 "Jamie Kahn Genet" <jamiekg(a)wizardling.geek.nz> wrote: > Anyway - what are your all-time favourite books about computers, > technology, and the people involved? Eric Raymond's _The New Hacker's Dictionary_ (MIT Press; 3rd edition). It *is* a dictionary so there's no running narrative, but the individual entries (many of which were contributed through alt.folklore.computers...and yes, I wrote a few of them) provide historical context to today's cyber environment that's both informative and humorous. Joe Morris
From: Warren Oates on 3 May 2010 08:10 In article <4bde10e7$0$27858$c3e8da3(a)news.astraweb.com>, "Chris Burrows" <cfbsoftware(a)hotmail.com> wrote: > Note well: in 2040 somebody will be posting a similar message about this > year. Make sure you take good care to appreciate all of the events and > innovations that are happening right here and now as one day many will have > just as much historical significance as those. I have great memories of > seeing Led Zeppelin play at the local pub, the buzz around the first Apple > Lisa I saw at an exhibition, lusting after a Lilith computer, building my > first 8-bit microcomputer from a kit etc. etc. but they didn't seem much > more than other everyday events at the time. Hindsight is wonderful .... I remember having a beer with Michael Moorcock at the Angel, in Highgate; more than once, too. He was famous by then, of course. I worked behind the bar there, and served Rod Stewart a pint one night; he lived down West Hill. Yehudi Menuhin lived down there too, but he never came in. -- Very old woody beets will never cook tender. -- Fannie Farmer
From: Warren Oates on 3 May 2010 08:16 In article <slrnhtsd1g.tqe.g.kreme(a)cerebus.local>, Lewis <g.kreme(a)gmail.com.dontsendmecopies> wrote: > I would say _Tiger, Tiger_ (Renamed _The Stars My Destination_ for the > US) is the best sci-fi book ever written. What is even more remarkable > is that is was written over 50 years ago during the early days of > Sci-Fi. It reads very much like a book from the early 80's in many > ways. Umm. Young man, are you really suggesting that 1956 was "the early days of Sci-Fi?" Now, I won't bring up the Epic of Gilgamesh, but I will suggest that in our more-or-less modern era, that Frankenstein counts as science fiction. Oh, and there was that Verne fellow ... -- Very old woody beets will never cook tender. -- Fannie Farmer
From: Patrick Scheible on 3 May 2010 12:36 "Joe Morris" <j.c.morris(a)verizon.net> writes: > "Jamie Kahn Genet" <jamiekg(a)wizardling.geek.nz> wrote: > > > Anyway - what are your all-time favourite books about computers, > > technology, and the people involved? > > Eric Raymond's _The New Hacker's Dictionary_ (MIT Press; 3rd edition). It > *is* a dictionary so there's no running narrative, but the individual > entries (many of which were contributed through alt.folklore.computers...and > yes, I wrote a few of them) provide historical context to today's cyber > environment that's both informative and humorous. And you should also take a look through the original jargon file at http://www.dourish.com/goodies/jargon.html -- Patrick
From: Jim Stewart on 3 May 2010 13:54
Jamie Kahn Genet wrote: > Anyway - what are your all-time favourite books about computers, > technology, and the people involved? As others have mentioned, Soul of a New Machine is number one on my list. We were living the era back then of minicomputers, microcode and programmable logic. Wonderful book. I'd also put in a plug for Tracy Kidder's other books, especially "House". I didn't see "The Computer from Pascal to Von Neumann" on the list. Kinda dry and opinionated, but still a nice reference and interesting reading. |