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Fire in the Valley: The Making of the Personal Computer, Collector's Edition
 
 
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Fire in the Valley: The Making of the Personal Computer, Collector's Edition [Hardcover]

Paul Freiberger (Author), Michael Swaine (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)

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Fire in the Valley is not a computer book but rather a history of the personal computer. Even if the computer isn't your thing, and maybe you don't remember arguing with Commodore 64, Apple II, and TRS-80 owners over whose computer was the best, you'll find the writing engaging and the subject matter more than entertaining. Who would have thought a bunch of misfit nerds could make history?

Fire in the Valley is an accurate, insightful, and often entertaining look at the many accidents and mistakes that eventually led to the computer you have on your desktop today. The history of the personal computer comprises a series of well-planned errors, with eccentric personalities floating from company to company, and geniuses so twisted they created for the sheer joy of it--never imagining the multi-billion dollar industry that would result.

This book is magnetic and the consistent and strong writing draws the reader in. The entire story of the personal computer, from the vacuum tube to the iMac, is told and told well.

Fire in the Valley is an old book, originally published back in 1984. This review refers to the current "collector's edition" and it's been updated to reflect some recent issues. The book is hardbound, hence the hefty cover price. (It also has a CD-ROM, but I don't do CDs in books.) The book is highly recommended--especially for anyone who's into high tech and wants to understand the value of not putting creativity into a bottle. --Dan Gookin

Review

The authors tell their tale with surprising human as well as technological insights. Freidberger and Swaine are blessed with a remarkable tale to tell. Fire in the Valley offers many nerd pleasures, not the least of which is a stroll down memory lane, back to a sunny time of youth and innocence and endlessly whirring floppy drives. All the highlights are covered. One of the strengths of this fine book is that it isn't tendentious about its subject matter. If Fire in the Valley has any thesis, it's that, like Englebart, the very earliest players weren't much motivated by money. Some were simply visionaries. Others just loved computers. Others still couldn't fit in anywhere else.
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First Sentence
THE PERSONAL COMPUTER SPRANG TO LIFE IN THE MID-1970S, BUT ITS historical roots reach back to the giant electronic "brains" of the 1950s and well before that to the "thinking" machines of nineteenth-century fiction. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews

26 Reviews
5 star:
 (17)
4 star:
 (4)
3 star:
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2 star:
 (1)
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Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (26 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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4.0 out of 5 stars It's how we got where we are today..., April 8 2004
By 
CPUsports (Eastern Seaboard) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Fire in the Valley: The Making of The Personal Computer (Paperback)
The TV movie based on this book was rather lame, but this is a great read on how the PC revolution got started.
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3.0 out of 5 stars Competent overview but no depth, April 3 2004
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This review is from: Fire in the Valley: The Making of the Personal Computer, Collector's Edition (Hardcover)
This breezy read lightly covers the evolution of the personal computer mostly from the introduction of Altair until Steve Jobs' departure from Apple Computer. Covering as many people, machines and companies as possible the authors don't have time for a in-depth look at anything. The result seems like a 400 plus page newspaper or magazine article. The "Collector's Edition" has several additional chapters covering industry events up to 2000 and also contains a CD-ROM with more materials. I have not reviewed the CD-ROM.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Great review, Jan 29 2003
This review is from: Fire in the Valley: The Making of The Personal Computer (Paperback)
One those books that gives a real pleasure to read. If you are interested on how computers took over control of our lives and how a few advanced thinkers created what computers are today, you'll enjoy this book. It starts from the very beginning. No screens, no keyborads, just switchs!!!!! Have you ever wondered how computers evolved and who made it possible? Here is. Besides, there are some fantastic pictures from all those that started it all. Accurate book and full of interesting information. If you want to know all that happened, buy it. Strongly recommended.
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