Inventing the PC details the invention and design of the MCM/70 computer and the prolonged struggle to bring it to market. Zbigniew Stachniak offers an insider's view of events on the front lines of pioneering work on personal computers. He shows what information and options PC pioneers had, how well they understood what they were doing, and how that understanding - or lack thereof - shaped both their engineering ingenuity and the indecisiveness and over-reaching ambition that would ultimately turn a very promising venture into a missed opportunity. Providing comprehensive historical background and rich photographic documentation, Inventing the PC tells the story of a Canadian company on the cutting-edge of the information age.
Inventing the PC: The MCM/70 Story
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"Stachniak has written an entertaining, highly informative account of the struggle to create a useful and marketable desktop computer. Although far different from today's personal computer, MCM's early machines, such as the MCM/70, were remarkably innovative and on the market long before the fabled Apple II or the nearly useless Altair. Unfortunately, MCM was ahead of its time. Nonetheless, this is a great book and a must for any fan of the history of the modern computer. Highly recommended." CHOICE
About the Author
Zbigniew Stachniak is an associate professor of computer science, York University, and the curator of York University's Computer Museum.
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Love this book. It pulls you out of time back to when the digital computer world was very young and full of opportunity. I could not put it down, the events in this book took place very close to where I lived my childhood. A must read for any Vintage Computer hobbyist.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Paul Lantz
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I am a little biased since I am related to and greatly admire one of the developers. That aside, I heartily recommend this book. Almost four decades ago, a small group of Canadians were at the forefront of the development of personal computing. They built on strengths on language implementation (York APL), virtual memory concepts and hardware skills. They ended up with something which was, at the time, pretty amazing: something that sat on a desk and ran APL which had hitherto been a language that ran on mainframe based timesharing systems.
I wish the book had a few more technical details -- intelligent data saving shutdown, virtual memory implemented with cassette tape and how the developers moved away from microprocessors to other technology. The book has lots of information about the financial wheeling and dealing that saw the creator of the company forced out.
I wish the book had a few more technical details -- intelligent data saving shutdown, virtual memory implemented with cassette tape and how the developers moved away from microprocessors to other technology. The book has lots of information about the financial wheeling and dealing that saw the creator of the company forced out.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Key point in computer history
Dec 8 2012
By Ned Chapin
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
MCM was a Canadian company that lead the way world wide in creating and marketing desktop computers, leaving other companies in the dust for while.
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