Give me your book recommendations!
Posted by Early_Macaroon_2407@reddit | vintagecomputing | View on Reddit | 16 comments
Interesting books on vintage computing and tech history? Particularly on 1990s computing (nostalgia is setting in these days).
TMWNN@reddit
filfre.net
blakespot@reddit
I have a web page for this. Here's the link:
https://bytecellar.com/recommended-reading/
51CKS4DW0RLD@reddit
LaserWriter Ii by Tamara Shopsin
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56269270-laserwriter-ii
claudandus_felidae@reddit
Ghost in the Wires by Kevin Mitnick is good, it's a autobiography but it's actually fairly interesting
et-pengvin@reddit
I've read this one too! Very interesting.
jmwright@reddit
"Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution" by Steven Levy is one of the books that made me want to go into the IT field.
Outside-Storage-1523@reddit
Showstoppers! By Zachary
The Soul of the New Machine (this one is more 70s/80s minicomputer than 90s but I'd argue it rings a bell in all engineers)
Early_Macaroon_2407@reddit (OP)
I’ve read both – great reads, although Showstoppers! convinced me I never want to work in software dev.
Outside-Storage-1523@reddit
Hahaha! I can see why. Both books convinced me to work in low level programming, but I never realized that fantasy...
DEADBEEFh@reddit
Dealers of Lightning, about Xerox PARC and its innovations. Amazingly well researched, interesting and well-written. Explains both the brilliant accomplishments and failings of the organizations involved without being just about it - highly recommend!
Early_Macaroon_2407@reddit (OP)
I’ve read it, great book.
et-pengvin@reddit
Here are a few I've enjoyed reading:
Dealers of Lightning by Michael Hiltzik -- About Xerox PARC
The Idea Factory by Jon Gertner -- About Bell Labs
Netscape Time by Jim Clark -- About Netscape
Just for Fun by Linus Torvalds -- About Linux
iWoz by Steven Wozniack -- About Apple
If you like fictional works, I also really enjoyed Picks and Shovels by Cory Doctorow which was set in Silicon Valley in the 80s at a start-up.
Procedure_Dunsel@reddit
The soul of a new machine by Tracy Kidder. It was a fascinating read for a young computer nerd when it came out, and this old computer nerd would read it again.
SomePeopleCallMeJJ@reddit
Not '90s, but I agree that it's one of the classics and a must-read. (RIP Tracy Kidder.)
Another good one, set in the mid-80s, is Clifford Stoll's "The Cuckoo's Egg". A wild true story and a real page-turner.
Early_Macaroon_2407@reddit (OP)
I have read that book at least twice, in fact!
Consistent_Cat7541@reddit
Two books I read recently that go well together: Almost Perfect, available out of print for free at http://www.wordplace.com/ap/ and In Search of Stupidity, by Merrill Chapman. For the latter, try and track down the first edition, as all the stuff added in the third edition is really, really bad. But the war stories about the 90's computing blunders (especially for dBase, Wordstar and OS/2) makes for informative reading.