Customer Reviews

Accidental Empires

5 star:		(54)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

If you're interested in the birth and growth of the PC industry this is your guide!

After I saw the TV series I wanted to have the book, I even mailed Bob Cringely for the ISBN. A book like this could be a rather dull book, but this isn't one of those. This is a great book full of facts served with plenty of humour. Cringely was there when it happened, he knows what he's writing about. This book tells you about never released software, missed opportunities, killer applications, where the GUI came from, and much more in a language that isn't just for nerds.

I've read this book twice, I'm pretty sure I'll read it again...

As someone who's been working in Silicon Valley for years, I found this book interesting for its insight into the history of the computer business and the strong personalities who created it. It focuses on the early giants of IBM, Apple, Microsoft, Compaq, and the like, well before the Internet became a popular medium. The book highlighted for me how much an industry is shaped by the people and their peculiarities, and how the culture of an organization shapes its perception of and reaction to events.

Still, Cringley's smug, know-it-all attitude detracted from the book and made me question the credibility of his analysis. He paints people in black and white strokes, often portraying the object of his ridicule as blind to the obviously correct course of action. Cringely is especially harsh on people he perceives as ego-driven and insecure, which, ironically, is just how he struck me.

I suspect people who are not particularly tied into the computer culture won't find this worth reading. But if you are among those hooked on the computer industry and you can get past Cringely's attitude, the book has some useful insights, anecdotes, and facts.

Accidental Empires is the suggestive title of a journey into the story of computing starting from its humble beginnings during the early seventies and ending just before the Internet revolution. It is by all means a fascinating account of the people and events that shaped the marketplace and gave it a direction and turned it into a multibillion industry. I still find it hard to believe that the first computer available on the market came in unassembled parts and the user had to put it together and the end product had no harddrive, no OS, and no applications to run. And this happened only 25 years ago...
As a journalist for Infoworld, Cringely leads us with a firm hand and clear passion for disentangling the intricate dependencies and relationships that reign in the computing industry. His book is a well informed account of the evolution of operating systems, hardware, networking, and print technologies starting from the day these were just wild ideas. Although the lecture may sound a little too technical and hence a bit complicated, this book is easy to follow. Through Cringely's talent we get a (funny but very plausible) portrait of the people, their desires, shortcommings, and in most cases genius and totally obsessive personalities.
Apart for the obvious animosity that the author nurtures towards Gates and Jobs whom he claims to be to various degrees true sociopaths, one with ambition to dominate the world, the other one to be accepted and loved, I find the whole overview to be an objective and informative account of the fascinating and tumultuous evolution of computing as we know today. Overall, Cringely argues that despite the incredible brainpower, no founding geek was ever capable of truly assessing the enormous impact the creation of personal computing, a user friendly OS, and networking technologies would have on our world and their pockets (this is to confirm that one can excel in many things but not all things). At the same time, it is simply stupefying to read about the incredibly ill advised strategic decisions that established companies, such as IBM and Xerox, made. For more info on the 200 billion dollars misstake, turn to the IBM files.
Along with The Sillicon Boys, this is the best book on the history of computing for the layman I've read so far, I don't hesitate to give it five stars.

I started reading this book while curled up on the couch next to a friend who was trying to watch a soccer match. He finally told me to stop snickering or leave the room. I had to leave the room.

_Accidental Empires_ is one of the funniest books I've read in a long time and as someone who works as a consultant for one of the companies roasted in its pages, I have to say that the passage of time has not made its commentary any less true. Also insightful, well-written, witty, etc.

This book was a book that launched a genre - the sarcastic, gossipy fast-paced insiders look at the computer industry. It's still one of the best of its kind even though it is now pretty dated.

I work in a company on the fringe of the computer industry. Sometimes co-workers come and ask me what to read to understand the industry. This is the first book I give them. The stories in this book, how Microsoft beat IBM, how Apple grew, etc. are the fundamental mythology of the industry. If you work in or near the industry you ought to read this book. As some other reviewers have noted, the tone will make some readers cringe a bit, but the tone is pretty depictive of the way in which many people in the industry actually see things.

The only reason I didn't give this book five stars is because it is a bit dated. Most of the stories have been told later and better by others so if you've already read a lot of the books about the industry this one will seem a bit old. Although I do still think this book is worth reading even if you've read the others.

This book has two important things going for it. First, it's accurate. (I know. I remember most of it happening just the way Cringely describes it.) The other thing, though, is that it's INCREDIBLY well written. Great style, keen wit, sharp insight. You couldn't ask for much more from a book like this.

Cringley, as they say, must be either suicidal, or have balls the size of an elephant. There's only one person who comes off looking good in this book, and that's Steve Woznaik (maybe Bob Taylor as well, but his is a peripheral story as far as the book's concerned). Just about everybody else faces Cringley's wrath, and sparks do fly.

It's a very well written book, an enjoyable read that flows past efffortlessly, in a very conversational mood. What else would you expect from a gossip columnist. But Cringley does know his stuff, he goes through every myth about the "whiz-kids" and shatters just about every one of them. And there is a perverse pleasure in reading the low down and dirty on people larger than life. Even Cringley's version of pop-psychology (which can be very penetrating and illuminating at times) is amusing.You'll probably laugh yourself through this book, partly because you're relieved these guys aren't infallible, and partly because you're amazed they made it at all. And along the way you'll pick up little tid-bits of techno-lore to throw around.

If you aren't in the IS profession, Robert X. Cringely is/was a pseudonym for the best gossip columnist in the industry. He's been in it so long he's familiar with most of the burial places.

Cringely paints a picture of an industry dominated by people who were driven more by ego than by materialism: they had something to prove. In most cases it is hard to fault his analysis. His statements and conclusions about industry personae and events square with everything I've been able to verify.

Cringely is excellent at explaining technical concepts to a non-technical audience using analogies, which are often riotously funny as well as helpful. This and the generally bouncy pace of the book will enable it to appeal to you even if you don't consider yourself a techie.

A short read that tells the seemingly blunderous history of the PC industry. The story is told in a witty and accurate manner - quite the joy to read. All of the major companies are chronicled, including Apple, Microsoft, IBM, Xerox, etc.

The book was first written in 1991 - with a couple chapters added during the 1996 reprint. As such; the book doesn't cover items of the last eight years with much detail. But it more than makes up for it with it's portrayal of the first 20 years.

Tired of reading fawning novels about the movers and shakers of the computing age? Tired of reading tired knowledge passed off as far reaching vision because the author happened to be in the right place and made a pile of money?

This is the book for you. Robert Cringley has no reason to be nice to anyone since (1) he writes a column on the dirt of the industry and (2) his name is a pseudonym.

So, the gloves are off, and no holds are barred.

Of course, there are a few of Cringely's laws, and some of those tired bits of vision (broadband. It's the next big thing, as of 1996. Spitting distance to 2001 and I'm still waiting!).

The addendum to the 1996 edition is interesting, since it's less predictive than the 1992 edition. Sometime between 1996 and the present, things changed in ways that no one expected, and the predictions are rather amusing. In 1992, looking at the 'new' 486s and looking at the future, the vision is true.

If you want to see someone analyze everyone's personality defects, in depth, this is the book for you. If not, there's plenty else to read.

I'd recommend this work.