Silicon Forest: High Tech in the Portland Area, 1945-1986 (John Murdock Publication Series on the History of Science and Exploration in the Pa) [Hardcover]

Gordon Dodds (Author), Craig Wollner (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 210 pages
• Publisher: Oregon Historical Society Press (November 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0875952305
• ISBN-13: 978-0875952307
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,370,958 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars A niche book that offers a look back at the Silicon Forest..., April 19, 2007

By 

Thomas Duff "Duffbert" (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Silicon Forest: High Tech in the Portland Area, 1945-1986 (John Murdock Publication Series on the History of Science and Exploration in the Pa) (Hardcover)

OK... I'll admit that this is *not* a book you're going to run right out and buy... The Silicon Forest: High Tech in the Portland Area 1945 to 1986 by Gordon B. Dodds and Craig E. Wollner. So with all the books I have piled up to read, why this one? Well, I work in high-tech (sorta) and I live in the Portland Oregon area. A friend said his neighbor had given him a copy of this book, and he hadn't gotten around to reading it yet. Over a few bus commutes, I worked through it. It's not bad for what it is... a niche book written by a couple of college history professors that captures the beginnings of a number of companies that make up our version of "Silicon Valley".

Contents:
Part 1 - The Companies: Beginnings; Electro Scientific Industries; Tektronix; Floating Point Systems; New Ventures; The Supercomputers
Part 2 - The Larger Community: High Technology and Education; Politics; The World of Work; The Balance Sheet; Epilogue
A Note on the Sources; Notes; Index

This was published in 1990, after Oregon was coming out of a nasty recession and the tech industry was starting to heat up. The authors trace the roots of a number of high-tech firms that started out here in the greater Portland area. As they outgrew their original buildings, a number of the located out to Washington County, earning that area the nickname of "Silicon Forest". The histories are not overly elaborate, but they do cover the major events, the founders and major players, as well as the type of management that typified the early years. Part 2 deals more with the state's attitude towards the new industries and what they did (or didn't do) to help them grow. It's somewhat ironic that many of the companies were considered on solid ground with promising futures when the book was published. Needless to say, not many of them aged well. And the ones that did (such as Intel), don't get much coverage here. That's the great thing about the future... No one can tell how it's going to turn out... :)

If you worked for one of those early Silicon Forest companies, you'd find this mildly interesting. Local history buffs might have the same reaction. The rest of you? Move on, there's nothing to see here...