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The Dream Machine: J.C.R. Licklider and the Revolution That Made Computing Personal Paperback – August 27, 2002

by M. Mitchell Waldrop (Author)

28 customer reviews

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While most people may not be familiar with the name J. C. R. Licklider, he was the guiding spirit behind the greatest revolution of the modern era. At a time when most computers were big, ponderous mainframes, he envisioned them as desktop tools that could empower individuals, foster creativity, and allow the sharing of information all over the world. Working from an obscure office in the depths of the Pentagon, he set in motion the forces that could make his vision real. Writing with the same novelistic flair that made his Complexity "the most exciting intellectual adventure story of the year" (The Washington Post), Waldrop presents the history of this great enterprise and the first full-scale portrait of the man whose dream of a "human-computer symbiosis" changed the course of science and culture, gave us the modern world of computing, and laid the foundation for the Internet age.

"Waldrop's account of [Licklider's] and many others' world-transforming contributions is compelling." (John Allen Paulos, The New York Times Book Review)

"A masterpiece! A mesmerizing but balanced and comprehensive look at the making of the information revolution." (John Seely Brown, former director of Xerox PARC, and coauthor of The Social Life of Information)

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Editorial Reviews

Paperback: 512 pages
Publisher: Penguin Books; 1st edition (August 2002)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 014200135X
ISBN-13: 978-0142001356
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1.1 x 8.4 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
Average Customer Review: 28 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #464,316 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #177 in Books > Computers & Technology > History & Culture > History
- #374 in Books > Computers & Technology > Programming > Languages & Tools > C & C++
- #556 in Books > Science & Math > Technology > Social Aspects

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Peter Filippone

Very informative, but not the easiest read

December 26, 2014

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

I found the book very informative, just the kind of details I was looking for about computing's history, and the pioneers behind it. However it wasn't an easy read for me. Not because it was too technical, but because it seems it gave a ton of details about every person, every organisation, entity, project, government program involved. I almost wish I had created a chart that kept track of how everything connected, since people moved around different companies, one company formed into another, one agency into another, one project spawned another, etc.. Also lots of acronyms to remember.

3 people found this helpful

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Ritesh Laud

Excellent history of computer science through the '70s

August 3, 2008

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

"The Dream Machine" is billed as the story of J.C.R. Licklider, one of the main driving forces behind the research and engineering of personal computing. However, at least half of the book actually consists of general computer science history having little directly to do with Licklider, but which rather serves as context for Licklider's long and varied career. Well, it seemed to me that both aspects were handled very well by the author Mr. Waldrop and I am certainly much more educated now on computer science.

Though quite long at nearly 500 pages, the book was actually a page turner for me as the style of the prose is closer to that of a novel than of a textbook. I found the transformation of government funding from virtually unlimited in the '50s and '60s (e.g. the massive SAGE project) to greatly budget constrained in the '70s fascinating, as well as the various contractors' reactions to the changing federal priorities.

I give this 4.5 stars as it could have used a bit more focus on the purported subject, Licklider. Highly recommended for anyone with a strong interest in computers and software.

6 people found this helpful

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M. R. C.

Great book; solid seller.

September 13, 2017

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Book condition was much better than expected. Waldrop's research was masterful. J.C.R. Licklider was a true polymath and (sadly forgotten) prime mover in what now is a global resource. This deserves a place on every history of 20th Century technology bookshelf.

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James

A newfound respect for how computing and the internet developed

September 27, 2016

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Because of this book, I have a completely newfound respect for the people that developed the internet and computing as we know it. I always viewed pre-21st century computing as a somewhat dull affair, but this book has forced me to view things differently. Ostensibly about Licklider, it's really a book about the history of computers from 1944-1980, and it covers Arpanet, Xerox PARC, DEC, university research labs, and the folks that moved between these organizations and made the world as we know it.

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April 7, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Of an amazing man who lived life in the future we all came to inhabit. Superbly researched and well written

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Gardner Campbell

Essential reading for anyone interested in the digital world

August 13, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Great reporting, and a vivid account of the ideas, people, and aspirations that led to the digital world that surrounds us today. Waldrop tells a gripping story, with human depth. He also understands the complexity and brilliance of the world these giants helped to build.

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William B. Bonvillian, co-author of "Structuring an Energy Technology Revolution"

A classic

May 3, 2011

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Mitch Waldrop's book is simply a classic. It is the finest work on the intellectual and face-to-face history of the evolution of the computer revolution. Stop searching, this is the best; I assign this book to my students and they love it. It is both intellectually challenging and remarkably thoughtful on all sides of the IT transformation. It is also a fine biography of one of the great technological visionaries and vision-enablers of our time, Licklider. And it is the best picture of early DARPA, period. Throughout it all, it is highly readable, making both the technology history and the rich information theory of the time readily accessible. A remarkable book.

3 people found this helpful

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Robert Cannon

Comprehensive Historical Overview

May 24, 2004

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

A graduate course in a book! A tour through historical theories, accounts, and events that made up the development of the modern computer and the Net. Far more extensive than just the story of Kicklider, a historical overview of many of the minds at that time and the events that converged to form the new informaton era.

4 people found this helpful

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