What the Dormouse Said: How the Sixties Counterculture Shaped the Personal Computer Industry

Book review by Deane Barker tags: history, tech

The title promised a discussion about how the 60s “shaped” the personal computer industry, but I just didn’t see it.

The book is a history of technology and how the seminal figures of that period interacted with culture, but it didn’t show me how society “shaped” the industry, as much as the industry just came together during that time. The central premise was supposed to be how the 60s were integral to the direction of the PC industry, but I didn’t get the feeling that the PC industry wouldn’t have formed the same way in any other era either.

As a history book, it’s solid, if a bit droning. Lot of names, lots of people, all throw together in a mishmash. I feel like “The Innovators” or “Dealers of Lightning” did this so much better.

Book Info

John Markoff
352

This is item #667 in a sequence of 750 items.

You can use your left/right arrow keys to navigate