Editorial Review

In a dry fashion, Packard tells the true story of the mighty Hewlett-Packard Company: Twocollege buddies begin a partnership by producing an audio oscillator in a Palo Alto garage in 1938 andwind up 60 years later with a $25-billion-dollar electronics company on their hands. He wraps the book uptidily with a timeline of the company's development milestones. Packard chalks up success to many things,including government contracts during wartime, but mostly to the company's management outlook ("TheHP Way"), which champions openness, honesty, and flexibility throughout the organization. Entrepreneursand technologists alike will be interested in this journey of an American giant. Packard's tone sometimesveers toward the self-congratulatory, but in this case, it somehow seems justified. ... Read more

Reviews (21)

Nice guys sometimes win....
Bill Hewlett & Dave Packard were two nice guys who worked hard, played fair, and won. An interesting tale with some good homespun advice.

What Happened?
I've read through this book 5 times and I don't recall the part where Mr Packard says to spy on the board of directors!

Hewlett Packard's Rise to the Top
Hewlett- Packard is a giant in the PC industry and one of the best- known names in high tech. Most every business in America owns at least one product from this company. From its humble beginnings in a Palo Alto garage, HP has grown into a massive electronics machine, racking up more than $45 billion in revenue for the 2001 year.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Business & Economics    3. Business / Economics / Finance    4. Business/Economics    5. Computer industry    6. Corporate & Business History - General    7. Electronics engineers    8. Executive Management    9. General    10. History    11. History Of Specific Companies    12. Leadership    13. Management - General    14. Microelectronics industry    15. United States    16. Business & Economics / Corporate History   

Reviews (2)

Turing died too soon
Teuscher has gathered together a set of thought provoking essays about Turing and the ideas he espoused. The diverse range of the essays is a good reflection of Turing's genius.
Man of many parts
This book celebrates the 90th anniversary of the birth of Alan Turing by bringing together a large set of essays on topics as diverse and colourful as the work and life of the man himself. Turing's fundamental contributions to computing kick started the modern computing era. However, he also made early and outstanding contributions to artificial intelligence, artificial neural networks, morphogenesis, cryptology and the philosophy of mind. The book touches on all these areas and includes contributions from luminaries such as Martin Davis, Daniel Dennett, Andrew Hodges, Douglas Hofstadter and Ray Kurzweil. The book also contains some essays on contemporary topics related to Turing's work such as the controversial area of so-called hypercomputation. While many of the essays are advanced, the material remains accessible and interesting. Turing had a strikingly original and whimsical imagination - reflecting this, and unlike many books on technical topics, this one includes some of the kind of speculation that is bound to fire the imagination of readers. Will computers outstrip human intelligence, and when might it happen? Will we become more like computers, or will they become more like us? Ninety years on from the birth of Alan Turing such issues are more relevant and pressing than ever, and this book makes an excellent advanced introduction to the breadth of Turing's work. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1912-1954    2. Artificial Intelligence - General    3. Biography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Computer Science    6. Computers    7. Computers - General Information    8. General    9. Great Britain    10. Mathematicians    11. Turing, Alan Mathison,    12. ACE    13. Artificial Intelligence    14. Bletchley Park    15. Computers / General    16. Cryptology    17. Enigma    18. Fibonaccy Phyllotaxis    19. General Theory of Computing    20. Hypercomputation    21. Machine Intelligence    22. Morphogenesis    23. Second World War    24. Turing Machine   

Editorial Review

Love him or hate him, no matter how you feel about Bill Gates, you've got to respect him. As the richest man in the world and leader of the most successful company of our day, Gates has achieved a level of success that even the Almighty might be jealous of. In Read more

Reviews (17)

Nothing "Original" But Still A Good Book for Young Teens
This is one of a series of books that covers highly successful, highly visible individuals and how they got that way. These books are targeted at school age teens to inspire them to follow their paths for success. The author seems to cover the life stories of Bill Gates and adds quotes where appropriate to boost the storyline. There are occasional segments on subjects related to Gates as shown in the Amazon's "Look in" review. It's an easy read with only 230 pages. If you read any of the other books such as "Gates" or "Hard Drive" you'll get the feeling of reading this book before. Since the work isn't original and seems to heavily reference other books I give it 3 stars. The only question I have is whether the author actual sat down with Bill Gates and talked to him or did she really just go to the library, the Internet, etc. to get info on the book. As a first book on Bill Gates life, it's still a good read for young adults looking to be inspired.

It's just a sumary of other books
It's an easy to read story of Gates, but there's nothing new here.In fact, the whole book is made up of quotes from other books and articles.You can't really tell if they are taken out of context or not.There's just not much original stuff here.

No Meat To This BooK!
I like to be told a story. Although the book starts with a good story on how Bill Gates got started, it quickly digresses. This book is an accumulation of facts and boring accounts about Bill Gates and Microsoft. It never gets into the meat of things. I would have liked to have read more about the litigations against Microsoft. Maybe some more about Nescape's lawsuit. It mentions very little about the Antitrust lawsuit that I was looking forward to learning about. Instead we get quotes from Bill Gates that do not enhance the book, but instead interrupt it. The author references websites about Microsoft's and the government's claims about the lawsuit. It's like the author got lazy. Don't waste your money on this book. A very big dissapointment! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1955-    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Business    7. Businessmen    8. Computer Industry (Economic Aspects)    9. Computer software industry    10. Gates, Bill,    11. General    12. History    13. History Of Specific Companies    14. Microsoft Corporation    15. Rich & Famous    16. United States    17. Biography: general    18. Entrepreneurship    19. Gates, Bill    20. Management & management techniques    21. Technology / General   

Editorial Review

In the mid 1940s, John von Neumann revolutionized the nascent field of computing by showingthat program instructions could be stored in a computer's memory instead of on external panels orpunch cards. In Read more

Reviews (3)

A superb book on John von Neumann's many contributions to computer science
John von Neumann was one of the greatest prodigies of the last century.His right-wing politics and the fact that he made seminal contributions to many fields of science account for his not having won a Nobel prize.Nevertheless many Nobel laureates considered his intellect far superior to theirs.
superb, scholarly book
Unsurpassed quality is the hallmark of this fine book

An Overview of Von Neumann's Contributions to Computing
No one has yet written a biography of John von Neumann that sums up both his intellectual achievements and his curious personality.William Aspray's book, John von Neumann and the Origins of Modern Computing, atleast makes a good effort at explaining von Neumann's intellectualaccomplishments, although it is not a complete biography in explaining theman. Granted, such a biography might be impossible, given the breadth andprofundity of von Neumann's contributions to thought.It is hard toconceive of another person who left more of a mark on the twentieth centuryworld of science, with the exception of Einstein himself. For a look atvon Neumann the personality, one can find good character sketches of him inEd Regis's "Who Got Einstein's Office?" and in Joel Shurkin's"Engines of the Mind", but neither of these works presents acomplete view of von Neumann's intellectual achivements. Aspray's bookdoes a thorough job of covering von Neumann's thoughts on computing..Itis thorough in dealing with von Neumann's contributions to mathematics, tothe building of the IAS computer, to problems in information theory, andoutlines more of von Neumann's thought on the analogy between computerprocessing and the human mind than most writers ever notice.Additionally,von Neumann made contributions to meteorology that are usually overlooked,which Aspray outlines more thoroughly than other writers.The book doesnot address much about Game Theory (William Poundstone's book, Prisoner'sDilemma, outlines von Neumann's contributions in that field of study),which is another huge area of study that von Neumann pioneered. Aspray'sbook is required reading for anyone wrestling with John von Neumann'sideas, he outlines perhaps 60% of von Neumann's career better than anyother writer, but one wonders when the truly comprehensive biography of vonNeumann will be written. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1903-1957    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Computer Books: General    4. Computer Science    5. Computers    6. Electronic Data Processing    7. Electronic digital computers    8. General    9. History    10. Von Neumann, John,    11. Computers / Computer Science    12. Computing and Information Technology    13. Von Neumann, John   

Reviews (5)

Great Book!
I absoultly loved this book. I am currently recieving my MBA, and it gave me a whole new perspective about how busniess can be, how it can suceed, and fail. Also, Ellisons sotry is realy fabulous, and the author does a great job of interviewing many of Ellison's ex-wives, ex-employyes etc. This gives a very realistic viw of Oracle, and how they felt about Ellison. I started ths book this morning, and I simply could not put it down until an hour ago when i finished it. Great Read!

Interesting reading
It's a very good book in terms of the history of the computing giants that shaped the world. It kept my attention long enough to dedicate 2 days to reading it cover to cover. As an Oracle programmer, it helped me understand some of the thoughts I had of the company since working with their product since the early 90's.
A candid look at Ellison
Okay, so who is this guy Larry Ellison? He's the man behind Oracle, one of the world's largest software companies. Not only is he known for his "battles" with Bill Gates of Microsoft, but also for his personal and professional exploits.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Business    5. Computer Industry (Economic Aspects)    6. Corporate & Business History - General    7. General    8. History Of Specific Companies    9. Biography & Autobiography / General   

Editorial Review

Many people get their first introduction to Lady Ada Lovelace, daughter of poet Lord Byron and companion to Charles Babbage, in William Gibsonand and Bruce Sterling's groundbreaking Read more

Reviews (3)

Well written, but missing illustrations.
I have reviewed most of the books that are readily available on Ada. This book was well written and Dr. Toole is truly the recognized authority of Ada and her life. I found an earlier edition of this book throughinterlibrary loan and was disappointed that this edition did not offer thesame illustrations and pictures. If you are interested in finding outmore about Ada especially from her own letters, this is truly one of thebest books out there.I would recommend reading at least one other book onAda Lovlace in addition to this one, for balance,at times Dr. Toole mayhave been too kind to Ada's memory. The History of a Passionate Visionary
Toole's book is an excellent introduction to the life and work of themathematical visionary, Ada Byron King.Toole's treatment allows thereader access to King's luminous mind--no small achievement. Too much idolatry
This book is not about Ada but rather the author's defense of Ada's image and place in history.Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Historical - British    5. Historical - General    6. Women    7. Computers    8. Metaphysics    9. Women's studies    10. History    11. Biography   

Editorial Review

Most 31-year olds can't boast of being the instigator of a revolution. But then again, the world's leading promoter of open source software and creator of the operating system Linux does humbly call himself an accidental revolutionary--accidental being the operative word here. Read more

Features

• Abridged
• Audiobook

Reviews (67)

Excellent biography of a guy who doesn't know how cool he is.
The title of this book is very fitting, it seems to be the way things happpened. Linus was never a "go-getter" or someone looking to change the world, just a guy who loved programming, and seemed to do it just for fun, as the title implies.
Good Start, Poor finish ... not put together very well
One reason I rated this audio CD so low was the packaging
Reading this book is fun
You'd better be somewhat geek to get the language of this book. It's a fun book. If you are in the IT industry and have affinity for open source and Linux you'd better be reading this book. One thing I did not like is although I *know* Linus is not such a person to *act* as a hero, he is presented to be so. If the book was named ...accidental hero rather than ...accidental revolutionary, I'd not be buying it I guess. But it made me feel a bit like than. Other than that, a very fun book to read. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Audio Adult: Books On Tape    2. Audiobooks    3. Biography    4. Biography & Autobiography    5. Computer programmers    6. Finland    7. General    8. History    9. Operating Systems - Linux    10. Scientists - Inventors    11. Unabridged Audio - Autobiography/Biography    12. Biography & Autobiography / General   

Reviews (6)

read "Alan Turing: The Enigma"by Andrew Hodges instead
If your interest is in Alan Turing, and you are only just becoming familiar with him, you would probably be better served reading what many regard as not only an excellent biography of Alan Turing, but an excellent piece of biographical writing in and of itself, Andrews Hodges' ALAN TURING: THE ENIGMA.The current copy on the American Amazon site is an expanded and pricey edition, so you may want to go to the the United Kingdom Amazon site to get the slimmer, earlier edition, which not only costs less, but was also the basis for the award-winning play BREAKING THE CODE.After you've read Hodges' work, and wish to read more about Turing and his work and theories from other perspectives, then you may want to avail yourself on some of these other texts.

I wish other reviewers would take a step back
As a dual computer science and English major, I find it refreshing when I stumble upon a computer science book that surveys the field from a more literary and philosophical perspective. (Galloway's "Protocol" is another example of such a work that I've encountered recently.)
Sad ending to a great genius
This book gives a clear and accessible account of the life and the mathematical achievements of Alan Turing and his contributions to the development of cryptanalysis and the modern computer. Turing apparently committed suicide in the early 1950's because the British authorities were hounding him about his homosexuality. He was a man ahead of his time in one too many ways! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Artificial intelligence    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography And Autobiography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. Computers And Society    8. Gay men    9. General    10. Great Britain    11. History    12. History & Philosophy    13. Legal status, laws, etc.    14. Mathematicians    15. Scientists - General    16. Science / General   

Editorial Review

If there is such a thing as a typical computer programmer,Ellen Ullman is not it. She's female, a former communist, bisexual,old enough to be a twentysomething's mom, and not a nerd.Sheruns her own computer-consulting business in San Francisco and in Read more

Reviews (30)

Tedious, boring and insulting.
There is really nothing to this book. When I finally finished it I was like "That was it?" Aside from the lack of any kind of interesting or engaging plot I found the very stereotypical charicterizations of programmers to be insulting. I get the feeling that the author is one of those "non-geek" programmers who (incorrectly) thinks that she understands true geek culture and secretly thinks she is better than the geeks.

An intimate "The Soul of a New Machine"
Ellen Ullmann has created a wonderful novel about the awkward interfaces between programmers and users, programming and aging, and technology and humanity. Some pros, but mostly cons
Ellen Ullman is obviously an adept coder and is able to describe both the great highs and great lows of being "close to the machine". However, as an actual author, she's a bit tedious and occasionally eye-rollingly vapid: her surprisingly generic sex scenes seem like quick masturbatory breaks, almost as if she felt the need to remind us that "programmers have sex lives, too". And she shows some occasional touches of her own techno-fear, especially when disparaging the nomenclature on a web-browser's interface (she pooh-poohs the usage of "home" on the browser, apparenly forgetting that "home" has also been the traditional name for users' directories on UNIX systems). Probably a good head-nodding read for legacy techies, the post-web generation will most likely sigh "Oh, get OVER yourself" a few times before flinging this one across the room and going back to reading WIRED. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Computer Books: General    4. Computer programmers    5. Computers    6. Management Information Systems    7. Programming - General    8. Social Aspects    9. Ullman, Ellen    10. Women    11. Biography: general    12. Computer Programming    13. Literary Collections / Essays   

Editorial Review

Read more

Reviews (27)

Very interesting
I have to admit that this book really caught me. It isn't light reading, and it isn't a beacon of objectivity, but the book is packed with action, and very little of it is filler. Having Ellison comment on this is also very interesting read. The book is written the clarity, even if lot of it is just quoting people the author has interviewed, but it does seem like he was asking the right questions and his interviewees did not hesitate to answer candidly.
Great Read, but Flawed
True to its subtitle Softwar does indeed deliver an 'intimate portrait' of billionaire business leader Larry Ellison.Unfortunately, although the book is enthralling and features an incredibly interesting format including written responses by Ellison to points raised by Symonds, it falls short in two important areas for biographies.
very interesting but not objetive
very interesting book overall, paints larry in a very (probably almost too) positive light. (the author was selected by larry to write the book.) the most interesting part is that larry adds his own notes to the bottom of various pages. the parts about sailing at the end were sort of boring, but it's nice to know that larry is planning on donating to medical foundations when he retires from oracle. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography/Autobiography    3. Business    4. Business / Economics / Finance    5. Corporate & Business History - General    6. Industries - Computer Industry    7. Business & Economics / General    8. Media, information & communication industries   

Editorial Review

For the legions who revere Apple Computer's high-profile cofounder as a godlike figure, the aptly titled Read more

Reviews (43)

Exciting and Interesting, but Perhaps not Fair
I enjoyed this book from beginning to end, but I do not feel it does Mr. Jobs justice.Deutschman always keeps things interesting, but he is almost certainly too harsh in his critique of Jobs.The problem with writing any biography on Jobs is that he is a fairly personal individual outside of his business persona.There is a general feeling throughout the book that Deutschman is captivated by Jobs but does not necesarily like him.However, because there are so few recent biographies of Mr. Jobs, this one becomes a must read.Worth the time for any Steve Jobs fan, not for its insiGHT, but for its insiDE information and story telling.If this book was written today, after Jobs renewed media darlingship, I think it would spin him more positively.

The Good, The Bad and the Ugly
If you love Apple and you think Steve Jobs walks on water, get ready for a reality check!The author does a great job at giving areal look into Steve Jobs the media personality, Steve Jobs the CEO and Steve Jobs the man.
New Perspective
It's great to see a different perspective on Jobs.So many books are either too nice to him, or too mean.This one is much more balanced than most, and has testaments from all sorts of people in Steve's life, and covers the bases as well as is possible without Steve participating.The best part is that it really focuses in on a portion of Steve's life that is often ignored in stories about Apple and Steve- NeXT and Pixar. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Computer industry    5. Corporate & Business History - Strategies    6. Corporate culture    7. Development - Business Development    8. Leadership    9. United States    10. Biography: general    11. Business & Economics / General    12. Entrepreneurship   

Reviews (1)

Net Entreprenures Only
This book is a unique book that profiles successful online entrepreneurs. We could find their motivation, strong point, business model, etc. Because the market is getting cold, rational and systematic business model is becoming important. This book suggested the ways for final winner in business. This book profiles twelve entrepreneurs who have started successful online businesses and provides information on the companies they founded, why they founded them, and how they succeeded. These entrepreneurs have been winners of Ernst & Young's prestigious "Entrepreneur-of-the-Year" awards. From person-to-person interviews with each entrepreneur such as founder of eBay, priceline, etc we could find their secret, important know-hows. I strongly recommend this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Business & Economics    3. Business / Economics / Finance    4. Business/Economics    5. Businesspeople    6. Computer Networks    7. Entrepreneurship    8. Internet - General    9. Marketing - General    10. Business & Economics / General   

Reviews (3)

I think even my mother would like this book!
The first part of the book deals entirely with the authors plight of growing up in a very rough area of town and the struggles that he faces with on a day to day basis.Apart from the first 4 or 5 pages, which contained a fast moving account of what happens when a rogue Chief Technology Officer gets sacked, for the first 71 pages I was wondering whether a differnet book had been slipped inside the jacket of hacker cracker as there was no mention of computers at all. The story was still pretty interesting though.Eventually he gets round to his first experience with computers and his encounters with hacking and the addictiveness of it all.Eventually the story ends up with a moving account of being at the site of the twin towers on 9/11 and a very touching part about a strange whistling noise (which I won't explain as it is a bit of a spoiler).An easy read and not really the usual hacker biography type book. I think this is partly due to the fact that the author is assuming his readers are not technical as some of the explanations (IRC for example) are very basic and some are almost "media stereotypical assumptions" of what really goes on.
Intercity computer whiz-kid(pretty good book)
Ejovi Nuwere is from Bedford Stuyvesant a neighborhood in brooklyn he comes from somewhat of a brokenhome doesnot really know his father and has a mother who does just about anything in the world for her children but she is a drug addict and has Aids he lives with his grandmother uncle and brother and numerous others that hang out at his grandmothers apartment were something is always going on. American Dream Story
This is an amazing story of a young man who goes from nothing to something, using technology. After reading this I was inspired to do something with my life!Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Business    5. Computer Books: General    6. Computer Data Security    7. Computer hackers    8. Computer security    9. Ethnic Studies - African American Studies - General    10. General    11. Personal Memoirs    12. Security - General    13. United States    14. Biography & Autobiography / General   

Editorial Review

AOL's story--from its origins in a doomed gaming service through its early appearance as a much-dismissed startup to its current status as an often-maligned giant--is as irresistible as a heroic comedy. Kara Swisher chronicles the surprising growth of the world's largest online service, an organization for which everything apparently went wrong. Read more

Reviews (46)

Never again...
I have tried the AOL's cd that gives free connection for 3 months, and when I wanted to cancel the subscription (because I changed my home address) it was impossible to stop the bank tranfers. As incredible as this may sound, AOL claims that they cannot cancel my subscription because I don't remember my password. Even when I am able to confirm all other information (credit card number, date of birth, social, etc), they refuse the cancel the subscription.
Who Would Have Thought
This is a good book. Well written with lots of information that you would have never known went on behind the scenes of aol. A real page turner.

AMAZING THE AOL IS STILL HERE!
Very fascinating and detailed look at the early and middle years of AOL(before the latest difficulties with TimeWarner merger). We see just how amazingly close we came to not having an AOL at all. Steve Case and his partners and co-horts came so close so many times to going belly up, yet the book also shows how others failed to capitalize on AOL's weaknesses and failed to understand its strengths.Read more

Subjects:  1. American    2. Biography    3. Business & Economics    4. Business/Economics    5. Businesspeople    6. Computer Bks - General Information    7. Computer Industry    8. Computer Industry (Economic Aspects)    9. Computers - General Information    10. General    11. Government - U.S. Government    12. History    13. History Of Specific Companies    14. Industries - General    15. Internet service providers    16. Online Services - America Online    17. Online information services industry    18. United States    19. Business competition    20. Current Events / American    21. Information technology industries   

Editorial Review

It's hard to think of a company that has captured the public imagination as much as Apple Computer. The rise and fall of the business that single-handedly created the PC market and then let it slip away has been the fodder for several books, most notably Read more

Reviews (41)

if you are still curious about the history of management & marketing,particularly from a CEO's perspective...
On the Firing Line: My 500 Days at Apple
Very good insight into the vacuum-sealed area of Apple
Gil Amelio provides excellent advice on how to deal with the difficult, stubborn and bright people who run Apple. At the end of the book it becomes clear that "if you contend with an influential person, then you will fall into his power" (Old Testmnt., Sirach 8:1).
Beyond Self Pity there is Actual Value and Insight
I know he seems rather naive and in a serious mode of self pity, but Jobs is infamously known for getting under people's skin and turning them inside out.He can make you a true believer, a zealot, or fill you with such dour disposition that you'd even contemplate suicide.He's that powerful.And it looks like Gil is caught up in that distortion field to his determent, so cut him a break please.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Business & Economics    3. Business / Economics / Finance    4. Business/Economics    5. Businessmen    6. Case studies    7. Computer Industry (Economic Aspects)    8. Computer industry    9. Corporate & Business History    10. Executives    11. General    12. Industries - General    13. Management    14. Management - General    15. Personal Computers & Microcomputers - Apple    16. United States    17. Amelio, Gil