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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
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A history of Apple, IBM, and Microsoft. Nothing more.
Robert X. Cringely (aka Mark Stephens) is a self admitted Apple revisionist who not only loves to vilify Microsoft, but often overlooks the contributions of companies like Commodore, Atari, RadioShack, and Texas Instruments. Don't kid yourself -- these were major players, too.
That's not to say Cringely doesn't deserve kudos for his contributions to computer journalism. But one should approach his works with an open mind (i.e. open to sources aside from him), and a well-tuned B.S. meter.
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Technology Teacher's Perspective
There are plenty of well written reviews here on this excellent DVD so I'll just focus on its instructional value.
I purchased this DVD a year ago right here from Amazon.com because I remembered how excellent the program was when I watched it on PBS in 1996. I teach various technology and computer programming courses at the High School level and I thought this would be a good instructional aid in teaching students about the start of the personal computer industry. To further assist the teacher, Ambrose Video provides a good lesson plan outline (on their website) on how to approach the three parts contained within the DVD.
Overall, most students found the material presented in this video relevant and interesting. The only thing I would be cautious with is a scene in Volume 1, the "HOT TUB" scene. The majority of students were disturbed with it and I wouldn't have minded it if this was one of the scenes Ambrose chose to delete.
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Boys will be Boys!
Triumph of the Nerds (which is came from the book: Accidental Empires) is an eye opening documentary of the personal computer revolution and the who made it happen from an inside writer who knew the individuals.
Robert Cringley does an exceptionally thorough job of providing a bird's eye view of the personalities, motivations, business environment and savvy of the nerds who changed the world.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading the entire book. One of the parts that sticks out in my mind is about how the personal computer revolution happened so quickly. Cringley points out that the personal computer industry was totally different than any other industry. The participants shared their friendships, work, and knowledge freely. This "free sharing of knowledge" was on of the primary the lynch pin that allowed the industry to explode so quickly.
They shared this knowledge because it all started out as a hobby and many hobbyists freely share ideas. The nerds had no idea of the powder keg of an industry they were sitting on!
Cringley points out a second lynch pin was the growth of the industry was partially because of the youth and exuberance of its participants. For example, he states: "In the PC business, constant change is the only norm, and adolescent energy is the source of that change."
This is an incredible show for anyone interested in learning about the fascinating story of the start of the PC industry.
The Re-Discovery of Common Sense: A Guide to: The Lost Art of Critical Thinking
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Triumph of the Nerds
Documentary style. Excellent if you love history and are interested in the way the computer revolution got started.
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Wonderful ... best Silicon Valley story I have known of
The documentry takes you through behind the scenes of what happened in the Valley. Typical in Bob's style, it is full of humour and comments that only someone "who has been there" can narrate.
Of almost all Silicon Valley DVDs available on Amazon, I would rate this one as the superset of all.