Oracle

Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution

Format: Paperback
Author: Steven Levy
ReleaseDate: 02 January, 2001
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Rating:

Good, But with Minor Flaws
However, to someone in the know, it is very detracting that may extremely well known acronyms, such as TECO (Text Editor and COrector) are written phonetically in the book, i. This is a good book on the early (good guy) hackers primarily from the MIT point of view.e. , totally and consistently wrong. Like any other book this size, it also has some omissions and minor error. But overall it does a good job of giving the flavor of the times. (Note: I am mentioned twice in passing in the book. ).

Escape to another time and place


These are the original hackers. These guys aren't the hackers that create viruses that damage your computer hard drive. The ones that slept next to the huge mainframes waiting for a chance to get on and test their programs.

I had read about them in other computer history books devoted to artificial intelligence. One such book is "The Brain Makers" by HP Newquist.

But this book takes me so close into their lives that I feel I am actually there with them.

I read a chapter in the book and then get the urge to learn another computer language.

The definitive book on the original Hackers


It contains three sections describing three different kinds of hackers: The True Hackers (part 1), The Hardware Hackers (part 2), and The Game Hackers (part 3). If you are a techie, or just interested in the Technology Revolution, this is a must have book. However, to me, I've always imagined it thusly (in my head): part one ("The True Hackers") are about the original hackers, those who did research and were hackers with a code and with principles; part two ("The Hardware Hackers") were about "the hobbyists" like Woz and the rest; and part three ("The Game Hackers") was about the commercialization of the computer world.

Part one ("The True Hackers") focuses on the MIT AI Lab, while touching on the Stanford AI Lab (SAIL) and related environments. For me, this was my favorite section - I've read and reread the stories of The Model Railroad Club (TMRC) and the foibles of the men that organized the first computer lab at MIT.

Part two ("The Hardware Hackers") focuses to a large degree on the Homebrew Computer Club, and on projects such as Community Memory and the Well. It tells the story of the Apple I and of the founding of Apple Computer.

Part three ("The Game Hackers") revolves largely around the story of the game company Sierra On-Line and of Ken and Roberta Williams.

The Epilogue is also not to be missed: "The Last of the True Hackers. " True hacker devotees should already know the focus of this section: Richard Stallman, the founder of the GNU Project and of the Free Software Foundation - and I believe, even a founder of the League for Programming Freedom. Richard Stallman was the creator of GNU Emacs (a text editor), gcc (a language compiler), and more.

The writing is clear and easy to comprehend, even for a technical subject. It is lucid and vivid - and makes you feel like you can reach out and visit with the men described in these pages. When you are done, you feel like you've made some new friends. . . .

Get this book if you love reading about hacker culture or computer culture - you won't regret it.