Do you have a favorite computer-related book from the 1970s or 80s?
Looking for interesting things to read. Can be technical but it should be at least leaning towards cultural and the people and ideas behind things or be otherwise interesting.
Do you have a favorite computer-related book from the 1970s or 80s?
Looking for interesting things to read. Can be technical but it should be at least leaning towards cultural and the people and ideas behind things or be otherwise interesting.
@rdnielsen yeah that’s a classic and I have it :)
@thomasfuchs - Another recommendation for The Soul of a New Machine by Tracy Kidder.
@thomasfuchs Computer Lib is probably the classic choice here, although I've not read it.
@adr hmm, gotta put a search in to grab a cheaper copy oO
@thomasfuchs Inside the Personal Computer — A Pop-up Guide. It's very cute and really nicely done. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhHWF67--is
@billgoats yeah got the one, it’s amazing
@nuxi actually ordered that earlier today 🥳
Digital Deli is one that doesn't get much love, for some reason. A bunch of contemporary essays, comics, and listicles about the PC revolution by the people involved. Available online here: https://www.atariarchives.org/deli/
In the same vein, Best of Creative Computing. It's astonishing (and depressing) to realize how many of today's issues were forseen, with little to no progress made. They also happen to be available online: https://www.atariarchives.org/bcc1/
(increment cc1 for additional volumes)
@kladni Thanks! Yeah earlier stuff is fine too (just sometimes very hard to get a hold of)
@thomasfuchs
This is much earlier than the 70s but might be something you'd dig:
"The Human Use of Human Beings - Cybernetics and Society" by Norbert Wiener. First published in 1950, but I found it really fascinating and surprisingly relevant still.
@kladni Also, what a cool dude, one of his doctoral students was Amar Bose, the founder of Bose
@kladni I found a paperback copy from one of the earlier printings; we a ton of old books and I prefer paper over ebooks when I can
@thomasfuchs
It's a classic book, probably still available. I got it in recent memory on Amazon but I'm sure it's out there as a free ebook by now.
@jleedev had a copy borrowed from a friend for a while, it's kind of amazing
@thomasfuchs "A FORTRAN Coloring Book" (1978) is beautiful and weird.
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