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Hackers by Steven Levy, Doubleday, 1984 (info on 1st ed.; available in paperback)Click the image to find out more about the book. |
A lot of things have happened since the publication of Hackers. However, Steven Levy's book seems relevant today when are CPU's are 32-bit (or even 64-bit) instead of 16-bit, and everyone is talking about the World Wide Web.
A reviewer (I can't recall who), once wrote that Hackers was the computer age version of Tom Wolfe's The Right Stuff (which was about test pilots and astronauts). Since I have read both books, I can vouch for the validity of that statement.
Like Tom Wolfe's book, Steven Levy's book deals with several different generations of hackers -- three generations, in fact -- all of whom share certain traits (e.g., being nerds) but also have dissimilarities. The first generation hackers fooled around with Digital's PDP series mainframes (the HOT computer of that time) at the hollowed halls of MIT. Like Top Gun, these hackers gave each other nicknames (which were three-lettered -- RMS, for example). The second generation -- which all of us who are using personal computers are indebted too -- were techno-hippies and "homebrewers" (people who made there own computers). Among this illustrious group are such notables like Steve "The Woz" Wozniak (inventor of the Apple II and The Polish-Dial-A-Joke line), John "Cap'n Crunch" Draper (phone phreaker), Steve Jobs, and the dynamic duo -- Paul Allen and Bill Gates. The third generation hackers (we might be the fourth generation or third and a half -- better ask Steven Levy about this one), were software hackers who played around with the toys that the second generation came up with.
I love this book. I can go on and on about it. All I will add to this is that you should go out and read it. As we enter the age of the Internet Server and the Internet "Appliance," we may find ourselves in the same situation that the first generation was in. As the cliché goes, "the more things change, the more things stay the same." (Or, "history repeats itself.")
One of the best television programs I have ever seen. Check with your local PBS station to see if they will aire it (if not, you can order the video -- go to the PBS site by clicking the image above). Basically, this three hour program reviews the history of the personal computer revolution -- all with the unique wit of Robert Cringely. Highly recommended.
Coming soon: review of Accidental Empires by Robert Cringely
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