Triumph of the Nerds

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic, wonderous...entertaining.
Review: A wonderfully complete and in-depth look at the ins and outs, the ups the downs, the big scores and the big mistakes of what made the personal computer what it is today and what made Microsoft bigger than IBM and bigger than the PC itself.

Nerds craved it, techies and hippies nurtured it, and IBM's greed and sluggishness helped turn Wozniak, Jobs, Gates, Balmer and Allen into current day legends. These men shaped the world we see today and the world we'll deal with tomorrow.

Watch this if only to grasp the incredible chances and out-and-out luck that shaped today's PC. It's funny, informative, in-depth and Bob Cringley pulls it all together seamlessly with interviews with those who were a part of the industry and those who are the industry.

Rating:
Summary: Sociopaths, egomaniacs, hippies and nerds.
Review: And we have THEM to thank for all of this.

Your humble author can't help but wonder how Bob Cringely got the likes of Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Steve Wozniak, Paul Allen and others in front of the cameras for an honest look inside the slightly twisted minds that begat the personal computer.

At 3 hours in length, "Triumph of the Nerds" isn't just a PBS miniseries. On home video, it becomes an epic. And why shouldn't it be? The personal computer has an impact on our lives equal to that of the light bulb and the automobile. But in the case of the PC, most of the people responsible for its creation and worldwide influence are still alive. These are flesh and blood humans, not fading historical sketches like Henry Ford and Thomas Edison.

"Triumph of the Nerds" was originally produced as a 20-year retrospective on the personal computer. But the PC will be 25 years old in the year 2000. I can't wait to see Bob Cringely's follow up

Rating:
Summary: Sociopaths, egomaniacs, hippies and nerds.
Review: And we have THEM to thank for all of this.

Your humble author can't help but wonder how Bob Cringely got the likes of Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Steve Wozniak, Paul Allen and others in front of the cameras for an honest look inside the slightly twisted minds that begat the personal computer.

At 3 hours in length, "Triumph of the Nerds" isn't just a PBS miniseries. On home video, it becomes an epic. And why shouldn't it be? The personal computer has an impact on our lives equal to that of the light bulb and the automobile. But in the case of the PC, most of the people responsible for its creation and worldwide influence are still alive. These are flesh and blood humans, not fading historical sketches like Henry Ford and Thomas Edison.

"Triumph of the Nerds" was originally produced as a 20-year retrospective on the personal computer. But the PC will be 25 years old in the year 2000. I can't wait to see Bob Cringely's follow up.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully entertaining documentary for the non-techies
Review: Call it the "E! True Hollywood Story" of the PC industry. Cringely takes a thorough (and thoroughly funny) look at the birth of the PC and the dogged determinism and wild coincidences that ushered in a new technological era. This is Big Business, Big Egos, and VERY Big Money, and the video is as much entertaining as informative. Lots of fun and captivating to watch. Far superior to the Nerds 2.0 follow-up, and immensely superior to the made-for-cable movie "Pirates of Silicon Valley."

Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully entertaining documentary for the non-techies
Review: Call it the "E! True Hollywood Story" of the PC industry. Cringely takes a thorough (and thoroughly funny) look at the birth of the PC and the dogged determinism and wild coincidences that ushered in a new technological era. This is Big Business, Big Egos, and VERY Big Money, and the video is as much entertaining as informative. Lots of fun and captivating to watch. Far superior to the Nerds 2.0 follow-up, and immensely superior to the made-for-cable movie "Pirates of Silicon Valley."

Rating:
Summary: Very well edited!!
Review: Extrememly well put together. I feel like an expert on computers after having watched this video and the others in the series. This video is far better than the hokey TV movie made about Bill Gates and Steve Jobs.

Rating:
Summary: Quick College Course in Personal Computer History
Review: Finally available in DVD!! I bought it first in VHS and loved it and then bought 5 more sets for Christmas presents. Have been waiting for the DVD and bought that also for myself. This is a great lesson in the history and development of the Personal Computer. I have taught college classes on computers and have used parts of this in the classroom. It is an active lesson in history as it relates to the current news all around us and has videos of all of the key players in the development of the PC and the Internet. It is fascinating. I watch it over and over and learn new things all the time.
Even non-computer people that have come over to my house have enjoyed viewing it.

Rating:
Summary: Quick College Course in Personal Computer History
Review: Finally available in DVD!! I bought it first in VHS and loved it and then bought 5 more sets for Christmas presents. Have been waiting for the DVD and bought that also for myself. This is a great lesson in the history and development of the Personal Computer. I have taught college classes on computers and have used parts of this in the classroom. It is an active lesson in history as it relates to the current news all around us and has videos of all of the key players in the development of the PC and the Internet. It is fascinating. I watch it over and over and learn new things all the time.
Even non-computer people that have come over to my house have enjoyed viewing it.

Rating:
Summary: Phenomenal, outstanding, inspirational. A "must see"!
Review: I am only a lowly CIS major, but in my humble opinion, this series is one of the most inspirational videos I have had the pleasure to view. I would recomend this series and " Nerds 2.0.1 " to any computer enthusiest. A follow up is necessary.:)

Rating:
Summary: Great Video!! Dead on retrospective.
Review: I have seen few documentaries on a par with this one. All of the big names in the computer industry appear on camera and those of us in the industry find it just this side of hilarious to see the obvious dislike between Gates and Jobs. It's worth it just for that. Don't forget to watch the sequel "Nerds 2.0.1"