Rating: 
Summary: Empires, The Gossip of the Silicon Valley
Review: The first thing you need to know about _Accidental Empires_ is that Robert X. Cringley made his name writing a gossip column for 'Infoworld'. The key word in that first sentence was "gossip".With that said, you must realize that this book chronicles a fascinating time as the Silicon Valley emerges from the harsh cold of the mainframe years into the pleasantly warm and personable PC era. Cringley scribes some fairly goofy (which are somewhat true) stories about some fairly goofy figures who were extremely influential in these early years. Anyone who wants to get a taste of how little planning actually went into the creation of that PC you're looking at right this very second absolutely must read this book. It doesn't matter if you've just started with computers or sleep with one every night, _Accidental Empires_ will teach you something about an industry that has succeeded in spite of itself.
Rating: 
Summary: A Bit Dated but Still Worth Reading
Review: This book was a book that launched a genre - the sarcastic, gossipy fast-paced insiders look at the computer industry. It's still one of the best of its kind even though it is now pretty dated. I work in a company on the fringe of the computer industry. Sometimes co-workers come and ask me what to read to understand the industry. This is the first book I give them. The stories in this book, how Microsoft beat IBM, how Apple grew, etc. are the fundamental mythology of the industry. If you work in or near the industry you ought to read this book. As some other reviewers have noted, the tone will make some readers cringe a bit, but the tone is pretty depictive of the way in which many people in the industry actually see things. The only reason I didn't give this book five stars is because it is a bit dated. Most of the stories have been told later and better by others so if you've already read a lot of the books about the industry this one will seem a bit old. Although I do still think this book is worth reading even if you've read the others.
Rating:
Summary: Change of pace
Review: Tired of reading fawning novels about the movers and shakers of the computing age? Tired of reading tired knowledge passed off as far reaching vision because the author happened to be in the right place and made a pile of money? This is the book for you. Robert Cringley has no reason to be nice to anyone since (1) he writes a column on the dirt of the industry and (2) his name is a pseudonym. So, the gloves are off, and no holds are barred. Of course, there are a few of Cringely's laws, and some of those tired bits of vision (broadband. It's the next big thing, as of 1996. Spitting distance to 2001 and I'm still waiting!). The addendum to the 1996 edition is interesting, since it's less predictive than the 1992 edition. Sometime between 1996 and the present, things changed in ways that no one expected, and the predictions are rather amusing. In 1992, looking at the 'new' 486s and looking at the future, the vision is true. If you want to see someone analyze everyone's personality defects, in depth, this is the book for you. If not, there's plenty else to read. I'd recommend this work.
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