Rating: 
Summary: Best book i've ever read
Review: This book is great ... i'm not the one who usually reads book in month but ... I read this masterpiece in 4 days ... well ... not goot for my math work ;). I'm 15 and i'm going to do something in that buisiness, and to know how it was 20 years ago is really interresting ...
masterpiece - reallyand i got an authograph from Wallach ;) ... my dad met him im 89 :D have fun
Rating:
Summary: A great slice of computer history
Review: This book was written at one of the times in computer history when computers were evolving, and the industry was greatly changing; something which has happened quite a few times in the computer industry over the past 40 years. This is a must read for all engineering types, and a good intro to those outside the industry towards what goes into making new computer products - though much of what it details is now quite aged. A great read that details how engineering greatness is made...and how the creators are often passed over and forgotten.
Rating:
Summary: Marriage of Equity and Technology
Review: This book, his first best-known to emerge from Kidder's credible and entertaining non-fiction oeuvre, chronicles the efforts of a group of computer enthusiasts to develop and then gain stake in the then-young (1980) industry. But this book is more than a mere study of technology and its seemingly pervasive sphere of influence. The books speaks to the inherent nature of equity and the just rewards when coupled with good intentions of individuals from where all ideas (great and otherwise) emerge. This book is a judicious and lasting gift to those who know and realize the more positive efforts arising from work in technological field. Highly recommend
Rating:
Summary: Marriage of Equity and Technology
Review: This book, this first best-known book to emerge from Kidder's credible and entertaining non-fiction oeuvre, chronicles the efforts of a group of computer enthusiasts to develop and then gain stake in the then-young (1980) industry. But this book is more than a mere study of technology and its seemingly pervasive sphere of influence. The books speaks to the inherent nature of equity and the just rewards when coupled with good intentions of individuals from where all ideas (great and otherwise) emerge. This book is a judicious and lasting gift to those who know and realize the more positive efforts arising from work in technological field. Highly recommend
Rating: 
Summary: Parallels...
Review: This books is a story of building a computer, from start to finish, told in the form of an epic journey. It goes in depth on the people involved, strategy used, the company politics and how they all integrated into and affected the project. Being in a small software organization for the last 4 years and having experience a tripling in size and about the same in revenue, it was very easy for me to find parallels to my company's growth, the people and the experiences that were at Data General when the computer was built. Here are some of the (summed up briefly) that I found: 1. Speech Period (pep ralley) 2. Leader becoming more and more distant 3. Need to be doing something interesting 4. Mushroom Theory of Management (put them in the dark, feed them s*$# and watch them grow). 5. Everyone burns out 6. All of the sudden, its just a job 7. The gunslinger 8. Management has changed and its no longer the same place ... and many others I think that anyone reading the book curious of parallels in businesses (regardless of what they do), would find this book a good source of info.
Rating:
Summary: A Computer Scientist Must Have Book
Review: This is a book that any Computer related person will enjoy. Even for people that is outside the "culture" of technology, this book will give a glance on the competitive world of Computers. I would recommend it for any Computer Sciences student, who wants to understand the ABC of processors, and computers, along with a real hisotry of hard work, commitment and competition.
Rating:
Summary: A readable story about building a computer
Review: This is an accomplished book but to me it fails to tackle the central issue, what is the soul of the machine ? Obviously the ingenuity of people to create a working computer. The descriptions of this in the book provide some of the finest moments. As to the root of inspiration Kidder says these engineers all have natural talent and were fiddling around with dismantling watches, radios and the like when the rest of us were playing in sand pits at age four. Just as intriguing is the point that making computers to do certain jobs isn't cost effective, so why do it ? On top of this is the notion that the engineers give little thought as to what the computer is to be used for. It could be for anything from military or scientific research to use in an insurance company. Perhaps the books construction is at fault here. it raises these important and intriguing issues then fails to tackle them convinvingly. Was the author writing with a book plan in mind ? or was it a happen-by-chance fly-on-the wall journal that happened to become a book ? The book is good, well structured and the story is kept interesting, though I felt it lets the real story get away.
Rating:
Summary: Inside view by on outsider of hardware/software development
Review: This is the story of how a new computer was made, the Data General MV-800
Eagle. Well actually it isn't, it is the story of a team, a group of
talented and extremely motivated people who performed a miracle. The team
dynamics are described in realistic detail, the nights (and days) people
work when they are "close" to a solution, the rivalry between the "hardies"
and the "softies", but above all the rivalry with the competition and the
clock. Anyone who has worked in software will recognize a lot in this and
most of those would love to be part of that team. Any manager would like to know what it takes
to get people to be dedicated like that.
The end is realistic, thus sad, the product ends up in the hands of the
marketing guys, the team dissolves, some stars get promoted, some quit. This
book won a well deserved Pulitzer Prize.
Rating:
Summary: So good I read it TWICE! Then I bought the hard cover.
Review: Tracy Kidder has captured the heart and soul of the daunting task of making a technological marvel. The constraints of time, budgets, personalities, plus competitors breathing down their necks. It's a breathtaking ride as the team works to achieve a miracle, and bring their idea to birth.
Rating:
Summary: Machines make us human
Review: Tracy Kidder is one of those people who can write comfortably about a variety of subjects. Whether it is school children or nursing home residents or, in this case, modern engineers and creators, he manages to give us a glimpse of their essence. He manages to delve and reveal their very soul. I read this book some time ago and marvelled at how it remained in my thoughts for some time afterward. The hopes, the dreams, the interaction, the sheer act of pure thought - these are all captured in brilliant prose right before our eyes. And in spite of all the problems, barriers, egos and behind-the-door dealings, we see a corporate project progress and understand (finally) that all such endeavors are, in the end, human ones. Men and women stretching the bounds of technology is what has always defined our race. We are the technological animal, the creature that uses other materials to enhance our life. Great story - great book.
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