Michael Swaine - Fire in the Valley: The Birth and Death of the Personal Computer

Things change over time, even when they dont. When Fire in the Valley first came out in 1984, I was just discovering that these clunky little TVs with keyboards were better than Wite-Out, but the idea they might already have a history seemed a Warholian conceit. By the release of the second edition, they certainly had a historyand most who could operate them knew it. By then, I even had a bit part in it. Nowwell, now this is a book about events that truly changed history. And its still pretty much the same book. Whats more, most of the millions whose worlds have been utterly transformed by bit-boxes dont know a thing about their origins. But if youre going to read one history book this decade, read this one. You need to know the hilarious saga of the wizards and the wing nuts and the little miracles by which they created everybodys future.

This must-read classic tale of the origins of the personal computer and its role in the evolution of Silicon Valley continues to evolve and inform. In an era when we take the personal computer for granted, we tend to forget the risk-taking and ambition that was required to shift from a hobbyist plaything to a thriving industry. The authors focus on the people and culture that helped to change the worldand continue to change the world through offshoots like smartphones and the Internet. The fire continues to grow.

Fire in the Valley is the seminal story of Silicon Valley. It is the first and only biography of the place that made and continues to make innovation history. Swaine and Freiberger capture the emotions and motivations at the core of this very special place with tenderness and finesse that endure to this day.

Fire in the Valley presents the full story: from calculating machines and military computers through the heady days of garage start-ups, the rise of the clones, the initial forays into cyberspace, and on to consolidation, commoditization, and the heightened frenzy of an all-connected world of mobile devices and cloud services that we experience today. Its theme is best summed up by the authors themselves: time and again, crazy dreamers had run up against resistance from accepted wisdom and had prevailed to realize their dreams. Babbage and his Analytical Engine, Turings test, von Neumanns computer, Shockleys transistor, Noyces integrated circuit, Kildalls operating system, Robertss microcomputer company, Moores law, Gates and software, Woz and hardware, Jobs and the first truly personal computer, Kapor and the spreadsheet, Berners-Lee and the Web, Andreessen and the web browser, and all of the lesser-known and unsung heroes are here.

The authors rightly focused on the human aspects of the story: the hopes, desires, and values of the dreamers. Every student of technological innovation should treat this book as the bible of computer culture and learn its lessons.

Highly readable and engrossing, Fire in the Valley takes the reader behind the scenes, into the creation of the personal-computer industry and how it spawned the technology products we cant live without today. This updated edition is as fascinating as the original book, piquing the curiosity of the reader as we wonder what new transformative technologies will come next.

Fire in the Valley is a must-read for entrepreneurs, investors, and anyone involved with technology. The entrepreneurs of the personal-computer industry made every possible mistake. Their story will save you a lot of money, time, and disappointment.

Silicon Valley suffers from an extreme case of historical amnesia. Whatever its virtues, remembering its roots isnt one. The best remedyespecially for those who treasure understanding the origins of the worlds top innovation clusteris to read Fire in the Valley . Swaine and Freiberger brilliantly capture a bygone time, a forgotten creation story that, when first encountered, greatly enhances your appreciation of the technological marvel that Silicon Valley was, is, and likely shall remain. This is an essential volume in any reading list on the digital age.