- Paperback: 384 pages
- Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd; 2nd Revised edition edition (4 April 1996)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0140258264
- ISBN-13: 978-0140258264
- Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 12.8 x 2.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 117,215 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Robert X. Cringely manages to capture the contradictions and everyday insanity of computer industry empire building, while at the same time chipping away sardonically at the PR campaigns that have built up some very common business people into the household gods of geekdom. Despite some chuckles at the expense of all things nerdy, white and male in the computer industry, Cringely somehow manages to balance the humour with a genuine appreciation of both the technical and strategic accomplishments of these industry luminaries. Whether you're a hard-boiled Silicon Valley marketing exec fishing for an IPO or just a plain old reader with an interest in business history and anecdotal storytelling, there's something to enjoy here.
In his new conclusion, Cringely looks at the likely near-future of the PC industry, arguing that most of the major companies are facing a need to dramatically reformulate their mission in the light of engineering developments already in the works. He offers a new paradigm for the development of the industry as it moves from its early "start up" phase into a more mature, more competitive era. --Jake Bond
Review
"The title is an inspiration, and Cringely's whimsical, matter of fact style--an attribute altogether missing in the urgent, go-go lifestyles of the people he writes about--makes the book itself worth reading. It has a sense of perspective most books about the high-tech priesthood sorely lack."-- "USA Today""A wonderfully readable, acerbic and funny tale of America's most important industry'"-- Tom Peters"Cringely writes in a tone that's part "Spy Magazine, " part "Newsweek, " and part "The Wonder Years.""-- "Los Angeles Times""An epic tale. The best book on the subject so far."-- "New York Daily News""A fascinating book . . . well worth the time."-- "Sacramento Bee"As compelling and entertaining read as "Barbarians at the Gate."-- Roger von Oech
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Compulsory (for Open University T171), but a good read,
By A Customer
This review is from: Accidental Empires: How the Boys of Silicon Valley Make Their Millions, Battle Foreign Competition and Still Can't Get a Date (Paperback)
This book is a set text for OU T171, so I had to get it. But I really enjoyed it... the style was easy to read (particularly compared to the second set text)... you can tell it is written by a journalist, but at least they are supposed to be able to write. I read this one like a novel from cover to cover in one weekend. The author is easier on Bill Gates than other books I know, but overall it seemed quite a well researched history of PCs (as compared to most books which cover the history of computers). I'd recommend it - and fellow students can breathe a sigh of relief!
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Cringley1 - Gates0 (but to be continued i'm sure),
By A Customer
This review is from: Accidental Empires: How the Boys of Silicon Valley Make Their Millions, Battle Foreign Competition and Still Can't Get a Date (Paperback)
Accidental Empires gives a fairly broad outline of the development of the personal computer from the days when it was first created and no-one realy knew what it was going to be used for, up to around 1996 when Bill Gates was already up to his umpteenth million. Though the author does have an in depth knowledge of all the key characters in the world of the computer such as Steve Jobs of Apple or the nerdy Mr Gates, I do feel at times that he has a personal axe to grind with some of them. Despite this, I found the book a compelling read (the fact that I have finished the book is to some degree testiment to this) and though I have only read this book in connection with Open University course T171 I feel that it has given me a taster of a subject about which I knew little and certainly leaves the me wanting to study the subject more deeply. The author has a witty and easy to read writing style, with which he pokes a sometimes cynical and often humourous stick at a world which seems to the layperson to take itself too seriously at times.
17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Triumph of the Nerds in Words,
By A Customer
This review is from: Accidental Empires: How the Boys of Silicon Valley Make Their Millions, Battle Foreign Competition and Still Can't Get a Date (Paperback)
I am currently studying with the Open University and this is one of the set books we have had to read. I found it a very good read, although some of the anecdotes were a little hard to swallow at times, in particular the one about Bill Gates in a late night store buying ice cream. Robert Cringely was a guest in one of our on-line conferences, and actually confirmed that this story is true as told to him by another customer in the same checkout line. The book outlines where computers originated and where Silicon Valley came from, from Bob Noyce, (inventor if the integrated circuit), to William H Gates, (CEO of Microsoft). Don't think we owe a debt of gratitude to Mr Gates for the introduction of the PC either. This goes to Gary Kildall - read the book to find out more. An easy read, amusing at times and very informative.
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