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Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - 25th Anniversary Edition
 
 

Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - 25th Anniversary Edition [Kindle Edition]

Steven Levy
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)

Print List Price: £16.99
Kindle Price: £8.27 includes VAT* & free wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet
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Product Description

Product Description

This 25th anniversary edition of Steven Levy's classic book traces the exploits of the computer revolution's original hackers -- those brilliant and eccentric nerds from the late 1950s through the early '80s who took risks, bent the rules, and pushed the world in a radical new direction. With updated material from noteworthy hackers such as Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Richard Stallman, and Steve Wozniak, Hackers is a fascinating story that begins in early computer research labs and leads to the first home computers.

Levy profiles the imaginative brainiacs who found clever and unorthodox solutions to computer engineering problems. They had a shared sense of values, known as "the hacker ethic," that still thrives today. Hackers captures a seminal period in recent history when underground activities blazed a trail for today's digital world, from MIT students finagling access to clunky computer-card machines to the DIY culture that spawned the Altair and the Apple II.

About the Author

Levy is a senior writer for Wired. Previously, he was chief technology writer and a senior editor for Newsweek. Levy has written six books and had articles published in Harper's, Macworld, The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, Premiere, and Rolling Stone. Steven has won several awards during his 30+ years of writing about technology, including Hackers, which PC Magazine named the best Sci-Tech book written in the last twenty years and, Crypto, which won the grand eBook prize at the 2001 Frankfurt Book festival.


Product details

  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 877 KB
  • Print Length: 520 pages
  • Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
  • Publisher: O'Reilly Media; 1 edition (19 May 2010)
  • Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B003PDMKIY
  • Text-to-Speech: Enabled
  • X-Ray: Enabled
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #77,651 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
21 of 23 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A classic , the history of modern computing 25 Mar 2001
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
If your into computing then this book is a "must read". As much as is possible it turns the rather boring subject of computing history into a good read. It describes all the periods , people and moments from computing history in detail and gives the reasoning ( dare is say - logic ) behind how we ended up with computing as it is today.

The only gripe that could be aimed at this book is that it is completely US orientated. To read this book without any prior knowledge would leave you with the impression that the computer "revolution" started and remains the sole property of the US.

Whilst in a lot of cases this is true , particularly in the area of hardware , the author did take a rather blinkered view when he covered the subject of computer games which doesn't do justice to the UK gaming companies who were ( and still are ) every bit as important as our US cousins.

The bottom line though is that its a brilliant book , one i would recommend to anyone who is nerdy enough to want to know the history of modern day computing.

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By adulau
Format:Paperback
Owner of the previous edition, I was maybe expecting too much for the 25th anniversary edition... The original one is really a great book showing the computer history and especially the beginning of the video games industry. The hacker movement is also clearly defined and explained the importance of breaking the boundaries in computer science. But if you are already the owner of the previous edition, you don't really need to purchase the anniversary edition... as this is just 20 pages of 25-years after without too much new advancement. At the end, the quality of this book resides in its ability to be still very good after 25 years.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars The personalities that drove the computing Boom. 16 Feb 2004
Format:Paperback
When looking for a fantastic read one does not immediately jump to the computer history section, thank Levy for exceptions.
Stephen Levy, a gifted author and journalist, leads the reader on a poignant journey through an age where computing still conjured up images of 6 foot computer terminals explored studiously by social outcasts. Levy has vibrantly fleshed out each of these leading characters and probably shined personality into historical figures who otherwise may have forever remained nameless geniuses.
As much a classic as any commentary in the past 40years, assuredly to be on class reading lists in the future... so get it before your Grand-kids do!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars Great if you are 50 ish and know the original meaning of the word...
That is a guy "hacking" at a computer and nothing to do with system security infiltration which is an entirely different thing. Read more
Published 3 months ago by JON
4.0 out of 5 stars This is where it started
If you work within the field of computing and have an interest in how and why things have developed the way they have, then this book is one that you really should get. Read more
Published on 9 Jan 2011 by Mole
5.0 out of 5 stars Best book in years
Having been working in the IT industry as a programmer for nearly 10 years, I just wish I had read this book 10 years ago.
This is a MUST have book for any IT professional.
Published on 25 Nov 2010 by Paul Leclercq
5.0 out of 5 stars fascinating look at the history of the computer industry
Hackers is a fascinating history of the computer industry from the late 50's through to the late 80s, covering the birth of the personal computer, the internet and the gaming... Read more
Published on 26 Aug 2010 by D. Graham
5.0 out of 5 stars Best of breed
This is simply the best computer history book I've ever read. The early chapters at MIT, I think are the the stand-out chapters here. Read more
Published on 4 April 2005 by G. J. Little
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely amazing!
Right from the beginning this book had me completely hooked. It is obvious the amount of research that has gone into this book, and it delivers exactly what it promises. Read more
Published on 1 Feb 2004 by Richard Patching
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic History of Computing
A hack: a neat or smart way of fixing or implementing something. This definition was in use in MIT in the late fifties in the MIT Tech Railroad Club where young engineers would... Read more
Published on 29 Aug 2003 by J. Cronin
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read!
I have to agree with the previous reviewer. This is an absolute brilliant book and once I started reading I literally could not put it down and so far I have not encountered this... Read more
Published on 21 Sep 2001
1.0 out of 5 stars BOOOOOOring
I bought this book here on amazon, and to be frank it sux, Unless you are interested in a bunch of weird geeks based in MIT, (personally have nothing against geeks, but this book,... Read more
Published on 7 Jan 2000
5.0 out of 5 stars Required reading
Steven Levy tells a good story and for every one of us reading this on a computer now, the history of the computer is a great one. Read more
Published on 23 Aug 1999
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Popular Highlights

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Access to computers—and anything that might teach you something about the way the world works—should be unlimited and total. Always yield to the Hands-On Imperative! &quote;
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All information should be free. &quote;
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Hackers should be judged by their hacking, not bogus criteria such as degrees, age, race, or position. &quote;
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