More great reviews for Barbarians Led by Bill Gates
"This tale revolves around interviews with Microsoft insiders, mainly software developers such as Eller, who worked for the company from 1982 to 1995 ... BARBARIANS is entertaining. Like the people who populate the book, it is fast moving, smart and occasionally profane. It shows Gates to be obsessed by Microsoft's co-ventures and rivalries with IBM and Apple, and claims he is most effective with a competitor (like Netscape) in his sights, rather than initiating projects." --USA TODAY, 6/15/98

"The authors [of BARBARIANS LED BY BILL GATES] show examples of Microsoft as predatory and highly destructive. Microsoft has always lagged behind its competition in developing networking desktop applications, online services, Internet technologies and Web browsers, according to the book ... BARBARIANS debunks Gates as the brilliant computer entrepreneur and visionary that the media often talks about. Instead, it provides a glimpse of a man and a company that systematically sets out to eliminate competition and dominate markets." --Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel, 6/13/98

"A very timely book ... If you are interested in Microsoft from another angle, the read is compelling ...If you are at all interested in this case, you should find this view of Microsoft from the developer point of view fascinating." --The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, 6/1/98 END

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56 Reviews

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(10)
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3.0 out of 5 stars (56 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Catching Up, 11 Aug 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Barbarians LED by Bill Gates (Paperback)

Despite what many people have said about this book, I found it very intriguing to have learned many problems that Microsoft faced before becoming the name it is today. Who knew that they had many internal problems with programmers from IBM. No one really. This book spills the beans on how Microsoft and luck made them the giant company they are today. This book will inform the reader on many unknowns about Microsoft that I'm positive no one ever knew.

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2.0 out of 5 stars Worth a read, but isn't fascinating, 10 Jun 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Barbarians LED by Bill Gates (Paperback)

Definitely worth a read, but is not in the same league as say, Jim Carlton's book on Apple. A lot of conversation that makes it read more like a badly written novel and the authors tend to flatter themselvers rather, but it does contains some interesting nuggets on Microsoft's history that make it worth persevering. The book has the odd technology gaffe - Java is called 'an Internet scripting language' at one point!

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5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, 5 May 1999

By A Customer

A brilliant book well worth buying, it gives the reader an idea of what is going on inside both Microsoft and Bill Gates's head

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars Poorly Written
I was shocked at the low quality of the writing and the frequent use of crass and trendy expressions. Read more

Published on 22 April 1999

4.0 out of 5 stars And you thought they were a slick operation?
You think that in small organisations that things seem to be led by petty bureaucracy and unethical standards? Read more

Published on 3 April 1999

1.0 out of 5 stars Puh-leeese! Author's agenda ruins book.
Jennifer Edstrom is so biased that nothing is enjoyable about this book. It's like reading a communist doctrine written by Stalin. Read more

Published on 24 Mar 1999

4.0 out of 5 stars The Emperor's New Clothes
This book paints a suitably murky picture of Microsoft's part in the IT industry, however it goes further, offering-up compelling answers to the cult questions:

1. Read more

Published on 9 Mar 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book about how Microsoft grows to today's strength
I think the content of the book is very much focused on the title: Barbarians Led by Bill Gates. Bill Gates is by far the smartest leader in business world. Read more

Published on 1 Mar 1999

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice stories clustered together to a amusing book
A very interesting book, of course biased, but with a more or less concluding point of view.

I liked very much the personal anectodes, wich gives a good insight into a young... Read more

Published on 28 Dec 1998

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Read!
This book, written by a former Microsoft developer and the daughter of a former Microsoft PR person, is an excellent view from the inside. Read more

Published on 24 Dec 1998

4.0 out of 5 stars a good insider story told from a developer's point of view
An interesting retelling of Microsoft history from the developer's point of view. Shows the chaotic management and the non-standard nature of software development.

Published on 18 Nov 1998

2.0 out of 5 stars ...If Machiavelli Were A Bumbler
Marginal writing, some amusing anecdotes -- it's a story written by people who are ultimately serving the best interests of Microsoft and Bill Gates, despite what they say in the... Read more

Published on 11 Nov 1998

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent insider view
Along with the "Vault Reports Guide" on Microsoft, which is full of quotes from Microsoft insiders, I thought "Barbarians" was one of the best insider views... Read more

Published on 2 Nov 1998

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Barbarians Led by Bill Gates (Hardcover)

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