Computer manufacturing is--after cars, energy production and illegal drugs--the largest industry in the world, and it's one of the last great success stories in American business. Accidental Empires is the trenchant, vastly readable history of that industry, focusing as much on the astoundingly odd personalities at its core--Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Mitch Kapor, etc. and the hacker culture they spawned as it does on the remarkable technology they created. Cringely reveals the manias and foibles of these men (they are always men) with deadpan hilarity and cogently demonstrates how their neuroses have shaped the computer business. But Cringely gives us much more than high-tech voyeurism and insider gossip. From the birth of the transistor to the mid-life crisis of the computer industry, he spins a sweeping, uniquely American saga of creativity and ego that is at once uproarious, shocking and inspiring.
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 businesspeople 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 humor 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.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Boys will be Boys!:
Accidental Empires (later made into a great TV production called: Triumph of the Nerds) is an eye opening view of the personal computer revolution and the who made it happen from an inside writer who knew the individuals. Robert Cringley does an exceptionally thorough job of providing a bird's eye view of the personalities, motivations, business environment and savvy of the nerds who changed the world. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the entire book. One of the parts that sticks out in my mind is... more info
Real Genius Writes in Three Mental Dimensions:
If you are as fortunate as me, you will be able to read ACCIDENTAL EMPIRES and, at that time, realize that Mr. Robert Cringeley has a profund writing style. Better than that craft of many suspense writers. Yet, this is all real. It's as real as it gets...Rather, as real as it had been. Cringely has an immaculate sense of pace and timing...he teleports you from the distant past to the nearly present, to the potential future. A non-fiction writer who can captivate my attention with that kind of 3-Dimensial... more info
Excellent !!! The history of computer business:
If you wish to know and better understand the computer business this book is for you. If you wish to know and better understand the computer history this book is for you too.
It's an excellent book, easy to read with full details.
Only one expection, Robert Cringley didn't metion Amiga computer and it's importance.
I recommend this excellent book for all !
"Accidental Empires" is not exactly an appropriate title:
Published in 1992, this book is a good retrospective on the rise of the microcomputer and the fortunes it helped generate. However, Cringely almost totally fails when he attempts to look into the future. Cringely writes a regular industry gossip column for "InfoWorld" and so is well connected with the inner workings of the IT industry. As you will be able to see from Cringely's writings, the choice of the title is only marginally correct.
It is true that Bill Gates, Steven Jobs and the others who... more info
