Rating:  - A good reference, but a tedious read
I've been wanting to read What the Doormouse said since it came out, and finally got the chance to read it this week. I was disappointed, although now I have a lot of other books & videos to dig into as a result of reading this book.
Markoff's thesis, that the 1960s psychadelic subculture shaped the ideas that lead up to the first personal computers, is pretty reasonable. The parties and grassroot organizations of the day brought people together, and the dream of a "personal" computer was just another example of "power to the people". He gives plenty of facts & tales to support this angle.
My biggest complaint is that the book lacks a cohesive narrative thread. I like how Fabio Rojas describes it in his review: "There are so many people that just appear and disappear that it's hard to keep track of them." Several times, I wished I had taken the time to draw a "family tree" of the subjects, so I had some idea who they were and how they tied into everything.
Rating:  - Sex, Drugs and Rock-n-Roll
This is a great read into the early history of the home computer and its development. The quirky assortment of individuals with their various counter-culural social agendas, value systems, music tastes and drug use is a head turning experience to read and re-read. The main era (early 1970s) discussed is when my wife and I was attending high school in east San Jose and my dad worked five miles from Stanford University, and none of us were aware of the activity. I regret missing the chance to float in their circles and just experience the atmosphere - it had to be unbelievable (note I almost said vibes), especially the Homebrewers Computer Club scene.
The exchange of intellect between UC Berkley and Stanford University and the subsequent development of the home computer is singularly unique in history. UC Berkley generally seems to be left out of computer history when discussing the Silicon Valley and the emergence of the home computer. Berkley's admitting liberal outlook plays a key role in the development of many key developers of the computer and its history. I do not believe a greater number of intellects have gotten together and advanced a technology as fast as these computer gods did. The uniqueness that was California allowed for a lot of experimenting professionally and individually, and the world has generally benefited enormously from that effort. This book attempts to capture the essence of the times and activities.
John Markoff is one of the best writers covering technology and this book is a must to read and re-read.
Rating: - Intersesting perspective!
If nothing else, the footnotes are worth the books price! I guess Computers and LSD are both PsychoStimulants!!!
Rating:  - What the Dormouse Said
This book is all surface and no depth, not much more than a collection of anecdotes. The narrative lacks focus and the supervision of critical thought. Look elsewhere to learn anything significant about the technological advances of the period.
Rating: - PREHISTORIC!
If you are a student of the history of the personal computer, this is a fantastic exploration of the PC's "prehistory." Very readable and very informative. Full of the oddball characters one would expect to find in the San Francisco Bay area of the time. I don't think, however, that the author achieves his goal of showing how the sixties counterculture shaped the computer industry, other than pointing out that a lot of computer engineers in California in the 60s and 70s dropped acid and smoked pot. A lot of other engineers dropped acid and smoked pot during that time but it wouldn't be accurate to say that the counterculture shaped the interstate highway system or the moon landings that they engineered. Read this book first and then read FIRE IN THE VALLEY for a great introduction to the history of the personal computer.
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