By Andy Hertzfeld
December 2004
Pages: 320
ISBN 10: 0-596-00719-1 |
ISBN 13: 9780596007195
(Average of 2 Customer Reviews)
Revolution in the Valley traces the development of the Macintosh computer from its inception as an underground skunkworks project in 1979 to its triumphant introduction in 1984 and beyond. In this vivid first-hand account, author and key Macintosh developer Andy Hertzfeld reveals exactly what it was like to be a key player in one of the most important technical achievements in modern history.
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Book details
First Edition: December 2004
ISBN: 0-596-00719-1
Pages: 320
Average Customer Reviews: (Based on 2 Reviews)
Featured customer reviews
An Entertaining and Engaging History, December 06 2006
Revolution in The Valley
The Insanely Great Story of How the Mac Was Made
By Andy Hertzfeld
Reviewed by Brian M Oldham, for the East Bay Macintosh User Group
(ebmug.org)
"Revolution in The Valley" is an entertaining history of the Macintosh. Andy Hertzfeld has collected stories from and about the original Macintosh team (which he was a member of). Most of the stories are brief, and told in a friendly and engaging manner.
I've read many biographies of Apple. Most are written by people that were not involved in the events, and most also ignore to a great extent the machines and the engineers that created them, instead focusing on Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. There is some of both Steves in "Revolution in The Valley," but the focus of the book is the Macintosh and the people that directly gave it life, as told by these everyday heroes, the Mac's collective parents.
I have rarely been so drawn into a book. The first time I read it, I went through it much faster than I normally read, and I continue to pull it down from the shelf, and revisit the stories.
"Revolution in The Valley" receives and EBMUG rating of Five Bridges out of
five.
Flashback!, December 26 2004
Submitted by Anonymous Reader [Respond | View]
I just found out that the binding problem was a limited anomaly, quickly corrected by attentive folks at O'Reilly, so I have only good things to say about the book now.
Flashback!, December 20 2004
This is a really interesting book for those of us who were around and aware at the Mac's inception, and especially those of us who developed Mac applications usng the toolbox. It was fun to recall products like Alice, Amaze, ThunderScan, and the Calculator Construction Set. It is a relief to have survived the tight memory constraints, the concerns about pre-flights, and hoping all our code really was 32-bit clean. I can't believe we were programming the details of event loops and event handling.
The thinking and discoveries during the development are fascinating. The Mac was so radical that, even though it took five years to come to life, it was still the most advanced personal computer of its time.
I really like seeing the notes people kept at the time.
My only reservation about the content is that most of the anecdotes that still appear humorous to Andy are flat in the reading; you had to be there, I suppose.
And my only complaint about the book is that the binding is very poor for a hardback, with pages loosening up as you read.
But if you were "there" in '84, get this book.
Media reviews
"This is an entertaining and engaging book that would be at home on any computer enthusiast's shelf, no matter what he or she thinks about Apple. (Bill Gates shows up periodically throughout the story, after all.) In the end, it's a remarkable story about a scrappy bunch of geeks with an idea that ultimately turned into an infamous part of history that's as strong as ever twenty years later. And how can that not make you feel good inside?"
--Ryan Eanes, The 86th Street Weblog and Blogcritics.org, June 2005
"If you want to learn more about computer history, don't miss Andy Hertzfeld's excellent Revolution In The Valley: The Insanely Great Story Of How The Mac Was Made: the development of Macintosh is followed from its inception as an underground research project in 1979 to its introduction in the 1980s. This isn't just an outsider's view: author Andy Hertzfeld was a core member of the team that built the Mac's systems, one of the few to work with Steve Jobs, and one of the pulses of the system: add color photos and lively, personable writing style and you have a history any Mac enthusiast will relish."
--James Cox, The Computer Shelf, Midwest Book Review, May 2005
"You'll look at your Mac with a newfound sense of endearment."
--Roman Loyola, Mac Addict, March 2005
"...a jewel box of graphics ad illustrations and original sketches, documents and screen shots."
--Tony Reveaux, Film/Tape World, February 2005
"For any Mac-owner interested in his or her technological roots, this book is a really fun read. Herzfeld brings to life the people and the project; the stories move beyond the technical issues to highlight the culture of Apple in which it all took place."
--Alan Zisman, LowEndMac.com, February 2005
"I personally could not put this book down and I plan on reading it again soon because it is just that good...Even if you are not interested in the Mac specifically, this book is still totally engrossing...Overall this book is a must have for any Mac fan. Just like any behind the scenes documentary you see or read, you come away with a greater appreciation of the work and this book is no doubt a great account from the trenches -- the people that lived it for years...Get this book if you are a Mac geek. Get it anyway if you are just a computer user because this story is one that affects most of our lives these days...The book is very high quality and filled with original photographs, sketches, notes magazine covers and artifacts that just add the finishing touch to an already great piece of work."
--Blogcritics.org, January 2005
"Like a family's baby book, it's lavishly illustrated with photos showing the Mac's parents...For any Mac-owner interested in his or her technological roots, this book is a really fun read. Herzfeld brings to life the people and the project; the stories move beyond the technical issues to highlight the culture of Apple in which it all took place."
--Alan Zisman, LowEndMac.com, January 2005
"...if you're in the market for a very personal history of a very important time, Revolution in the Valley is the book for you...It's more memoir than memorandum. And those of us who lived through the dot-com bubble of the late 1990s will be immediately struck by how familiar Hertzfeld’s story seems: bright, creative people working unimaginably long hours for practically no money but lots of stock options; the camaraderie shared by a small group who considered themselves outsiders within their own company; the inevitable personality conflicts that emerged when sound business sense and the innovative spirit found themselves at cross-purposes...Revolution in the Valley is honest in a way that business books rarely are, and that technology books never are...Reading Revolution, it becomes clear that the passion fans of the Mac feel originated with the small team of dedicated, thoughtful people who created it."
--The Shape of Days, December 2004
"It is to the credit of Hertzfeld and his editors at O'Reilly...that the stories in "Revolution in the Valley" are never dumbed down...For a true Macintosh aficionado, this is a must-have, an essential cornerstone of the Mac library...The result is something that reeks of honesty. Journalists have a tendency to force things together to fit their grand narratives, to pick and choose among the facts and stories and people available to find a way to tell the "best" story possible. But when the people involved tell their own story, sure, there may be repetition and overlap, there may be places where the story line breaks down, and there may be plenty of unanswered questions at the end. But beyond all that, you are left with the unmistakable feeling this is how it really happened. This is how the Mac was made."
--Andrew Leonard, Salon.com, January 2005
"Whether you're a Mac person or a Windows user, this classic tale of American innovation is entertaining and insightful."
--Richard Pachter, Miami Herald, January 2005
"At the heart of this revolution was a set of brilliant engineers and coders who through their work inspired individuals and companies alike. Andy Hertzfeld captured this revolutionary time at Apple through the eyes of the engineers...only Revolution in the Valley tells the story of a computer revolution from the perspective of the team in the center of the storm."
Rating: 9/10
--Jack Herrington, Slashdot, December 2004
"The book is more about people than computers, and Hertzfeld, a member of the team that built the Macintosh system software and a key creator of the Mac's user interface, does a great job of bringing readers inside the heads of the eccentric geniuses who made the first Macs...It's captivating enough for the casual computer user, and a must-read for anyone who cares about tech history.
--Michelle Delio, Wired News, December 2004
