Product Description

Filled with first-hand accounts of ambition, greed, and inspired engineering, this history of the personal computer revolution takes readers inside the cutthroat world of Commodore. Before Apple, IBM, or Dell, Commodore was the first computer maker to market its machines to the public, selling an estimated 22 million Commodore 64s. These halcyon days were tumultuous, however, owing to the expectations and unsparing tactics of founder Jack Tramiel. Engineers and managers with the company between 1976 and 1994 share their experiences of the groundbreaking moments, soaring business highs, and stunning employee turnover that came along with being on top of the PC world in the early days.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #77896 in Books
• Published on: 2006-06-20
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 548 pages

Customer Reviews

This book is awesome
Growing up with computers as a hobby in the eighties and nineties, I have to admit that I am above average interested in the subject. However, this book covers the entire Commodore history, internally as well as in a competitive perspective, in a uniquely detailed and interesting way. I enjoyed every single page (there is 548!) plus the bonus chapter that has been released for free.

If you were into any of the "oldskool" computers, just interested in computers generally or want to read about the pioneers that built the foundation of modern computers, this is a your source. This is important computer history. Also, it is a side of the story that never has been told before.

Really well written biography of a forgotten giant
I enjoyed this book a lot. Every chapter describes a part of Commodore's history, from moments such as the development of the PET, the VIC-20, the C64, C128 and the Amigas. The depiction of the protagonist Jack Tramiel (and later in the book Irving Gould) is superb and you feel as though you really get to know what it must have been like to work for him!

The latter part of the book was my initial main interest as I used to love my Amiga and it is shocking to learn how Commodore seemed to do their best to destroy any future it may have. However, the rest of the book (of which is the large majority) is about the 8-bit era and is very interesting indeed.

Highly recommended!

A PEEK into the past at Commodore - the chips, the people and the computers!
This book has kept me engrossed for about the last month.
There is a lot of material, with the story telling effectively being shared between the author and numerous engineers and managers, in the form of lots of quotes.
I almost feel like I've been through all the events myself!
It's sad to think of what might have been, if the people in charge had got their act together before it was too late.
I hadn't realised how Apple seem to get most of the credit for the birth of the personal computer industry, yet Commodore and MOS Technology, with their 6502 microprocessor, were there first. This book might upset some Apple fans - the author tries to set the record straight. It is quite a contrast to books like Accidental Empires and Revolution in the Valley, both of which I also enjoyed. That said, it even brought back memories for me of using the Apple II, IIe, IIgs and Macintosh computers at work in the 1980s.
(I also own an early Commodore 64 and Amiga 500, as well as the original model of Sinclair ZX Spectrum.)
Towards the end of the book, things seem to speed up - most of the space is devoted to the early / 8-bit years. However, there is still very reasonable coverage of the Amiga years, right up to the end. Readers might also like to look at Amiga Forever Premium Edition DVDs, for additional Amiga-related material.

It is mostly text, though there are over 40 black and white images/photos of various sizes as well. Overall, this book has filled a lot of gaps in my knowledge - for example, I never knew about the Commodore 65, or the way the early chip layouts were done manually - and I'm glad I bought it!
I recommend this book to anyone who prefers a real insight instead of glossy photos.