30 Mar
2005
30 Mar
'05
3:48 a.m.
Hi,
I've just received my copy of a new BBC/Granta book "Electronic Brains,
Stories from the dawn of the Computer Age", author Mike Hally.
ISBN 1 86207 663 4
I've not read it yet, but from a quick flip through it looks like an
interesting, non-technical, account of the early years of computers
in the USA, UK, Russia and Australia.
Just thought you might be interested...
Interest in classic/old computers seems to be entering the mainstream
these days.
--
Cheers,
Stan Barr stanb at dial.pipex.com
The future was never like this!
2 Apr
2 Apr
11:49 a.m.
On Wed, 30 Mar 2005, Stan Barr wrote:
I've just received my copy of a new BBC/Granta
book "Electronic Brains,
Stories from the dawn of the Computer Age", author Mike Hally.
ISBN 1 86207 663 4
I've not read it yet, but from a quick flip through it looks like an
interesting, non-technical, account of the early years of computers
in the USA, UK, Russia and Australia.
Just thought you might be interested...
Interest in classic/old computers seems to be entering the mainstream
these days.
Sneak Preview:
http://www.vintage.org/library.php
This is a new "library" feature I'm adding to the VCF website. It
includes books, videos, and books on cassette, all on computer history
subjects. 99.9% link to the Amazon page where you can place an order for
convenience.
It still needs some better organization, and perhaps a search function
will come later. In the meantime, it's a great resource for finding a
huge selection of books on all manner of computer history. I think
interested parties will find it very extensive.
Suggestions always welcome.
--
Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
International Man of Intrigue and Danger http://www.vintage.org
[ Old computing resources for business || Buy/Sell/Trade Vintage Computers ]
[ and academia at www.VintageTech.com || at http://marketplace.vintage.org ]
12:48 p.m.
Sellam,
That is great resource of info.... I can see I'll be expanding my
library of books & video's...
Thank you for putting that together.
Curt
Vintage Computer Festival wrote:
On Wed, 30 Mar 2005, Stan Barr wrote:
--
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Anti-Virus.
Version: 7.0.308 / Virus Database: 266.9.1 - Release Date: 4/1/2005
I've just received my copy of a new BBC/Granta
book "Electronic Brains,
Stories from the dawn of the Computer Age", author Mike Hally.
ISBN 1 86207 663 4
I've not read it yet, but from a quick flip through it looks like an
interesting, non-technical, account of the early years of computers
in the USA, UK, Russia and Australia.
Just thought you might be interested...
Interest in classic/old computers seems to be entering the mainstream
these days.
Sneak Preview:
http://www.vintage.org/library.php
This is a new "library" feature I'm adding to the VCF website. It
includes books, videos, and books on cassette, all on computer history
subjects. 99.9% link to the Amazon page where you can place an order for
convenience.
It still needs some better organization, and perhaps a search function
will come later. In the meantime, it's a great resource for finding a
huge selection of books on all manner of computer history. I think
interested parties will find it very extensive.
Suggestions always welcome.
5 Apr
5 Apr
1:03 a.m.
On Apr 3, 2005 3:49 AM, Vintage Computer Festival <vcf at siconic.com> wrote:
Just want to voice out a thanks for putting this up.
Fantastic resource for wanabees collectors (like me) to flesh out our
fledgling classiccmp library..
/wai-sun
10:04 a.m.
You may want to add this book to your list:
Sunburst: The Ascent of Sun Microsystems
-Larry LeMay
3:56 p.m.
On Apr 3, 2005 3:49 AM, Vintage Computer Festival <vcf at siconic.com> wrote:
Just want to voice out a thanks for putting this up.
Fantastic resource for wanabees collectors (like me) to flesh out our
fledgling classiccmp library..
What does it say about me if I have several hundred books on classic
computing and not one off that list?
-tony
4:50 p.m.
On Tue, 5 Apr 2005, Tony Duell wrote:
It says most of your books are technical in nature whereas these books
tell stories.
--
Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
International Man of Intrigue and Danger http://www.vintage.org
[ Old computing resources for business || Buy/Sell/Trade Vintage Computers ]
[ and academia at www.VintageTech.com || at http://marketplace.vintage.org ]
On Apr 3, 2005 3:49 AM, Vintage Computer Festival <vcf at siconic.com> wrote:
Just want to voice out a thanks for putting this up.
Fantastic resource for wanabees collectors (like me) to flesh out our
fledgling classiccmp library..
What does it say about me if I have several hundred books on classic
computing and not one off that list? 
5:02 p.m.
On Apr 3, 2005
3:49 AM, Vintage Computer Festival <vcf at siconic.com> wrote:
Just want to voice out a thanks for putting this up.
Fantastic resource for wanabees collectors (like me) to flesh out our
fledgling classiccmp library..
What does it say about me if I have several hundred books on classic
computing and not one off that list?
-tony
6:49 p.m.
On Tue, 5 Apr 2005, Zane H. Healy wrote:
That you have a far more useful library. I've also got several hundred
books on classic computing, and only one of them is on that list.
Personally I'd rather have books that explain how to use or work on the
hardware and software.
Such nerds. If someone wants to take the time to compile a list of every
vintage technical computer book ever printed then please, by all means do
so.
In case it wasn't obvious, the library I put together is for people doing
research into the history of computing, or who are entertained by computer
history in general. If you want to find technical books there are already
plenty of excellent search engines for that. Knock yourselves out.
--
Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
International Man of Intrigue and Danger http://www.vintage.org
[ Old computing resources for business || Buy/Sell/Trade Vintage Computers ]
[ and academia at www.VintageTech.com || at http://marketplace.vintage.org ]
On Apr 3, 2005 3:49 AM, Vintage Computer Festival
<vcf at siconic.com> wrote:
Just want to voice out a thanks for putting this up.
Fantastic resource for wanabees collectors (like me) to flesh out our
fledgling classiccmp library..
What does it say about me if I have several hundred books on classic
computing and not one off that list?
-tony 
9:48 p.m.
See below.
---- Original Message -----
From: "Zane H. Healy" <healyzh at aracnet.com>
To: <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
Sent: Tuesday, April 05, 2005 7:02 PM
Subject: Re: New book
That you have a far more useful library. I've also got several hundred
books on classic computing, and only one of them is on that list.
Personally I'd rather have books that explain how to use or work on the
hardware and software.
Zane
Both types of libraries are useful not one better than the other. For
someone like myself with a museum Sellam's list is a great startup list of
historical books for research. I found that I had several of the books on
the list and lots that I do not have yet. I also have many books that are
not on the list and I may have to send a list to Sellam for him to add. My
two cents- John
On Apr 3, 2005 3:49 AM, Vintage Computer Festival
<vcf at siconic.com>
wrote:
Just want to voice out a thanks for putting this up.
Fantastic resource for wanabees collectors (like me) to flesh out our
fledgling classiccmp library..
What does it say about me if I have several hundred books on classic
computing and not one off that list?
-tony
6 Apr
6 Apr
4:18 p.m.
> What does it say about me if I have several
hundred books on classic
> computing and not one off that list?
That you have a far more useful library. I've
also got several hundred
Well, more useful for the sort of stuff I do, anyway.
books on classic computing, and only one of them is on
that list.
Personally I'd rather have books that explain how to use or work on the
hardware and software.
Agreed. A lot of the books of history seem to attempt to rewrite said
history :-). Most of the books I have are _now_ on classic computers, but
were on currnet machines when they were written.
For 'history', I've got 'Automatic Digital Computers' by M. V. Wilkes,
which I will not sell at _any_ price (well, it's autographed, OK...).
I've also got some DEC-related book that's amusing for the number of
errors in the photogrpahs. There's a machine -- a PDP-something-or-other
(not an 8 or an 11) with TU55 DECtapes -- that's shown left-right
reversed. A picture of a microVAX is actually a microPDP11 (or vice
versa). One of the 'microVAX chips' is nothing of the sort (I forget what
it is, it's not a CPU at all, though). And so on.
-tony
Zane
9:49 p.m.
On Thu, 7 Apr 2005, Tony Duell wrote:
Agreed. A lot of the books of history seem to attempt
to rewrite said
history :-). Most of the books I have are _now_ on classic computers, but
were on currnet machines when they were written.
metoo -- with a few exceptions if I'm interested in something
computational and old I read original materials -- they're
inaccurate and biased enough as it is. Stuff like the Cerruzzi
book, or Goldstine, well, they're full of shit. Cerruzzi
especially just parrots axe-grinders like Goldstine.
For 'history', I've got 'Automatic
Digital Computers' by M. V. Wilkes,
which I will not sell at _any_ price (well, it's autographed, OK...).
Wilkes name!?! Yow... I have a 2nd ed of that book (paid $9 for),
it's ex-library, somewhat ratty, it's a great book in many ways,
and shows the pretty high level of software sophistication in
1950. (runtime linking loaders). 1st ed's now got for $1500!
My hands-down favorite book, MIT PRESS, out of print, is A HISTORY
OF COMPUTING IN THE 20TH CENTURY, 1980. A collection of papers by
the first-gen crowd, just wonderful.
Brian Randall is one of the few computer historians who I trust to
get it right. He personally got a lot of the Bletchley/Turing junk
declassified, if I remember right. Maybe Jules knows more about
this stuff.
7 Apr
7 Apr
5:45 p.m.
For
'history', I've got 'Automatic Digital Computers' by M. V. Wilkes,
which I will not sell at _any_ price (well, it's autographed, OK...).
Wilkes name!?! Yow... I have a 2nd ed of that book (paid $9 for), it's ex-library, somewhat ratty, it's a great
book in many ways,
Yes, mine has got the libray stamps on the first couple of pages :-(
and shows the pretty high level of software
sophistication in
1950. (runtime linking loaders). 1st ed's now got for $1500!
Mine just says '1st printing 1956'.
-tony
8 Apr
8 Apr
5:31 p.m.
At 03:49 PM 4/2/05, you wrote:
Sneak Preview:
http://www.vintage.org/library.php
[...]
Suggestions always welcome.
Three additional non-technical "story" books specific to
individual companies, produced by those companies:
How It All Began: Hewlett-Packard's Loveland Facility
Kenneth Jessen
(c) 1999, Agilent Technologies
ISBN 1-928656-02-1
Digital At Work: Snapshots From the First Thirty-Five Years
Jamie Parker Pearson, Editor
(c) 1992, Digital Equipment Corporation
ISBN 1-55558-092-0
Inside Out: Microsoft - In Our Own Words
(c) 2000, Microsoft Corporation
ISBN 0-446-52739-4
Cheers,
Dan
6969
days inactive
6979
days old
13 comments
10 participants
participants (10)
-
ard＠p850ug1.demon.co.uk -
curt＠atarimuseum.com -
dan＠ekoan.com -
healyzh＠aracnet.com -
jrkeys＠concentric.net -
lemay＠cs.umn.edu -
stanb＠dial.pipex.com -
tomj＠wps.com -
vcf＠siconic.com -
waisun.chia＠gmail.com