5/10/2023 0 Comments Heroes of the computer revolution![]() ![]() These incredibly smart kids, who just wanted to explore the brave new world of computers, came up with a number of tricks to get in. Levy does an excellent job of describing the era of white lab-coat wearing IBM people whose sole function was to deny access to all but the “anointed.” This is where one of the key mantras of hackerdom was born: “Information wants to be free.”įreedom in this case meant “hacking,” or devising by any means necessary, a way to get to the machines. The first part of the book takes place at MIT, during the 1958-59 school year. It was a great time to look back because 1985 was just a little past the 25th anniversary of the first serious hackers. At that time, Windows had not yet been released and Apple was still king of the home computer front. In a sense, Levy was in the right place at the right time, although he could hardly have known it. The changes that computers have wrought in the world since 1985 are nothing short of profound. Strangely enough, even as broad a claim as that is an understatement. ![]() As Levy notes in his Afterword (written in 2010): “…I did shoot high, making the case that the brilliant programmers who discovered worlds in the computer were the key players in a sweeping digital transformation.” It is an honor that very few books of this type ever receive. It must be gratifying to author Steve Levy to see his classic Hackers: Heroes Of The Computer Revolution celebrated with a 25th anniversary edition. ![]()
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