The Dream Machine

When people ask me about Xerox Parc, I always tell them about J. C. R. Licklider Lick and how he formed the ARPA Information Processing Techniques Office in 1962 and started the great research funding for interactive computing and pervasive worldwide networks that has resulted in most of the technology we use today: both via the inventions of the eventually 16 or so ARPA projects at various universities and think tanks, and by creating the next generations of computing researchers, many of whom became the founders and mainstays of Xerox Parc. The top book I recommend to read about this large process that stretched over 20 years is The Dream Machine by M. Mitchell Waldrop. It is the most accurate, has the most detail, and has the best organization and writing. He is able to admirably catch many of the most important parts of both the history and the spirit of the many headed research and engineering processes that together created our interactive networked information world. -Alan Kay, computer scientist and A.M. Turing Award recipient The Dream Machine works admirably as an exploration of the intellectual and political roots of the rise of modern computing. It's an ambitious and worthwhile addition to the history of science. -San Francisco Chronicle A masterpiece! A mesmerizing but balanced and comprehensive look at the making of the information revolution the people, the ideas, the tensions, and the hurdles. And on top of that, it is beautifully written. -John Seely Brown, former director of Xerox PARC, coauthor of The Social Life of Information A sprawling history of the ideas, individuals, and groups of people that got us from punch cards to personal computers... comprehensive... impressive... [and] compelling. -The New York Times Book Review The story is fascinating, played out in almost 500 pages of engrossing politics, personalities, and passions. This is not a casual read-but for those who want the whole story, well told, it is a very good one. -Wired A sweeping history of personal computing, made vivid by rich detail. -The St. Louis Post-Dispatch A well-reported story about the overwhelming power of vision and tenacity. -USA Today An informative and engaging history. -Library Journal