Triumph of the Nerds (1996)

It happened more or less by accident; the people who made it happen were amateurs; and for the most part they still are. From his own Silicon Valley garage, author Bob Cringley puts PC bigshots and nerds on the spot, and tells their incredible true stories. Like the industry itself, the series is informative, funny and brash. Some of the episode participants include: Bill Gates (Chairman of Microsoft, the richest man in the world), Steve Jobs (Hippie co-founder of Apple Computer; CEO of NeXT Computer; and the man who wanted to change the world), and Steve Wozniak (Co-founder of Apple Computer; engineering genius, practical joker).

Written and Presented by: Bob Cringely

All 3 volumes on 1 DVD:

*Impressing Their Friends

*Riding the Bear

*Great Artists Steal

DVD has English Sub-titles that can be turned on or off.

An Intimate Look at History

This is a good look at one of the most important historical and sociological events in modern human history, the birth and and early development of the personal computer. The story is told, primarily, by those most involved including Bill Gates and Steve Jobs as well as other industry executives whose decisions determined the course of PC growth. The program incorporates humor and interesting photography to make the ingestion of historical facts a pleasant experience. November 20, 2008

A history of Apple, IBM, and Microsoft. Nothing more.

Robert X. Cringely (aka Mark Stephens) is a self admitted Apple revisionist who not only loves to vilify Microsoft, but often overlooks the contributions of companies like Commodore, Atari, RadioShack, and Texas Instruments. Don't kid yourself -- these were major players, too.

That's not to say Cringely doesn't deserve kudos for his contributions to computer journalism. But one should approach his works with an open mind (i.e. open to sources aside from him), and a well-tuned B.S. meter. October 6, 2008

Technology Teacher's Perspective

There are plenty of well written reviews here on this excellent DVD so I'll just focus on its instructional value.

I purchased this DVD a year ago right here from Amazon.com because I remembered how excellent the program was when I watched it on PBS in 1996. I teach various technology and computer programming courses at the High School level and I thought this would be a good instructional aid in teaching students about the start of the personal computer industry. To further assist the teacher, Ambrose Video provides a good lesson plan outline (on their website) on how to approach the three parts contained within the DVD.

Overall, most students found the material presented in this video relevant and interesting. The only thing I would be cautious with is a scene in Volume 1, the "HOT TUB" scene. The majority of students were disturbed with it and I wouldn't have minded it if this was one of the scenes Ambrose chose to delete. August 27, 2008

Boys will be Boys!

Triumph of the Nerds (which is came from the book: Accidental Empires) is an eye opening documentary of the personal computer revolution and the who made it happen from an inside writer who knew the individuals.

Robert Cringley does an exceptionally thorough job of providing a bird's eye view of the personalities, motivations, business environment and savvy of the nerds who changed the world.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the entire book. One of the parts that sticks out in my mind is about how the personal computer revolution happened so quickly. Cringley points out that the personal computer industry was totally different than any other industry. The participants shared their friendships, work, and knowledge freely. This "free sharing of knowledge" was on of the primary the lynch pin that allowed the industry to explode so quickly.

They shared this knowledge because it all started out as a hobby and many hobbyists freely share ideas. The nerds had no idea of the powder keg of an industry they were sitting on!

Cringley points out a second lynch pin was the growth of the industry was partially because of the youth and exuberance of its participants. For example, he states: "In the PC business, constant change is the only norm, and adolescent energy is the source of that change."

This is an incredible show for anyone interested in learning about the fascinating story of the start of the PC industry.

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June 15, 2008

Triumph of the Nerds

Documentary style. Excellent if you love history and are interested in the way the computer revolution got started. June 11, 2008

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