Relevant to me than an anthropological thesis on far-off cultures. Although this culture is the root ofĮverything that follows in the book, I found the personalities no more Reading the first part of “Hackers” in the 1980s, I passed He showed them thatĬomputers could alter the relationships between people, and even cause They could start to see how the computersĪnd Levy helped take people to the next step. Personal computers popped up more and more in homes and officesįollowing the release of “Hackers.” People were realizing thatĬomputers could be fun. The popular view of computing in its early years was eroding as

Philosophical statement that the episode makes. Tape deck with flashing lights that emits smoke and burns itself toĭeath upon being fed a question it can’t answer, and notice the Look beyond the ludicrous and over-dramatized image of a huge Let yourself have a good timeĪnd view the episode called “The General” from “The Prisoner” series Computing stood in the minds of many as a kind ofĪloof, coldly calculating inhumanity, and was commonly portrayed that It’s hard to remember the attitude of the public toward computers in Protagonists, as millions of others have also done in the ensuing I’d adopt many of the deepest values and viewpoints of the Strong feelings, as I’ll explain shortly. Position I occupied far too long before becoming an O’Reilly editor)Īnd I wanted to get a feel for the people whose fate I had justĪdopted as my own. I had just entered the computer field as a technical writer (a

When I first read this book, it had already hit the bestseller The text after 25 years - stronger reactions than I had expected - I’llįinish with a discussion of the links we added to the electronic Paid off by delivering a new dimension to the book that readers are Nevertheless, spiffing it up for the ebook version has O’Reilly publisherĭale Dougherty recently conducted a video interview with “Hackers” author Steven Levy about the Pertinent as when the book was released in 1984. The charactersĪre just as astonishing, the anecdotes as gripping, the analysis as

Re-release, we knew this classic needed no gilding. When O’Reilly Media bought the rights to “Hackers” for its 25th Anniversary

Hackers by steven levy