Triumph of the Nerds: The Rise of Accidental Empires
Triumph of the Nerds: The Rise of Accidental Empires is a PBS documentary series hosted by Bob Cringely, telling a history of personal computers from its beginning in the 1970s to the release of Windows 95 in the mid 1990s. The series consists of three episodes, chronicling the birth and growth of Silicon Valley's personal computer industry. The first episode tells a story of early personal computers such as the Altair 8800, Apple I and Apple II - and application software such as VisiCalc and Microsoft's Basic. The second episode tells of how IBM entered PC market and dominated it in the 1980s, Compaq's successful reverse-engineering of the IBM PC, and the successful launch of Microsoft's Windows system. The third and final episode tells a story of GUI (graphical user interface) on PC from Xerox PARC in early 1970s through Apple Macintosh in the 1980s - the mid 1990s, to the release of Windows 95.
| Episode 1 - Impressing Their Friends |
Episode 1 - Impressing Their Friends
This episode tells a story of early personal computers such as the Altair 8800, Apple I and Apple II - and application software such as VisiCalc and Microsoft's Basic.
Episode 2 - Riding the Bear
This episode tells of how IBM entered PC market and dominated it in the 1980s, Compaq's successful reverse-engineering of the IBM PC, and the successful launch of Microsoft's Windows system.
Episode 3 - Great Artists Steal
This episode tells a story of GUI (graphical user interface) on PC from Xerox PARC in early 1970s through Apple Macintosh in the 1980s - the mid 1990s, to the release of Windows 95.
| Related Links |
| History of Personal Computers - wikipedia The history of personal computer as mass-market consumer electronic devices effectively began in 1977 with the introduction of microcomputers. |
| The Machine That Changed the World This is a 1992 documentary series on the history of electronic digital computers, from the dawn of the computer in the 1800s to the early 1990s. |
| Personal Computing: Historic Beginnings The roots of "personal computers" - that is, machines that are not shared between users - date back to at least the late 1950s. |
| Nerds 2.0.1: A Brief History of the Internet This is a 1998 PBS documentary series presented by Bob Cringely, looking at the history of the Internet from the 1950s to the mid 1990s. |
| The Creation of the Computer Rudimentary calculating devices first appeared in antiquity and mechanical calculating aids were invented in the 17th century. |
| Understanding Silicon Valley John Markoff reported on the emergence of Silicon Valley and has covered technology developments in the region from 1977 to 2017. |
| Pirates of Silicon Valley This is a 1999 film based on the book Fire in the Valley: The Making of The Personal Computer by Paul Freiberger and Michael Swaine. |