Digital Retro: The Evolution and Design of the Personal Computer

Digital Retro: The Evolution and Design of the Personal Computer
by Gordon Laing

Digital Retro: The Evolution and Design of the Personal Computer
List Price: $29.99
Our Price: $5.69
You Save: $24.30 (81%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $4.00 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions


(Click here)
Buy this book at online book store in your country
Canada | UK | Germany | France

Book Summary Information

Author: Gordon Laing
Edition: Paperback
Published: 2004-09-21
ISBN: 078214330X
Number of pages: 192
Publisher: Sybex

Book Reviews of Digital Retro: The Evolution and Design of the Personal Computer

Book Review: An Awesome nostalgia trip
Summary: 5 Stars

All the computers I dreamed of owning back in the 1980s when I was in school.

Summary of Digital Retro: The Evolution and Design of the Personal Computer

The late Seventies to the early Nineties was a completely unique period in the history of computing. Long before Microsoft and Intel ruled the PC world, a disparate variety of home computers, from an unlikely array of suppliers, were engaging in a battle that would shape the industry for years to come.

Products from established electronics giants clashed with machines which often appeared to have been (or actually were) assembled in a backyard shed by an eccentric inventor. University professors were competing head to head with students in their parents' garages.

Compatibility? Forget it! Each of these computers was its own machine and had no intention of talking to anything else. The same could be said of their owners, in fact, who passionately defended their machines with a belief that verged on the religious.

This book tells the story behind 40 classic home computers of an infamous decade, from the dreams and inspiration, through passionate inventors and corporate power struggles, to their final inevitable demise. It takes a detailed look at every important computer from the start of the home computer revolution with the MITS Altair, to the NeXT cube, pehaps the last serious challenger in the personal computer marketplace. In the thirteen years between the launch of those systems, there has never been a more frenetic period of technical advance, refinement, and marketing, and this book covers all the important steps made on both sides of the Atlantic. Whether it's the miniaturization of the Sinclair machines, the gaming prowess of the Amiga, or the fermenting war between Apple Computer, "Big Blue," and "the cloners," we've got it covered. Digital Retro is an essential read for anyone who owned a home computer in the Eighties.

History Books

Book Subjects
Most talked about in Making the switch from PC to Mac
Teach Yourself VISUALLY Mac OS X Leopard (Teach Yourself VISUALLY (Tech)) ImageTeach Yourself VISUALLY Mac OS X Leopard (Teach Yourself VISUALLY (Tech))
by Lynette Kent
Visual; Published: 2007-10-31; Paperback; Book
Best price: $16.09
Price in other shops: $29.99
Macworld ImageMacworld
Mac Publishing, LLC; Mac Publishing, LLC; Release date: 2001-11-23; Magazine; Magazine
Best price: $19.97
Price in other shops: $83.88
Digital Retro: The Evolution and Design of the Personal Computer ImageDigital Retro: The Evolution and Design of the Personal Computer
by Gordon Laing
Sybex; Published: 2004-09-21; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.00
Price in other shops: $29.99
The Cult of Mac (Paperback edition) ImageThe Cult of Mac (Paperback edition)
by Leander Kahney
No Starch Press; Published: 2006-11-18; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.50
Price in other shops: $24.95
Mac OS X Leopard Pocket Guide (Pocket Reference) ImageMac OS X Leopard Pocket Guide (Pocket Reference)
by Chuck Toporek
O'Reilly Media, Inc.; Published: 2007-11-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.71
Price in other shops: $14.99
Mac OS X Leopard For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech)) ImageMac OS X Leopard For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/ Tech))
by Bob LeVitus
For Dummies; Published: 2007-10-31; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.77
Price in other shops: $21.99
Switching to the Mac: The Missing Manual, Leopard Edition (Missing Manual) ImageSwitching to the Mac: The Missing Manual, Leopard Edition (Missing Manual)
by David Pogue
Pogue Press; Published: 2008-02-26; Paperback; Book
Best price: $13.99
Price in other shops: $29.99
Apple Mac mini MB138LL/A (1.83 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 1 GB RAM, 80 GB Hard Drive, Combo Drive) ImageApple Mac mini MB138LL/ A (1.83 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 1 GB RAM, 80 GB Hard Drive, Combo Drive)
Apple Computer; Apple; Apple Computer; Personal Computers; Personal Computer
Best price: $589.00
Price in other shops: $599.00
Similar Books and other products
The Computer: An Illustrated History ImageThe Computer: An Illustrated History
by Mark Frauenfelder
Carlton Publishing Group; Published: 2007-05-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $23.10
Price in other shops: $35.00
The Ultimate History of Video Games: From Pong to Pokemon--The Story Behind the Craze That Touched Our Lives and Changed the World ImageThe Ultimate History of Video Games: From Pong to Pokemon--The Story Behind the Craze That Touched Our Lives and Changed the World
by Steven L. Kent
Three Rivers Press; Published: 2001-09-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.99
Price in other shops: $19.95
iWoz: Computer Geek to Cult Icon: How I Invented the Personal Computer, Co-Founded Apple, and Had Fun Doing It ImageiWoz: Computer Geek to Cult Icon: How I Invented the Personal Computer, Co-Founded Apple, and Had Fun Doing It
by Steve Wozniak, Gina Smith
W. W. Norton; Published: 2006-09-25; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $6.36
Price in other shops: $25.95
Apple Confidential 2.0: The Definitive History of the World's Most Colorful Company ImageApple Confidential 2.0: The Definitive History of the World's Most Colorful Company
by Owen Linzmayer, Owen W. Linzmayer
No Starch Press; Published: 2004-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.44
Price in other shops: $22.95
Computing in the Middle Ages: A View From the Trenches 1955-1983 ImageComputing in the Middle Ages: A View From the Trenches 1955-1983
by Severo M. Ornstein
1st Books Library; Published: 2002-11-18; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.86
Price in other shops: $14.95
The Encyclopedia of Game Machines ImageThe Encyclopedia of Game Machines
by Winnie Forster
Magdalena Gniatczynska; Published: 2005-03-21; Paperback; Book
Best price: $21.28
Price in other shops: $34.95
Revolution in The Valley: The Insanely Great Story of How the Mac Was Made ImageRevolution in The Valley: The Insanely Great Story of How the Mac Was Made
by Andy Hertzfeld
O'Reilly Media, Inc.; Published: 2004-12-06; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $4.99
Price in other shops: $24.95
Collectible Microcomputers ImageCollectible Microcomputers
by Michael Nadeau
Schiffer Publishing; Published: 2002-12; Paperback; Book
Best price: $19.75
Price in other shops: $29.95
Core Memory: A Visual Survey of Vintage Computers ImageCore Memory: A Visual Survey of Vintage Computers
by John Alderman
Chronicle Books; Published: 2007-05-10; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $17.72
Price in other shops: $35.00
On the Edge: the Spectacular Rise and Fall of Commodore ImageOn the Edge: the Spectacular Rise and Fall of Commodore
by Brian Bagnall
Variant Press; Published: 2005-09-14; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $17.00
Price in other shops: $29.95
Book store. Illustrated catalog of books on different categories