Since you asked -
I offer my “2 cents” for whatever it is worth !
Stage direction - enter right - “Mount soap box !”
So glad you and others are interested in the beginning years of personal computers around the 1980’s and 1990’s.
That is an outstanding era that I am continually exploring and also find it not only very interesting, but incredibly revealing about how all this “ PC ” stuff “ really got started, ” not what is more common knowledge distributed by the media for various purposes.
There were some very dedicated and devoted techs who worked incredible hours – many actually lived at the company for many months just to finish a project.
Many were just brilliant in so many ways, but greatly lacking in appreciation by so many others for what they did and could offer.
Ultimately, many were abused by the system and even by some of the managers and did not profit from the great profits they created for some of these companies, although many were promised great rewards for “getting almost impossible jobs done within almost impossible deadlines with minimal resources.”
Management does not come off very well in many cases – bullying, setting unrealistic goals since they just did not know nor want to know tech details about a project, etc. –
“ just get it done no matter what and on time and under budget “ [sound familiar ?]
One way to label such matters is – “ the incredible idealists versus just the money hungry / egotists / etc. ! “
The “ idealists “ – many just in it for the chase / journey of such a new field that could offer so much to humanity, besides it was “just fun” and great companionship with others like themselves.
The money hungry / egotists, etc. – “ control “ was a big issue – all had to go the way they wanted it to go no matter what.
But there are many often repeatable “patterns” of such behavior – for good and bad, with much to learn there for the present and future of computing.
Yet some in management just feel that they can continue repeating “patterns” that never worked before, in the vain hope of it may work for them for some unknown / unknowable reason. Wrong !
So sad, but so predictable – what could have been ?
But not knowing history, nor even wanting to know, can doom you to repeat the past mistakes of others. Who has the resources to do that ? At least make your own mistakes and offer them to the collection for others not to do.
Still today, many companies continue down the well known roads to failure that so many others took in the past. Reasons – many – mostly just being immature and human faults – they just cannot overcome them – somehow the laws of technology / business will not apply to them – but why, what makes them so “special ?”
But in another way of looking at it [“think out of the box”], “ it thins the herd “ of those who just cannot and will not be successes. Thus, those who are on the real roads to success may have some easier journey in some way, since at least some of the “losers” have been taken out of the competition for all the unproductive disruption they cause.
But today, we all benefit in so many ways for these incredible sacrifices so many of the “idealists” made, in many cases for the highest of motives – sometimes just the fun of being part of something great – very personal satisfaction !
Many times, just the money maker managers are publicized for the “great” job [?] they did leading their companies to so great success ! [?]
But, some techs did do well – they decided to leave and form their own companies and some even worked for some of the better existing companies at that time. How delicious the revenge for them !!!
But there are some very just outrageous humorous events also and they happened even with some of the best educated and technical people in the industry ! They help to “lighten” so serious a topic ! Hey, “ xxxx “ happens, you just deal with it, clean it up and move on ! What else is new ?
Read the books – all the books mentioned here are great in one way or another, but just do a Google search for others and get started – I have dozens of such books, many out of print, but available from sources like
WWW.PAPERBACKSWAP.COM.
I can post a list and others can also.
Report back to us on what you found and “ your take “ on all this so we can all better understand “ what really happened “ in that so incredible and formative era in computer history.
I hope to write some books on all this to try to preserve some of the incredible “spirit “ of the times and the many fantastic people of that era, usually never really named or even rewarded for all their incredible efforts.
As many of you know, the draft of my 1980’s Kaypro era book is available as a free download on my website under the “Special” folder –
WWW.KAYPROSTS.ORG.
Two publishers are considering it for publication, but due to the continual bad economy, I will probably eventually just publish the final version myself for the small “niche” market it may appeal too. It has received an official copyright.
Stage direction – exit left - “Get off soapbox – who is next – step up to be heard by all !”
Frank
P.S.
I am investigating a “blog” like Tez has for such long responses.
Will be updating, upgrading, expanding, etc. my web site in the near future also.
