Walter Isaacson

A revelatory history of the people who created the computer and the internet discusses the process through which innovation happens in the modern world, citing the pivotal contributions of such figures as programming pioneer Ada Lovelace. By the author of Steve Jobs. 500,000 first printing.

How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution

The Innovators

Timeo Williams

The book details the history of computers and the web from the late 1800's to the present. It shares a synthesis of shared traits among the revolutionary hackers and geniuses of the era. One common theme is that innovation was more often spurred through collaboration as a group than a bright idea to a lone genius. another trend is the combining of technology and the humanities to create innovation. It was a long read, but a great read for those interested in understanding how technology developed, in the realm of computing in the 20-21st century.

Really well-written and informative book that covers the history of computers and technology from the 1800s (no, that is not a typo) all the way to the 2010s.  I am a technology coach, and I knew some of the histories, but I learned a lot about a lot of people and steps along the way that I had no idea about.  Great read!

Dylan Stewart 

Sind sie jetzt Nerds, Weltverbesserer oder Spieler – diejenigen, die alles für möglich halten und nur durch die Frontscheibe schauen? Der Steve-Jobs-Biograf Walter Isaacson gibt diesen Vordenkern des digitalen Zeitalters ein Gesicht. Er blickt auf Erfinder und abenteuerlustige Unternehmer, die keine Grenzen akzeptieren, die unerbittlich und lustvoll Zukunft machen wollen. Die großen Namen wie Jobs und Gates stehen dabei immer für die Vielen, die in einem Zeitalter, das keine Alleinherrscher über Informationen duldet, permanent Ideen produzieren und Entwicklungen vorantreiben. Die Reise geht von Ada Lovelace über Alan Turing, John von Neumann, Konrad Zuse und Grace Hopper bis zu den genialen Kindern des Silicon Valley.

Die Vordenker der digitalen Revolution von Ada Lovelace bis Steve Jobs

Jowanza Joseph

tiff

A long listen but sweeping history of the technologies we use today, from Ada Lovelace (great background on her, a fair treatment without much bias from either her detractors or admirers) to Steve Jobs, Sergey Brin and Larry Page and even Ev Williams, who founded Blogger, Medium, and co-founded Twitter.

I found the histories of Turing (I had heard of Alan Turing briefly and know of the Turing test but did not know much about him), Babbage, Case, and the like interesting. The libertarian slant of the digital movement in the 1960s-70s was interesting as well and counter to what I thought about tech innovators from that time. The Whole Earth Movement is something I want to research, as covers it here but not in-depth-- just enough to give you a sense of the people behind the movement.

The narration was good. The content very interesting and kept my attention more so than other books on the topic. Definitely a favorite.

Philip Young

I really all liked this book. It gave me an appreciation for all of the technology I now enjoy. Walter Isaacson is easy to read and keeps it moving along . Highly recommended.

Nelson Zagalo

A great disappointment to me. I believe to be not part of the main target of this book. I’ve really enjoyed “Steve Jobs” biography done by Isaacson, and it’s easy to understand why Isaacson wrote this book after the Jobs one, however they are very different books, even if they talk about the fascinating world of computers. I’ve identified two problems in the reading of this book: lack of novelty; and excess of references.

For the lack of novelty, I’m talking from the perspective of someone who have spent years researching computer history. That’s why I said I’m not the target here. The only interesting chapters in the book were the first and last ones, both dedicated to Ada Lovelace, very well written and researched as usual by Isaacson. It was fascinating the way Isaacson presented the relevance of Ada, but also of women, in the history of a science where most of the icons are men.

For the excess, it’s related with the point Isaacson wanted to prove with this book, that no single person can invent something. To prove that, Isaacson references hundreds of persons involved in the history of computation, showing how it evolved, and how it wouldn’t exist without an open and humble approach to knowledge. However to do that, Isaacson has written a book about so many different characters, and making them so neutral, that it becomes impossible to the reader to attach himself and connect with any, and consequently to the book.

A good book for someone interested in knowing more about Computer History.

Vahe Taamazyan

Beautiful work by Walter Isaacson. It seems like he processed enormous amount of information to make very well structured story of computer's development from 19 century's Ada Lovelace works till 21 century's Internet world. The book is very informative and gives good insights on how we came to the world we have now. Isaacson approached the process of development from human side (which is also clear from the name of the book), people, their personalities, motivation and decisions are in the focus of the book. It was very interesting and surprising for me to read the story of transistor and Intel creation, for example. I was always curious about the role of personality in history and this book convinces that this role is crucial. 
The only thing that is redundant is Isaacson's attempt to predict the development of AI and the ideas of superiority of human-computer combination. These thoughts are arguable, nevertheless, they are not spoiling the impression of the book at all.

ANDREW BRYK

Had many interesting tidbits but a lot of the time it just felt like a history book. If you have not previously read about how computers and the internet era was started, The Innovators is a great read. Otherwise, it will likely feel like repetitive anecdotes that you already know.

Wynn Netherland

Perhaps no generation has benefitted more from the digital revolution than mine. The Internet went mainstream as I left for college, and I entered the workforce at the start of the Dotcom boom. Yet most of us remain ignorant of our technological roots. We know many of the projects but few of the people behind them. 

This book provides the backstory for an industry, from Moore's Law to RFCs. Isaacson follows the series of innovations that brought us into the modern computer age. At its heart it's a story of brilliant minds, curious tinkerers, plucky entrepreneurs, and collaboration in all its forms, sometimes across the centuries.

"Following his blockbuster biography of Steve Jobs, The Innovators is Walter Isaacson's revealing story of the people who created the computer and the Internet. It is destined to be the standard history of the digital revolution and an indispensable guide to how innovation really happens. What were the talents that allowed certain inventors and entrepreneurs to turn their visionary ideas into disruptive realities? What led to their creative leaps? Why did some succeed and others fail? In his masterly saga, Isaacson begins with Ada Lovelace, Lord Byron's daughter, who pioneered computer programming in the 1840s. He explores the fascinating personalities that cr eated our current digital revolution, such as Vannevar Bush, Alan Turing, John von Neumann, J.C.R. Licklider, Doug Engelbart, Robert Noyce, Bill Gates, Steve Wozniak, Steve Jobs, Tim Berners-Lee, and Larry Page. This is the story of how their minds worked and what made them so inventive. It's also a narrative of how their ability to collaborate and master the art of teamwork made them even more creative. For an era that seeks to foster innovation, creativity, and teamwork, The Innovators shows how they happen"--

Omar Fernandez

I really enjoyed this book. It is insightful. My key takeaways as someone interested in the "what can I learn from this?" and not as focused on historical accuracy or names include: 



1. Innovation requires both extraordinary individuals that push new ways of thinking and great teams that come together to pull then off. 



2. Innovation builds upon the work done by generations before. As such, it is often not a brilliant leap from nothing, but rather a logical next step that happens when a field has reached a given point. This is seen by technological innovations that have "coincidentally" popped up in various cities around the world around the same time by independent teams. 



3. Government, universities, corporations and individuals have come together to really push innovation forward. At times, it was military reasons that bright all these groups together. 



4. Women have made great contributions that were historically under appreciated. 



5. The future will continue to bring more powerful computing devices. There's a great discussion around to what extent machines will become all powerful and capable, vs simply executors of algorithms and human's wishes. Isaacson poses the unanswered question of whether it is human and machine collaboration that will bring the best capabilities. 



Overall, reading this made the concept of innovation seem a bit more accessible to me, someone who has posted a more technical education, often lacking in the arts. I'd recommend it to anyone interested in getting an overview of the key players behind core successful technologies we enjoy.

Imran

Luis Cascante

Niels Andersen

Willie Richter

Brock

Mirella

Heiki Riesenkampf

Following his blockbuster biography of Steve Jobs, The Innovators is Walter Isaacson's story of the people who created the computer and the Internet. It is destined to be the standard history of the digital revolution and a guide to how innovation really works. What talents allowed certain inventors and entrepreneurs to turn their disruptive ideas into realities? What led to their creative leaps? Why did some succeed and others fail? In his exciting saga, Isaacson begins with Ada Lovelace, Lord Byron's daughter, who pioneered computer programming in the 1840s. He then explores the fascinating personalities that created our current digital revolution, such as Vannevar Bush, Alan Turing, John von Neumann, J.C.R. Licklider, Doug Engelbart, Robert Noyce, Bill Gates, Steve Wozniak, Steve Jobs, Tim Berners-Lee and Larry Page. This is the story of how their minds worked and what made them so creative. It's also a narrative of how their ability to collaborate and master the art of teamwork made them even more creative. For an era that seeks to foster innovation, creativity and teamwork, this book shows how they actually happen.

The Innovators How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution

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