Remembering the Future: The Personal Computer World Interviews

The computer industry is young and still changing fast. The 'information revolution' has already made a major impact on our lives, perhaps comparable with that of the industrial revolution, but the fast and furious pace of developments has left little time for reflection or for looking back on what has happened. Why did the industry develop the way it did? What were the hopes, dreams and aspirations of the people involved? Who got it right and - equally interesting - who got it spectacularly wrong? Remembering the Future provides a fascinating insight into the growth of the computer industry during the past few years, through a series of in-depth interviews with the very people responsible for building it.

Wendy Grossman, with help from her peers at Personal Computer World magazine, interviews many of the people who have been instrumental in shaping the world of the personal computer. The book talks with such computing pioneers as Clive Sinclair, maker of the ZX80 portable computer; Chuck Peddle, responsible for the Commodore PET; Industrial Light & Magic's Steve Williams, the main creator of Terminator 2's morphing costar; A. C. Mike Markkula, Apple Computer's cofounder; and Michael Dell, founder of Dell Computer. Through these people's eyes, we see the development of modern personal computing. But even more fascinating is looking at their memories, comments, and predictions in light of all that has happened since the interviews took place. Some, like Michael Dell, have stayed abreast of the action. Others have been led astray by wrong assumptions, or, like Clive Sinclair, have left ideas unfinished when new pursuits captured their enthusiasm.

Grossman divides his book into five segments. The first three show the development of personal computing hardware, software, and philosophy through the mid-1990s. The fourth takes us into the minds of those involved with cybersecurity and crime--including a disturbing conversation with the dormant virus author known as Dark Avenger. The final segment speculates on what lies ahead. However, the question remains: In a computing world filled with rapid changes and spectacular hits and misses, whose vision of the personal computing future will be closest to the mark?