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Andy Hertzfeld
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Revolution in The Valley [Paperback]: The Insanely Great Story of How the Mac Was Made 1st Edition, Kindle Edition

by Andy Hertzfeld (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.6 out of 5 stars 339 ratings

There was a time, not too long ago, when the typewriter and notebook ruled, and the computer as an everyday tool was simply a vision. Revolution in the Valley traces this vision back to its earliest roots: the hallways and backrooms of Apple, where the groundbreaking Macintosh computer was born. The book traces the development of the Macintosh, from its inception as an underground skunkworks project in 1979 to its triumphant introduction in 1984 and beyond.

The stories in Revolution in the Valley come on extremely good authority. That's because author Andy Hertzfeld was a core member of the team that built the Macintosh system software, and a key creator of the Mac's radically new user interface software. One of the chosen few who worked with the mercurial Steve Jobs, you might call him the ultimate insider.

When Revolution in the Valley begins, Hertzfeld is working on Apple's first attempt at a low-cost, consumer-oriented computer: the Apple II. He sees that Steve Jobs is luring some of the company's most brilliant innovators to work on a tiny research effort the Macintosh. Hertzfeld manages to make his way onto the Macintosh research team, and the rest is history.

Through lavish illustrations, period photos, and Hertzfeld's vivid first-hand accounts, Revolution in the Valley reveals what it was like to be there at the birth of the personal computer revolution. The story comes to life through the book's portrait of the talented and often eccentric characters who made up the Macintosh team. Now, over 20 years later, millions of people are benefiting from the technical achievements of this determined and brilliant group of people.

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  1. ISBN-13
    978-1449323868
  2. Edition
    1st
  3. Publisher
    O'Reilly Media
  4. Accessibility
    Learn more
  5. Publication date
    December 6, 2004
  6. Language
    English
  7. File size
    6.6 MB
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Another blog-turned-book (see Hertzfeld's www.folklore.org), this set of remembrances chronicles the birth of the Macintosh from inside the lab. In 1978, Hertzfeld's world was rocked by his purchase of an Apple II; by the next year, he was working for the fledgling company on the nascent Mac as a software engineer, co-writing the Mac's operating system. Strictly for Silicon Valley-folk and Apple obsessives, Hertzfeld's short entries dwell on everything from mouse-scaling parameters to the eating habits of hardware engineer Burrell Smith. A plethora of color photos feature early screen shots and sedentary-looking Mac team members in tight t-shirts ("User Friendly!") and large glasses. Even aficionados may find their attention wandering at sentences like, "The most controversial part of the Control Panel was the desktop pattern editor, which I had rescued from its earlier standalone incarnation." But among the 90 entries, highlights include awkward-looking early demos of the Mac's operating system; competition and idea-swapping with Microsoft, Osborne and Xerox; and inside glimpses of Apple's unique, before-the-boom culture. Hertzfeld's earnest enthusiasm for the work that he and the team began 25-plus years ago is infectious enough to carry one through the rest.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Andy Hertzfeld was a graduate student in computer science at UC Berkeley in January 1978 when he purchased one of the first Apple IIs.He quickly lost interest in grad school as he began writing programs for his Apple II, eventually leading him to join Apple Computer as a systems programmer in August 1979. He joined the Macintosh team in February 1981, and became one of the main authors of the Macintosh system software, including the User Interface Toolbox and many of the original desk accessories. He left Apple in March 1984, and went on to co-found three companies: Radius (1986), General Magic (1990) and Eazel (1999). In 2003, he developed web-based software for collective storytelling that he used to write the stories in this book. In 2005, he joined Google, and was one of the main creators of Google+.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B006BAW3N0
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ O'Reilly Media
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 6, 2004
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ 1st
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 6.6 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 454 pages
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1449323868
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 out of 5 stars 339 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
339 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this book to be a must-read for Mac enthusiasts, appreciating its easy-to-read style and technical details. Moreover, the book provides insightful content, with one customer highlighting its detailed discussions of both social and technical aspects. Additionally, customers praise the great photos throughout the book and consider it a great view of history, while also finding it funny and entertaining.

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ReadabilityStyleInsightPhoto qualityHistoryHumor
36 customers mention "Readability"36 positive0 negative

Customers find the book engaging and fun to read, with great stories that make it a must-read for Mac enthusiasts.

"...the whole it's a delightfull collection of inspiring, humorous and insane stories from a team that created many great things...." Read more

"...And the book didn't dissapoint me, almost all the stories are funny or has something that make it worth the reading. Pros:..." Read more

"...Great book - highly recommended." Read more

"...Lots of fun stories about the mac SW team and how they dealt with Steve...." Read more

13 customers mention "Style"13 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's style, noting its easy readability and technical details, with one customer highlighting its unpretentious approach and another mentioning its behind-the-scenes insights.

"...anyway this one has been my favorite. its quite complete and believable...." Read more

"...The hard cover edition I bought is very nice, with a high quality paper and I'm proud of have it on my library." Read more

"...currently makes a living as a computer programmer, I find the technical details, shots of original developer notes, and personal photographs to be..." Read more

"...This book contains most of those anecotes, and many more, written in a sincere, egoless, and often courageously introspective style...." Read more

9 customers mention "Insight"9 positive0 negative

Customers find the book insightful, with one review highlighting its detailed discussions of both social and technical aspects of product development.

"I enjoyed reading this book. It does a good job capturing what was going on at Apple (and the rest of the world) during one of the most interesting..." Read more

"...Insightful discussions of the social and technical aspects that went into creating the first Macintosh computer and the Steve Jobs "mystic"...." Read more

"Great insights to life in a world changing start-up, told in stories through the lens of many key figures...." Read more

"...interested in the history of computers or on the development of insanely great products." Read more

8 customers mention "Photo quality"8 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the photos in the book, with one customer noting the cool color photos throughout and another mentioning the personal photographs that add a fascinating perspective.

"...details, shots of original developer notes, and personal photographs to be fascinating. Great book - highly recommended." Read more

"...It's a excelent picture if what was really happening at Apple , at those times...." Read more

"...The best part of the book is the great art work, pictures, and design artifacts shown throughout the book...." Read more

"...Lots and lots of photos and images images to go with the text. Great reading to see what goes on behind the scenes in creating a truly new computer...." Read more

7 customers mention "History"7 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's historical content, with one customer noting how it relates well to personal memories of the period, while another describes it as the best book about Apple's history.

"...It's a collection of memories and histories by Mr Andy Hertzfeld...." Read more

"...(and the rest of the world) during one of the most interesting periods in computing history...." Read more

"An excellent historic perspective of the development of the Mac...." Read more

"...someone who was not much younger at that time, it all relates well to memories of the period...." Read more

4 customers mention "Humor"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book funny and entertaining.

"...on the whole it's a delightfull collection of inspiring, humorous and insane stories from a team that created many great things...." Read more

"...It's insightful and entertaining." Read more

"very interesting and funny..." Read more

"Fun and interesting..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • J. Teeter
    5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing book.
    Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2016
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    The world was changed Paul and Clara jobs adopted Steve (1955-2011). Paul taught Steve you can build or fix anything but you had to put quality into everything you build before you can sell it.
    The back story: He met Woz in school and started apple in his Cupertino, CA.family garage. He called Bill Hewlett and got tips to help the young friends make e a tone generator which permitted them to make free long distance calls. Hewlett hired Steve for his first job at Hewlett Packard. They went on to found apple with these good people to make a computer you already know how to use.
    Steve's bio is inspirational. To get a sense of how he used his "reality distortion field" (early pages) to motivate his co-orkers, google the "lost interview", watch it. You get a good feel for his personality.
    The best Macs were the first. After we lost Steve in 2011. Apple keeps changing browser versions "for greater security" which lines their pocket and you need to re-learn. Wish they made a senior friendly version and kissed off the bells and whilstles. Oh yeh, and get David Pogue's computers for dummy and keep your old one going if you can.
    Hey Woz, if you're still out there can you really write us one more intuitive program that we "already know how to use". All we'll need then is a power plug, our brains! and the willingness to experiment.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Vivace
    4.0 out of 5 stars It's pretty great indeed
    Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2014
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I had an Apple IIC as a kid. It was one of my most fascinating items. I have seen pirates of silicon valley, read iWoz and the steve jobs biography ...I seem to be able to cram in more early Apple stories I guess because it reminds me of my childhood. anyway this one has been my favorite. its quite complete and believable. my only complaint is that it gets a bit self congratulatory at spots...c'mon how many times can we read brilliant and single handedly in one page?? but it's not nearly as bad as iwoz in this regard. on the whole it's a delightfull collection of inspiring, humorous and insane stories from a team that created many great things. works very well with coffee!
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Alberto
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great Stories... a must for any computer fan!
    Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2005
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    I am a Mac user, and I loved Apple products since I was a child but also like PC machines and I use it for games or work stuff.

    I was very interested in this book because I though I will find the little stories that show you the steps that original computers engineers had to make to transform those big monsters computers to the now common user friendly computer that all of us are used to work with...

    And the book didn't dissapoint me, almost all the stories are funny or has something that make it worth the reading.

    Pros:

    + A lot of mac stories

    + Some stories are just great for mac lovers.

    + A lot of description about Steve Jobs and key apple engineers.

    Cons:

    - Very mac centric

    - Very short, I read all the book in 2 days!

    - Some stories deserve to be extended!
    5 people found this helpful
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  • Marcio T.
    5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing story of how few peoples shaped the way we used technology last 30 years
    Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2012
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    It is amazing to know how a team of few talented people at Apple did the work which shaped the way we used the technology the last 30 years, creating the first widespread computers with graphical interface, turning the computer more friendly and accessible to the average, non technical user, changing all aspects of the our lives(economy, relationships, communications, commerce....).
    This book is a collection of experiences of the people responsible for the development of Classic Macintosh.
    The stories on the book contextualize the technical and human challenges found on the journey to develop the first Macintosh, bringing us lots of inside information by the perspective of people who worked on this endeavor.
    The hard cover edition I bought is very nice, with a high quality paper and I'm proud of have it on my library.
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  • Joe Pellerin
    5.0 out of 5 stars Intimate Apple
    Reviewed in the United States on June 20, 2006
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    An interesting format - a book made up of mini-memoir/essays written by various members of the original Macintosh team (mainly Andy Hertzfeld).

    Although much of the material Hertzfeld and crew presents is covered in other books, (such as Levy's "Insanely Great"), this book gives us an intimate flavor to some of those old stories. There's nothing like hearing it from the horse's mouth.

    Also, as one whose mind was blown by the original Mac, and currently makes a living as a computer programmer, I find the technical details, shots of original developer notes, and personal photographs to be fascinating.

    Great book - highly recommended.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • K. Cosi
    4.0 out of 5 stars Great read after Isaacson's Steve Jobs, but not on a Kindle PW
    Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2013
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Great Book. Fast and fun read. Now I know why my 128K Mac that I purchased in 1984 sometimes behaved as it did (sometimes asking for +/- 20 disk swaps). Lots of fun stories about the mac SW team and how they dealt with Steve. However I must say that reading this book on a Kindle Paper white was a problem. Many of the pictures and graphics were very hard to see no matter what I did (zooming, light level, etc.) Get the hardcover or paperback instead.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • E. G.
    5.0 out of 5 stars The real thing.
    Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2005
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    When I worked at Eazel (a startup that Andy Hertzfeld co-founded), some of my fondest memories was when Andy would start informally sharing anecdotes about the early days at Apple. We'd overhear from our cubicles or receive an IRC ping, and we gravitated towards his cubicle to hear more closely. (The occasional office visit from folks like Steve Wozniak and Bill Atkinson only heightened the surreality!)

    This book contains most of those anecotes, and many more, written in a sincere, egoless, and often courageously introspective style. I admire and appreciate Andy for making this book possible, and for providing the added context of a tapestry of commentaries beyond his own narrative voice.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • glucero0
    3.0 out of 5 stars An interesting but somewhat boring read
    Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2020
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    This is a good book but unless you really interested in all the various details, it can be quite boring. There are lots of interesting stories but it can be laborious to get though.
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Channel
    5.0 out of 5 stars Bellissimo
    Reviewed in Italy on November 5, 2018
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    Un ottimo libro pieno di storia, di foto e di appunti dell'epoca, che racconta i giorni in cui un gruppo di pazzoidi diede origine al mito Macintosh.
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  • v
    4.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully detailed essays of their historic time building the Mac
    Reviewed in India on November 21, 2018
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Andy Hertzfeld and Co have yo be given a massive amount of credit - not only for being the true 10x engineers that they were, but also for the excellent and detailed semi technical account in the book here.
    I hope the world remembers them along with Steve Jobs for this epic moment in history. If ever Woz needed great engineers to follow his genius, then these guys have a reasonably strong claim to it: With Bill Atkinson, Hertzfeld and Burrell Smith being at the forefront.

    I could feel the thrill of being along with them in their when they were at the peak of their creative abilities. The first person nature of the account helps maintain this tight connection between the reader and the author.
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  • Fabrizio Badini
    5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect
    Reviewed in Germany on February 9, 2024
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    The book in better condition than how the seller describe it! Definitely a good seller
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    Fabrizio Badini
    5.0 out of 5 stars
    Perfect

    Reviewed in Germany on February 9, 2024
    The book in better condition than how the seller describe it! Definitely a good seller
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  • Khaled
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great read!
    Reviewed in Japan on November 20, 2024
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    Love how it came with many pictures and hand-written sketches of early days of Apple, really makes me appreciate the brains behind some of the greatest products of Apple more.
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  • gowf2bad
    5.0 out of 5 stars Insider Account
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 8, 2012
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Excellent narrative about the process to get the Macintosh to market. Having a member of the team who produced the Macintosh doing the writing beats any third-party attempt to capture the intrigues, setbacks, successes which accompanied the whole process. Despite reading other Apple-focussed books, found this one gave a totally new slant to this product introduction. Also discovered what happened to the geniuses involved after the launch and subsequent expansion of Apple Inc.
    Report

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