The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Silicon Jungle
Title: The Silicon Jungle
Author: David H. Rothman
Release date: March 14, 2017 [eBook #54360]
Most recently updated: October 23, 2024
Language: English
Credits: Produced by KD Weeks, Juliet Sutherland and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
Foonotes have been resequenced to be unique within the text. They have been collected at the end of the text, and are linked for ease of reference.
Minor errors, attributable to the printer, have been corrected. Please see the transcriber’s note at the end of this text for details regarding the handling of any textual issues encountered during its preparation.
The cover image has been created, based on title page information, and is added to the public domain.
“David Rothman’s SILICON JUNGLE is an aphrodisiac for anyone interested in the computer revolution. There is a real sense of self-liberation for the reader, in whose mind the dawn lights up the incredible, awful, wonderful reach of the little computer chip.”
“Everything you’ve always wanted to know about computers but were afraid to ask for fear of not getting a straight answer in plain English. David Rothman is Indiana Jones, guiding us through the hype, hardware, software, and confusing jargon of THE SILICON JUNGLE.”
“David Rothman’s SILICON JUNGLE is an inspired, fast-paced, often maniacal view of today’s microcomputer scene. While laced with hard facts, Rothman’s anecdotal style makes the book fun reading. The perfect book for the newcomer to the scene and the old-timer lost in the jungle.”
“THE SILICON JUNGLE has proved helpful in both my business and personal use of computers. It is down-to-earth, easy to understand, and has made me and my computers better friends.”
“THE SILICON JUNGLE is an insightful book that provides a foundation for dealing with the complicated world of personal computers.”
“Of all the books about computers, THE SILICON JUNGLE is the best I’ve seen.... Fun to read and Instructional as well. David Rothman not only blazes a sure path through the jungle, but he has told us almost everything there is to tell about the computer world at this point—and told it very well.”
The
SILICON
JUNGLE
Copyright © 1985 David H. Rothman
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published in the UnitedUnited States by Ballantine Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York, and simultaneously in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 85-90645
ISBN 0-345-32063-8
Manufactured in the United States of America
First Edition: July 1985
Contents
| 1 | • | The Silicon Jungle | 1 |
| 2 | • | The Kaypro Phenomenon: How Solana Beach Took on Silicon Valley | 14 |
| 3 | • | After the War | 36 |
| 4 | • | WordStar: The Creators | 45 |
| 5 | • | The Select Word Processor: Martin Dean versus the Command-Driven Restaurants | 65 |
| 6 | • | Three Software Stories: Motorcycles, Homes, and the $200,000-a-Year Disk | 73 |
| 7 | • | Graphics (or How a Mouse Helped Joe Shelton’s Friends Stop Feeling Like Rats) | 93 |
| 8 | • | People: The Who-How Solution | 100 |
| 9 | • | The Hal Syndrome | 128 |
| 10 | • | Jewels that Blip | 163 |
| 11 | • | Wired to Work | 200 |
| 12 | • | How I Found “God” on MCI (and a Few Other Odds and Ends About Electronic Mail) | 228 |
| 13 | • | Net Gain$ | 234 |
| 14 | • | As the Jungle Thickens (AKA the Great Modeming) | 249 |
| Afterword | 271 | ||
| BACKUP • | More Tips and Tales from the Jungle | 279 | |
| BACKUP I • | Twenty-Six Questions to Ask at (and About) the Computer Store | 281 | |
| BACKUP II • | A Few Grouchy Words on Printers | 294 | |
| BACKUP III • | The Lucky 13: What to Look for in Choosing Software | 302 | |
| BACKUP IV • | On the Evolution of Software (and a “Perfecter and Perfecter” Program) | 310 | |
| BACKUP V • | “3-D” versus Mail-Order Software—and How to Shop | 319 | |
| BACKUP VI • | “Easy” Data Bases: Another View (Mensa Member Versus InfoStar) | 323 | |
| BACKUP VII • | Graphics Tips | 331 | |
| BACKUP VIII • | Consultant Contracts: Some Who-How Questions | 339 | |
| BACKUP IX • | Window Shopping | 343 | |
| BACKUP X • | Of Mice and Men—and Touch Pads, Touch Screens, Etc. | 346 | |
| BACKUP XI • | The Micro Connection: Some Critical Explanations | 349 | |
| BACKUP XII • | MODEM7: An Almost-Free and Fairly Easy Way to Talk to Other Computers | 354 | |
| BACKUP XIII • | Why Not an Electronic Peace Corps? | 366 | |
| INDEX | • | 375 | |