Book Description

In this new book, an untold story emerges as Microsoft insiders talk: for the first time, insiders tell their stories in their own words. Karin Carter, 14-year veteran of the company, shares her view of life at Microsoft along with first-person stories from 18 co-workers. Meet the real people behind the hype through their thoughtful essays, funny stories, and surprising anecdotes.Current and former employees from the trenches, not the executive suites, give their perspectives on their own experiences, the industry, competitors, and the Department of Justice pursuit of Microsoft. Detail by detail, they paint a picture of their slice of Microsoft.Their stories range from serious to surprising. Read about the programmer who married a woman he met in a bar and eleven months later was cleaned out, the woman who walked away from a fortune, the secretary who worked her way into management and retired at 34, and tales from the card counting team that played blackjack in Las Vegas.Carter says, "Microsoft was my head-spinning world for fourteen years. I landed there by chance and I stayed there because it was an adventure—incredible and hard and frustrating and exciting. I moved to Seattle with very little: my clothes and a tiny old blue car with one orange door. I had to puff up my résumé with every extra skill I could think of. I had one friend in Seattle. Now, when I look in the mirror, I see a person shaped by Microsoft. And Microsoft was shaped by us." ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Insiders Insights to Microsoft
As an ex-Microsoft employee I have read almost every book published about the company by both Microsoft people and external observers. This is the one I recommend to others who want to understand what it was like at Microsoft in the early years. This book is unique in that it does not try to "teach" you how Microsoft works, but rather it allows individuals who were there tell their unique stories to illustrate what it was like inside one of the fastest growing high-tech companies. Common experiences like how strange it was not having to beg for supplies or even ask permission to do something you thought needed to be done ("just exercise good judgement") ring true, as do the experiences of coming to grips with a growing company and balancing one's work and family time. Microsoft may not be like this today, but it accurately portrays the experiences in the early years through the first successful launch of Windows and Windows becoming a product that most of us use today. Remember these are the tales of people who had to explain to others that they worked for a small company in the Pacific Northwest that wrote software -- for Microsoft was not always the brand it is today.

Absorbing, entertaining look at Microsoft from the trenches
I read this book because a friend of a friend of a friend is one of the "insiders," and I thought it would be fun to see if I could recognize his story. I didn't have any specific expectations about the book as a whole - and I was surprised to find myself riveted from early on. These people tell their stories in a variety of ways, and they all had different experiences at Microsoft and came away with different perspectives - but they all tell the same very human tale of making hard choices, recognizing opportunity, dealing with disappointment, growing up, clarifying values, etc. The fact that the context is Microsoft definitely adds an interesting dimension to the stories, but this is more of a generic character study of smart young people struggling with the big questions of life (like money - lots and lots of money) than anything really specific to Microsoft. Also, I have to say that they're not all (at least from their stories here) likeable people - but that just adds to the realism of the book as a whole. This is a fascinating book!

I couldn't Put it Down
Everyone knows that the culture and success of Microsoft is the stuff legends are made of. This book does an excellent job of looking under the surface of this technology giant to learn what really goes on behind the scenes. There are many books about Bill Gates out there, but this one focuses on the individuals who went for a roller coaster ride that not only changed their lives, but the world. For some it was like winning the lottery, and it's interesting to see how different people viewed and managed their sudden fortune. Everybody has a different experience, some are bitter and some enamored but I found all the stories very interesting and even entertaining. Carter did a great job of pulling in a mix of people and capturing the real story behind the success of Microsoft. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The graveyard of dot-com disasters is overflowing with grandiose ideas gone spectacularly bad, and Philip J. Kaplan's F'd Companies offers an unapologetically acerbic opinion on dozens of the most outrageous. Kaplan, a programmer turned consultant whose own online dreams began when he launched a bulletin board system for pirated game software back in 1989, pulls no punches as he bluntly dissects Web failures that remain dazzling for their pretentious plans and audacious executions. There are big names like Webvan ("a classic example of PAYING more for products than they were SELLING them for") and Go.com (a "portal to nowhere"), but most here are less well known despite similarly burning through cash like a cyber-brushfire. In language far more explicit than his softened-for-the-bookstore title, Kaplan skewers the likes of Iam.com (which lost $48 million trying to convince models and actors to post their portfolios on the Net), OnlineChoice.com (which spent $20 million to learn consumers weren't interested in group buys of electricity and other utilities), HeavenlyDoor.com (which sunk $26 million into a site peddling caskets and burial plots), and Eppraisals.com (which dropped $15 million on an effort to sell online evaluations of antiques). The result is consistently profane, frequently hilarious, and usually right on target. --Howard Rothman ... Read more

Reviews (107)

Yawn
I wasn't expecting much, and boy did I get it. Not only is this book short in length, each commentary is ridiculously short and often devoid of any relevant content at all...the title pretty much says it all, but if people are paying this guy for his insights, they deserve to get f'd for their own idiocy. He's right, he's nobody special, but he happened to be in the right place in the right time and he tapped a vein that's made him rich and relatively famous. Lucky, very lucky. But not brilliant or insightful by any stretch of the imagination.

Don't buy this stupid mini-book. Borrow it from a friend, or your clueless coworker, and laugh at the first dozen anecdotes because they'll be funny. Then you'll realize... the book doesn't go anywhere else, but it goes on and on and on... and you'll give it back an hour later, glad you didn't buy it.

Just like most of us who didn't buy into the whole snake oil scam now known as "Dot-Com's".

Particularly funny if you have a juvenile sense of humor...
Coming from the dot.com graveyard myself, I finally got around to reading this this weekend. It's really funny. I mean, I laughed out loud at least ten times.

Disclaimer: I am really immature. You know, not stupid - just like to laugh at doodoo jokes and clever twists on words that begin with f**k. One of my favorites in the book, where Pud is discussing a failed CEO - "That f**kroast sure had it coming."

Pud is very self-deprecating. And he's very right on with his observations of all sorts of failed startups. Sure, hindsight is 20/20, and every manner of periodical has already addressed the complete absurdity that took place during this amazing period of time. But Pud has a special place in my and other dot.commer's hearts - we (sometimes gleefully) read his website faithfully every single morning; just wondering when our own time would come.

Every generation needs it's hero. Pud was in the right place at the right time; and he's so loveable, you gotta give the guy kudos.

A very funny read (for everyone under 35, and in some way directly connected to the tech industry).

Rock on, Pud.

Excellent!!! Now this is quality entertainment!
I wish I could find another book as funny and informative as this one. It is definitely one of my favorites!

A Front Row Seat to the Dot.Com Implosion
Philip J. Kaplan didn't set out to chronicle the disappointment and wrath of so many dot-commers burned by the internet bubble. But one Memorial Day weekend in 2000, trying to kill some time, Kaplan ( a web designer at the time) set up a site, F**kedcompany.com. The site offered the latest gossip about sinking dot-coms and even included an online betting pool on when companies would go under. Kaplan suddenly found himself thrust into the spotlight as a kind of overseer of the dot-com collapse.

And while Kaplan often refers to himself as an "idiot" throughout the book, he nonetheless clearly loves the hype generated by his website. He has been profiled by "The New York Times," "Salon.com," and ABC News's "20/20." among others. In this book, Kaplan offers capsule descriptions of about 150 of the looniest ideas and largest implosions. Kaplan reveals how many millions the companies burned through and gives, in sometimes clever but crude language, his sarcastic explanation for the failure of the many companies he skewers.

He garnered much of his information from the website. His website's betting pool assigned high scores to those submitting the best information about coming dot-com catastrophes. There was no actual monetary payout, winning is its own reward.) he was inundated with e-mails from employees, who were often angry, bitter, or just out to stick a knife in an occasional back, reporting rumors of pending layoffs, shutdowns, and bankruptcies.

As more companies failed, an almost sick fascination with the site grew, its notoriety spread, and disgruntled employees continued to send thousands of e-mails regarding various internet companies. The information often turned out to be accurate, that reading the postings was like knowing a train wreck was coming and having to set up near the tracks and watch. And people clearly loved watching company after company flameout and wreck.

The book spotlights many companies, among them: the sports site MVP.com, Webvan, and some you may never have heard of, such as little known Third Voice. Third Voice's pitch? It offered what amounted to virtual "sticky notes" which could be attached to websites. It had no real practical application, other than to potential muck up the websites of other businesses, yet investors poured some $15 million into the company.

Like his website, the book maintains a satirical tone which both amuses and irritates at times. The book may not be quite as timely as Kaplan might hope as there have been numerous other recent books which have chronicled the idiocy of the internet explosion. Still, Kaplan had a front row seat for much of the implosion, and it certainly makes for an entertaining read.

PUD is as F*(^%ED As the Dot Coms
This book is a very sad rant by Pud (Kapaln), himself a washed out dot.commer.

Here is a guy who rips into many companies from which he ran banners on his site. They became F&*#ED when he could not longer get them to advertise. (HotJobs for example.)

Anyone who actually is able to learn anything from this garbage probably did not pass Business 1A. All in all, a waste of paper. ... Read more

Amazon.com's Best of 2001

David Bank's Breaking Windows offers a scathing inside look at the past few tumultuous years at the Microsoft Corporation. Bank, who covers the company for The Wall Street Journal, bases this well-written tale on interviews he has conducted with most major players (including Bill Gates), along with boxes of e-mails and other documents that "provided an unprecedented glimpse into strategic debates and internal decision-making processes of a company that had long restricted outside access to its insular corporate culture." Through them he shows how Microsoft, which always put software above everything--and in more recent years made Windows its number-one priority--has scrambled and squabbled as first the Internet and then the U.S. government forced major directional changes and significant internal reevaluations.

Bank's story crackles with immediacy as he brings readers directly into the action with central characters like Gates, who "created a company that remained uniquely a projection of himself"; Steve Ballmer, the close friend of Gates and former sales-force leader elevated to CEO; Jim Allchin, a senior vice president who heads the Windows division and remains a staunch advocate for its dominance; and Brad Silverberg, another VP who launched Windows 3.1 and 95 before forming the Internet division and fervently trying to turn the company in its direction. Those who can't get enough on the behemoth from Redmond will find this an illuminating addition to their bookshelf. --Howard Rothman ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Interesting History, Not so Interesting Editorial
David Banks does a masterful job of telling the story of the internal battle between Windows and Internet Explorer. It is insightful story over the struggle for strategy. Written in the tradition of the Wall Street Journal Bank's paints colorful vignettes of the key personalities and imbues the struggle between these two groups with drama.

However one of the interesting ironies of the business press is that journalists confuse themselves with their subjects. (I know of very few who went from covering a beat to running a company.) Unfortunately the more famous the publication you write for, the less you seem to remember that. This book simply fails when Banks puts on this business analyst hat. Luckily when you hear the scraping of the soapbox those pages are few and can be easily skimmed.

If you're interested in an internal history of Microsoft during the browser wars, buy this book.

The emperors of Redmond in their new Clothes
While reading "Breaking Windows", I felt as if I was holding a stick of dynamite, because this gripping book completely blows the lid off of the "official" Microsoft history of the last few years. David Bank has told a story seldom reported in the mainstream media, which is that the real battle for the internet was fought not between Microsoft and Netscape, or even between Microsoft and Sun. Ground zero in the battle for control of the internet was fought between various factions within Microsoft. Senior management, which viewed the internet as a threat to the Windows franchise, tried to contain the "disruptive innovations" advocated by company strategists seeking to wholly embrace the concept of internet computing.

The dilemma facing Microsoft in the new millennium is that their blockbuster franchises, Windows and Office, are "feature driven" businesses. Users continually upgrade to the newest version in order to get more power and features. This value proposition was the growth engine of the computing industry until the mid 1990s, when the internet burst onto the scene. In the internet model, power and features matter less than connectivity. What creates value in a network environment is the number of people or applications that connect to the network. The Windows upgrade strategy becomes vulnerable, because with each attempt to upgrade the installed base, the upgrade version starts out initially with zero users. How can Microsoft simultaneously leverage the network effects of the internet, and further the Windows and Office franchises? Should these goals be part of a unified strategy?

Anyone who wishes to understand today's current "infection point" in software and computing architecture should read this book. It is a superb account of the internal crisis at Microsoft in 1999-2000, as the company confronted its transformation from insurgent innovator to defender of the status quo. The issues raised in this book continue to confront the company today, as Microsoft attempts to regain leading-edge industry leadership with the .NET platform, while at the same time protecting Windows from becoming a mere hardware abstraction layer. The book sets a "de-facto standard" in framing some of the issues surrounding Microsoft and the Internet.

Great reporting, broken analysis
The most frustrating aspect of this book is that the first half, based largely on emails produced during the antitrust trial, is a riveting and fascinating look at the internal Microsoft battles, while the last half is a poor analysis of a "missed" opportunity.

For the last half to be even readable you have to accept a few premises that simply were not supported by the text nor borne out by subsequent history. As an example, Gates is portrayed almost as an incompetent fool, eased aside into near-irrelevance by his board and Balmer. Further, the future of Microsoft's very existence is keyed upon abandoning (even giving away) Windows and starting from scratch, competing always on the last best effort with no clinging to any competitive advantage won so far, and that customers always value interoperability over utility, and so on.

While many of these would be highly desirable for competitors, the book repeatedly claims but never sufficiently makes the case for the theory that for its own sake Microsoft should discard its durable competitive advantage at every turn. I consider that to be an exceptional claim which demands exceptional proof, and which is never provided.

Good Job
David Bank does a good job of getting into the meat of the Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer story, and he was much help in helping me write my unauthoprized bio of Microsoft's CEO BAD BOY BALLMER.

One Choice is no Choice
Despite what Microsoft says they have no real competition. After reading this book I have to say, one choice is no choice at all. If you don't like Microsoft products you can't find a wide variety of programs without going to a lot of trouble. Microsoft would do better if they had competition nipping at their heels.

I love the people who say that Microsoft will take care of all its bugs. There are bugs because there is no formidable compitition! Microsoft can take it's sweet old time because there is no one out there to give people a real choice. ... Read more

Book Description

Ask consumers and users what names they associate with the multibillion dollar personal computer market, and they will answer IBM, Apple, Tandy, or Lotus. The more knowledgable of them will add the likes of Microsoft, Ashton-Tate, Compaq, and Borland. But no one will say Xerox. Fifteen years after it invented personal computing, Xerox still means "copy."

Fumbling the Future tells how one of America's leading corporations invented the technology for one of the fastest-growing products of recent times, then miscalculated and mishandled the opportunity to fully exploit it. It is a classic story of how innovation can fare within large corporate structures, the real-life odyssey of what can happen to an idea as it travels from inspiration to implementation.

More than anything, Fumbling the Future is a tale of human beings whose talents, hopes, fears, habits, and prejudices determine the fate of our largest organizations and of our best ideas. In an era in which technological creativity and economic change are so critical to the competitiveness of the American economy, Fumbling the Future is a parable for our times.

Reviews (8)

Something fascinating about train wrecks
As most people in the computer industry know Xerox pioneered many of the key breakthroughs in the computer industry, but then they were not able to capitalize on the technology they developed. Many, many other companies have made billions of dollars; however, Xerox just couldn't figure out how to reap the benefits.

The authors of "Fumbling the Future" go into this history in great detail. They first set the stage by describing Xerox's early history, how Xerox invented a copier, and for a number of years they were so successful that they were able to basically print money. Many of the major players in the industry are mentioned, their goals and interests. Xerox was very aggressive, and in some ways they were also a bit lucky, with the copier. Then Xerox decided they needed to also get into the computer industry.

Next the authors talk about how the Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) was created, how George Pake selected various key people to help staff the research center, and the charter PARC was given. The book goes over who was hired, what they did, and how the groups at PARC worked together, and sometimes didn't work together.

Here is where you can start to see the train wreck. The first President of Xerox, Joe Wilson, seems to have been a very gifted leader. In terms of "Good to Great" by Jim Collins, Joe Wilson was a level five leader. Unfortunately Joe Wilson dies, and the next president of Xerox, Peter McColough, was at best a level four leader. Peter decided to spend almost a billion dollars for a niche science computer company which Peter then tried to force out into the general computer market, going up against IBM. Peter also took Xerox into Medicine and Education. And Peter got involved in Politics and Charities. Peter McColough was not focused on Xerox, and let several problems simmer.

We get some insights into what drove the researchers at PARC to develop the first personal computer, the Alto, and many of the reasons why it was revolutionary. The authors chart the destruction of the potential of the Alto, largely because of various managers at Xerox not catching the vision, or those who caught the vision not being able to work well with upper management.

One thing which would have improved the book was to have some pictures. It would have been nice to have some pictures of the early copiers, the Alto, and some of the major players.

It was a well written book, with a lot of good history, and some important lessons. Even though you know how it will all turn out, this was a hard book to put down.

My Life at "Brand X"
I lived through these years on the 10th Floor at Xerox Corporation Systems Headquarters, El Segundo, California - as a Systems Administrator for New Product Development and Training. The book is accurate, but misses one very, very important point: The "Leadership" at Xerox Corporation at this time did not, repeat not, have the "best intentions". On the contrary, they were "Box People" (copier people) who did not have a clue about how to take advantage of this technology. In 1984 we did an internal survey of middle and upper management regarding use of the applications for the Star/Distributed Net (specifically email and Viewpoint software applications for those of you "in the know"). It found that while 76-percent of first and second level management used these applications on a daily or multiple-weekly basis, less than 10-percent of upper and executive management did so (the figure was under 5-percent on returns from Rochester and Stamford). Is this evidence of knowledge or having the "best intentions"? Those of us who did have the knowledge of the potential benefits were in middle management and could see those benefits to our own organisations at that time. We reported on these benefits, talked about them, begged people to come and see for themselves...for years...nothing happened. Many of us grew so frustrated we left (I was one, in 1989), although we still loved (and love) our exciting times at "Brand X". Some stayed, and watched Xerox "retreat" back to a primarily copier/printer company (and in doing so it crushed many a spirit). Most of us have wonderful, amazing, funny and frustrating stories to tell about those times (how about two trips in a single day to PARC from El Segundo just prior to the release of the 6085PCS?...or when the training Manager for New Produce Development left...only to turn up at Apple the following month...with all his notes and records?...Or producing training films for new releases with comedy sketches on the tail end for raising salespersons morale...). This book is too high level stuff for that...but it does reflect the failure of the top at Xerox...although it doesn't quite come out and say that...The top did not have a hint about these advances because they were from another world (Rochester, Copiers, not PARC/El Segundo and GUI/Ethernet). Read the book, but remember, no matter how hard those in middle management yell...if the top does "not have ears to hear" - it will not hear! ETW, Los Angeles, CA, now a retired TRW Employee

Fascinating Business Case Study
This book tells the fascinating story of the invention of the first distributed personal computer systems at Xerox PARC (Palo Alto Research Center), and how a copier company that had grown to over $1 billion in revenue in less than 10 years based on a single new technology (photocopying) was unable to capitalize on a new technology again, despite the best intentions of its leaders.

The really innovative work at PARC was done under the direction of Bob Taylor. When Taylor was forced out, he started DEC's Systems Research Center (SRC) (later acquired by Compaq, and then HP), and he brought much of the top talent along with him.

I read this book on Bob Taylor's recommendation when I first joined DEC SRC as a researcher. But I decided to read it again recently before attending a talk by George Pake, the founding director of PARC. Pake's history of PARC agreed with the book, but he drew very different conclusions about the overall benefit of PARC's inventions to Xerox. In particular, Pake gave far more credit to PARC for contributing to Xerox, but all the examples he gave related to how computer technology has come to be used in photocopiers, which entirely misses the point. As the book's subtitle suggests, most of PARC's astounding computer innovations were largely squandered by Xerox (and "borrowed" by Steve Jobs to create the Apple Macintosh).

The first time I read the book, I was fresh out of school and didn't have much experience in the business world, so the parts of the book dealing with business issues were mostly a mystery to me. This time, it made much more sense, and I actually found the business aspects of the story more intriguing than the technical ones. Even so, the story of the first bit-mapped display, laser printer, ethernet, personal computer, and WYSIWYG editing software -- innovations we take largely for granted today -- is quite interesting!

A must Read
If innovation is in any way your concern read this. It memorializes fluently almost all the things a management can do to kill creativity.

Real business insight into how and why Xerox blundered
I have been a fan of the story of Xerox PARC ever since reading "Fumbling the Future" several years ago. In fact the lessons I learned contributed to my leaving engineering to get a business degree. Recently I read "Dealers of lightning" by Michael Hiltzik and was surprised to read through it and come across the Epilogue. In fact, I was actually disturbed by how easily the author relieved Xerox of its opportunity (and obligation from a shareholders perspective) to capitalize on the creativity and ingenuity of Xerox PARC. Those of us within the high-tech community certainly appreciate the open ended research that Xerox PARC conducted which has lined the pockets of so many that were never in any way associated with Xerox. However, if I was a shareholder of Xerox or any other company, I would be horrified by any management rationale that 'you are not obligated to exploit the technologies created within your labs'. Granted you may not be able to exploit all, but how about most? Xerox is not the government and is not using tax dollars for a collective good. I found the logic flawed and violates the basic motivations for establishing a commercial entity. I would recommend that for a business minded individual that you go read "Fumbling the Future" - which I have since reread. Reading "Dealers of lightning" was like watching a lawyer weave a case for premeditated murder against an accused and then claim temporary insanity as the final defense. ... Read more

Amazon.com

In Secrets of Software Success, Detlev Hoch, with Cyriac Roeding, Gert Purkert, and Sandro Lindner, look at what's driving the prosperity of the world's best software companies and what's responsible for the failure of others. The authors, who are consultants with McKinsey & Co. in Germany, visited nearly 100 software firms around the globe and conducted 450 in-depth interviews with executives. The result is a book loaded with sharp insights and colorful anecdotes from leaders of companies such as Microsoft Germany, Keane Inc., BroadVision, Andersen Consulting, Oracle, Sun Microsystems, and Navision in Denmark. "The opportunities for success in this industry remain strong," they conclude. "But the price of change brings new challenges and uncertainties. Neglecting these challenges could be a deadly mistake: Falling behind in the software industry, after all, almost certainly means failure."

In separate chapters, the authors examine the importance of leadership, the keys to developing and marketing software, winning the war for software talent, cementing partnerships for growth, and the shape of the future of this rapidly changing industry. Some of their findings are contrary to common belief. For example, software developers' and managers' disdain for rigid procedures is well known, but what the authors find is that morale and creativity actually rise with tighter rules that create better products and cut development time. Other conclusions are reinforcing; for example, the most successful companies team up with four times as many other firms as the less successful ones. Written in a lively, conversational style, Secrets of Software Success should be on the bookshelf of anyone connected to the software business. --Dan Ring ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Excellent book for software industry
This book was exactly what I was waiting for. I good addition to my software industry book collection. I read the whole book in one go, easy to read and good examples

I Expected More from Mc Kinsey
As I read through the book, I kept waiting for the authors to unveil a secret to software success. As I reached the halfway point it occurred to me that there would be none. At least not for anyone that is already in the business. To set expectations, this book would be better suited to a reader from outside the industry.

For these readers, this well-written report adeptly summarizes knowledge gained from previously printed materials and personal interviews with the people that matter. Unfortunately, this access may have come at a price. The authors gloss over failures and accent the positive moves by these companies to such an extent that the reader may come away with a success-biased view of the software development business.

Excellent book by Hoch of McKinsey
Secrets of Software Success goes beyond the dry research papers that appear in the McKinsey Quarterly. Several consultants took upshots from 450 executives and laid them out in a concise and applicable manner. The authors reveal traits that could be implemented at any industry. Software consulting firms lead the industry in customer service and spend 78% of their advertising budget marketing their company name. We see so many software start ups as 95% is intangible capital. Partnerships are used to make up for gaps. Most companies make decisions quickly as they are based on a flat team-based organizational structure. Besides stock options, their culture has successfully overcome factors such as a variety of work styles and high turnover. Almost all companies do daily builds as stress causes 40% of all software errors and late fixes in design could cost 200 times an immediate fix. To conclude, a must read for anyone who wants to be a part of the digitized future.

I expect better content from McKinsey folks..
Overall this is an adequate book for the title. However, coming from McKinsey folks, then...... hmmm.... The writing is a little sloppy and some of the analysis are not really insights. There ought to be more daring predictions at the end of the book from the authors... I suggest the authors to create an updated edition NOW since things are changing so much so fast in the software industry.

A great analysis of today's software industry
If you work in software, then you MUST read 'Secrets of Software Success'. Its analysis of the factors influencing software company performance is both rigorous and entertaining. ... Read more

Book Description

It began as a two-man startup in 1975. Now it's a 430 billion market-cap company operating in 70 countries with $19 billion in net revenue. In this comprehensive self-portrait, based on hundreds of interviews with the people who are Microsoft-including Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer, and Paul Allen-readers will learn the truth about such topics as: the Microsoft-Apple relationship, the Department of Justice accusations, management philosophy, revolutionary company culture, and what the future holds for this extraordinary company. Presented in an edgy, interactive format, INSIDE OUT is a fascinating, educational, often humorous, and always eye-opening look at the venture whose success is unrivaled in business history. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

great book
It is a motivating book... a must read!

raw sociological material
This volume contains reminiscences of about a thousand MicroSoft employees who've worked there over its 25 year history, each about a third-page long in general chronological order. Interspersed are several longer pieces by the big guys like Bill and Paul and Bob. It reminds me of a high school yearbook. Most of the pieces are about business accomplishments, but there are digressions into work life, hobbies, and feelings about change at MS.

The book is from MicroSoft, but doesn't tell you how to be another MicroSoft. At first glance I thought it was a self-congratulatory piece on the occasion of MS 25th anniversary and mainly for its employees. But it contains a wealth of material on how a geek business culture operates. I feel it is unfinished. Some academic types needs to organize the material from the indiviual articles into a more constructive history.

Not sure who would buy this
All full-time Microsoft employees received a complimentary copy of "Inside Out" just before it was released. I perused mine over lunch that day and confirmed that "Inside Out" is little more than a glossy, book-length version of the weekly internal newsletter--peppy, vapid, and grindingly dull. The only people I can see getting anything out of it are Microsoft employees, who can spend a diverting fifteen minutes skimming the index for the names of people they know. But of course they already own the book.

You can get a better value by reading free annual report!!
I read this book to hopefully gain some more insights of Microsoft than most conventional business books. It turned out to be a collection of a bunch of stock options glutted, brain washed Microserfs over glorifying themselves. Yes, Microsoft is a great company with many talented people. But the fact is, the best talents of Microsoft have left to find true greatness in the internet age. In the internet age, true greatness has not yet emerged on this planet. Yes, the best is yet to come, but it won't be Microsoft!! Think about it, even the name is wrong!! You think the future is about software for microcomputers? Save your money, there's nothing in the books that you can't get from your friends that work there and from tons of business books that are out there glorifying Microsoft's past.

Preaching to the Choir
This book, intended primarily as an internal Microsoft morale booster, is an excellent read.

However, one must not forget that this book is intended to perpetuate the cult of Microsoft among its employees, and as such, contains inherent bias and self-flattery. Think of it as an exceptionally well-done recruiting brochure. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Pop quiz: Where are American kids taught the nuances of being millionaires as part of their junior high curriculum? Where do guests at a posh outdoor party grouse about the defects of high-end flushable Porta-Johns? Where does a school auction rake in $439,000? The answer: Silicon Valley, of course. David A. Kaplan captures all that excess and more in The Silicon Boys.

Kaplan's book is a history of the Valley, from the time when Stanford professor Frederick Terman encouraged David Packard and Bill Hewlett to establish their own company to when Sequoia Capital invested $1 million in a startup founded by Jerry Yang and David Filo. In between are the many Valley legends, including Fairchild Semiconductor, Intel, Kleiner Perkins, Apple, Oracle, and Netscape--as well as some of its most notable failures and tragedies, such as William Shockley and Gary Kildall. While the book begins with the opulence of Woodside, California, it ends surprisingly enough in Portland, Maine, with Bob Metcalfe, founder of 3Com, who fled the Valley for something "fresher" and "more alive."

As he traces the short history of the area, Kaplan, a senior writer at Newsweek, detects a not-so-subtle change in its values. He writes, "Nobody appears to be having quite as good a time in Silicon Valley. Passions have become mere professions; impulsiveness is now compulsiveness.... The Valley once was a new machine. It changed the world. It may do so yet again. But the machine has no soul anymore."Here's a thoughtful and colorful read for anyone interested in one of the most dynamic places on the planet. --Harry C. Edwards ... Read more

Reviews (52)

History and Biography of the Valley
What a fun book this was to read. David Kaplan's writing is suberb; witty, sometimes sentimental, and observant. "The Silicon Boys" chronicles the life of Silicon Valley, and the people who are building and built it up. By making the book part history of companies, and part biography of people, the reader becomes very well acquainted with the eccentricities, monumental successess and failures of this well-known region of the world.

Kaplan describes the Valley, from the original Gold Rush days of the 49ers to the modern Gold Diggers of the Internet Revolution, and the duality that springs forth from here. The dualities of companies are examined much as the duality of the history of the region, such as the extroverted Steve Jobs of Apple, and his co-founder, the introverted Steve Wozniak. There's the obnoxious Larry Ellison of Oracle, and the down-to-earth Bob Metcalfe of 3Com. Of course, Netscape and Microsoft (Internet Explorer) get some print-time too.

Sure, any writer can detail the life of Silicon Valley, but Kaplan himself makes the difference between this book and any other on the subject. It's not dry and completely objective; there's contempt for Ellison of Oracle, and there's a great little story about how the author could've been worth hundreds of millions of dollars today if he just accepted an offer to work for a certain Web-site back in 1995.

Definitely a fun, interesting and worthwhile book to read on the subject and history of Silicon Valley.

Historical Account Written in a Compelling Way
Similar to many people, I am fascinated with what's going on in the technology sector of US industry. I felt there was something missing in all the television reports, and Kaplan's book certainly seems to be the answer. In an entertaining way, he tracks the birth and evolution of what seems to be an otherworldly movement. As someone who was in the banking industry as a junior analyst in the late 80s and left after two years, I wanted to see if the Valley and Manhattan were similar. Yes but no. Silicon Valley is even more sick. Wall Street has your typical greed, but it's nothing compared to the phenomenon out West as chronicled by Kaplan. What are they doing with all that money? I'm not sure why everyone loves to hate Bill Gates; at least he's doing something positive with his wealth these days. As I suspected and Kaplan confirms, there is no soul in this industry. I am beginning to remember again why I left San Francisco after just a year and a half. Dare I say? These people are even emptier than their film industry counterparts.

Good Description of Silicon Valley
"The Silicon Boys and Their Valley of Dreams" is a well written description of Silicon Valley at it's peak. It describes the culture of the valley during the nineties. It is an interesting peek into the a world of driven software developers and venture capitalists and everyone else in their galaxies. It focuses on companies and names we've all heard of: Apple, Oracle, Netscape, Microsoft, Intel, and many more. For anyone in the technology industry, this book is a good window onto the 90s - pre dotcom mania.

Solid Silicon Story
This was one of the best Silly Valley stories I've read yet. Kaplan does a very good job offering a historical and chronological storyline that educates the reader while holding interest. Hence an educational book that also happens to be very unique and authentic.

Silicon Boys Book Review
The non-fiction book The Silicon Boys and Their Valley of Dreams is written by David A. Kaplan. It is about how Silicon Valley started and why it is important to be near all the silicon in California. Also it explains who invented and invents the processors and software. It talks about Intel, then Apple and Microsoft, after that Oracle, then Kleiner Perkins, Mozilla, Microsoft, and finally Yahoo.

David A. Kaplan used many correct facts and you can see who his sources are in the back of the book. It is organized chronologically starting at the early '70s when "The Traitorous Eight" first started developing processors. It concludes in 1999 when Microsoft was developing Internet Explorer and Yahoo was popular. Each chapter talks about a company or person or both.

I think it was a very good book. It told me a lot about the computer industry and the people behind it. If you don't care much about computers you shouldn't read this book but if you even have a slight interest, you'd like this book. The author did a very good job explaning the aspects of the computer industry, so even if you don't know much about computers you can understand this book. ... Read more

Book Description

In this eloquent first-person account of a family drama that changed the face of American business, the man who transformed IBM into the world's largest computer company reflects on his lifelong partnership with his father--and how their management style and shared dedication to excellence united to create a unique corporate culture that became the blueprint for the entire technology boom.

In the course of sixty years Thomas J. Watson Sr. and his son, Thomas J. Watson Jr., together built the international colossus that is IBM. This is their story: a riveting and revealing account of two men who loved each other--and fought each other--with a terrible fierceness.

But along with the story of a father and son, this is IBM's story too. It chronicles the management insights that shaped its course and its unique corporate culture, the style that made Thomas Watson Sr. one of America's most charismatic bosses, and the daring decisions by Thomas Watson Jr. that transformed IBM into the world's largest computing company. One of the greatest business-success stories of all time, Father, Son & Co. is a moving lesson for fathers who dream for their children, as well as a testament to American ingenuity and values, told in a disarmingly frank and eloquent voice.


Promising to remain an important business reference as we move into the next century, FATHER, SON & CO. takes a look at the management insight that helped to shape IBM's course and unique corporate culture.It looks at Watson, Sr., one of America's most charismatic bosses, and Watson, Jr., who spurred IBM into the computer age.

Ten years after its original publication, FATHER, SON & CO. remains a uniquely honest book. Watson's willingness to write about the loving but ferociously combative relationship he had with his father and the turbulent battles behind some of IBM's most far-reaching decisions gives readers rare insights into the realities of leadership. --> ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Readable portrait of an IT empire
It's always interesting to read what sons have to write about their fathers. Thomas J. Watson Jr.'s book is no exception to this rule. Although in many ways the book is a business biography, the relationship between the two men creeps in between the lines (almost more than you could imagine that the author had intended it to). Watson Jr. was clearly influenced by his iconic father, both for better and for worse. The book is a lot about how that influence (and the escape from that influence) shaped the company that is IBM today.

Obviously the company has gone through many changes since this book has written-- Gerstner, downsizing, eBusiness, Business Consulting Services, etc. But still, it's remarkable how much of the culture is recognizable back to the very earliest days.

I have a special interest in the subject matter, so it's hard for me to say how fascinating someone without an IBM attachment would find the book. But as far as I was concerned it was an interesting book executed well.

A somewhat interesting and fairly candid account of IBM
Although not exactly riveting, this book does provide an interesting and readable history of IBM from the view of Thomas Watson Jr. who took over control of IBM after his father, Thomas Watson Sr.. Although much has happened to IBM since then (the job cuts, the internet boom, etc.), this is a fascinating glimpse at the evolution of big blue and the culture it once had.

The Watsons did not start IBM but they did oversee its growth into "Big Blue". Some of the anecdotes are quite memorable, the strict sales "uniform" (including sock suspenders), the refining and gentrifiying of the sales staff & executives, Thomas Sr. teaching his son to clean-up the bathroom on the train, the high-flyer told to forgo his tenant problems by Watson Sr.. It seems all tycoons and corporations have some skeletons in their cupboards and IBM is no exception. According to the book, Thomas Sr. and other senior executives at IBM started a business buying up old IBM equipment so prevent a second-hand market developing that would eat into IBM's market. It almost landed the Thomas Sr. and his colleagues in prison. Watson Sr. spent a great deal of time developing himself and his people to become refined, gentlemen with values and priorities. In these sad days of scum CEOs & executives, duplicitous companies, corrupt accountants & lawyers and valueless company "books" (Enron, WorldComm, Tyco, Merrill-Lynch, Arthur-Anderson, Martha Stewart,...) the incident may seem like grist to the mill but at that time it must have been a huge blow to the man and the company. A decent book if you have an interest in IBM or the history of the computer business.

better than a novel
This book tells one of the most fascinating, indeed rivetting, stories that I have ever read. It is about the building of one of the great American businesses of the 20C, but also much much more: it is about the conflict of an extraordinarily hard-driving father and his talented though psychologically burdened and rebellious son. From the beginning, they were at eachothers' throats and never relented in their conflict, even when it became evident that the son's genius surpassed that of his father to build an empire that can only be compared to the accomplishments of the first two Caesars, Julius and Augustus. The book also covers a good deal of American business history from the great depression to the beginning of the stagnation of the 1970s and early 1980s. Thus, it can be read on numerous levels.

There are so many insights in it that it will bear re-reading for a long time to come. Watson Jr. was acutely aware of the cost of success and was brutally honest about his own failings as a manager and family man. I find myself remembering scenes in that book, running them in my mind as examples from which to learn.

Warmly recommended.

Highly Recommended
I just finished this book from cover to cover. With Tom Watson Jr's candid narration of his life, I found this book very relevant to myself who is nearly forty and is going through a late mid-life re-orientation. The items that I found particularly useful in this book are: life lessons, Tom Watson Jr's rationale behind some of this decisions and hindsight on what could have been done better.

A Humanist
Almost everyone in the U.S. and many parts of the world recognize the three letters "IBM." Where did it start? How did it become so big and encompassing in our lives? This is an autobiography of Tom Watson Jr., former President of IBM and son of the company's founder Tomas Watson Sr. Auto-biographies usually paint more of the bright side than the dark side. But he gave a lot his personal perceptions, fears, thoughts, and family relationships in this book, and for that respect is deserved. He never came off as condescending considering the wealth and power he attained. He was a poor student, who later became his own man serving in WWII. He did look death in the face on a few occasions. He proved from his own actions to became a good-thinking businessman while ascending to the helm at IBM, which was no easy task. He appears to understand human psychology well also. He also knew whent to get out of the strainfull rat race and enjoy his interests outside of the company.

He came across as a humanist who valued his employees in a personal way uncommon in corporate America. As the company grew so quickly and became so large, there were obvious "big company" problems and issues to address. And he did his best to tackle them.

The book provided a lot of interesting historical background of
his father, the origins of IBM and it's growth. a lot of information about what was going on in American business and technology in the 1950s and 60s is noted as well. Good auto-biography. ... Read more

Book Description

Economists use the term "bandwagon effect" to describe the benefit a consumer enjoys as a result of others using the same product or service. The history of videocassettes offers a striking example of the power of bandwagon effects. Originally there were two technical standards for videocassettes in the United States: Beta and VHS. Beta was widely regarded to have better picture quality, but VHS could record longer television programs. Eventually the selection of Beta cassettes shrank to zero, leaving consumers no choice but to get on the VHS bandwagon. The most successful bandwagon, apart from telephone service, is the Internet.

In this book Jeffrey Rohlfs shows how the dynamics of bandwagons differ from those of conventional products and services. They are difficult to get started and often fail before getting under way. A classic example of a marketing failure is the Picturephone, introduced by the Bell System in the early 1970s. Rohlfs describes the fierce battles waged by competitors when new services are introduced, as well as cases of early agreement on a single technical standard, as with CDs and CD players. He also discusses the debate among economists and policy analysts over the advantages and disadvantages of having governments set technical standards. The case studies include fax machines, telephones, CD players, VCRs, personal computers, television, and the Internet. ... Read more

Book Description

How did the team at Microsoft pioneer, build, and shepherd the company through exponential growth in a constantly changing market? How can you apply what they've discovered to your own career? Microsoft veteran Julie Bick reveals all the insider strategies in this invaluable book, packed with on-the-job insights and practical techniques.

From vice presidents to front-line managers, Bick interviews Microsofties to learn how they:

Book Description

The bestselling guide to the high-stakes world of high tech--now in paperback! Exploring the new high-tech landscape and its implications for business strategy, Geoffrey Moore provides highly useful guidelines for moving products beyond early adopters and into the lucrative mainstream market. From marketing to overall business strategy, Inside the Tornado is a must-read for anyone in the high-tech business. ... Read more

Reviews (30)

Dissecting the Technology Adoption Life Cycle
I found Moore's descriptions of the phases of the Technology Adoption Life Cycle (TALC) very useful:

o Early Market: time of great excitement when customers are technology enthusiasts

o Chasm: early-market interest wanes

o Bowling Alley: Niche-based adoption in advance of general marketplace

o Tornado: mass-market adoption

o Main Street: aftermarket development

o End of Life: leaders are supplanted by new paradigms/technology

The individual chapters on The Bowling Alley, Inside the Tornado, and On Main Street were full of company examples and useful advice and warnings.

The last chapter on Organization Leadership which described the types of recruiting and management talent appropriate for each stage of the TALC contains very valuable advice.

However, I found the gorilla, monkey and chimp metaphors silly and tedious (I had trouble remembering which animal symbolized what). Surely Moore could have found a more descriptive way of indicating the strengths and strategies of the competitors during each of the phases of the TALC.

Primates aside, I will keep this book and add it to my library of professional marketing reference sources. It's worth picking up from time to time to re-read specific sections to refresh your memory. When you're in the "tornado" you won't have time for this kind of reading, so read it now!

More Valuable Now Than Ever Before
Crossing the Chasm (1991) and Inside the Tornado (1995) should be read in combination. Having just re-read both, I consider them even more valuable now than when they were first published. Chasm "is unabashedly about and for marketing within high-tech enterprises." It was written for the entire high tech community "to open up the marketing decision making during this [crossing] period so that everyone on the management team can participate in the marketing process." In Chasm, Moore isolates and then corrects what he describes as a "fundamental flaw in the prevailing high-tech marketing model": the notion that rapid mainstream growth could follow continuously on the heels of early market success.

In his subsequent book, Inside the Tornado, Moore's use of the "tornado" metaphor correctly suggests that turbulence of unprecedented magnitude has occurred within the global marketplace which the WWW and the Internet have created. Moreover, such turbulence is certain to intensify. Which companies will survive? Why? I have only one (minor) quarrel with the way these two books have been promoted. True, they provide great insights into marketing within the high technology industry. However, in my opinion, all e-commerce (especially B2B and, even more importantly, B2B2C) will be centrally involved in that industry. Moreover, the marketing strategies suggested are relevant to virtually (no pun intended) any organization -- regardless of size or nature -- which seeks to create or increase demand for what it sells...whatever that may be. I consider both books "must reading." Those who share my high regard for one or both are strongly urged to read Moore's more recent business classic, Living on the Fault Line.

Marketing and business strengths, but "people" holes
Beyond the previous Chasm book, there's a great deal of additional depth in how to make the transition with your business to get your products out to a wider range of people. He also introduced the idea of companies that effectively "live" in one part of the adoption phase or another, not dominating it, but rather living off the share that the market implicitly either wants to give to another competitor to keep a diverse environment or because they're the low-cost clone alternative.

Like another reviewer, I found the gorilla / chimp / monkey metaphor a bit much, though primarily because the "gorilla company" metaphor is used in a slightly different way in the real world. My biggest concern was with the people issues; there's a lot of discussion around how to transition your company from one stage to another and how that will affect the various roles, rewards the people in those roles should expect, and even the type of work those people should be doing. I don't think -- especially for companies as people-based as technology companies -- he spends enough time talking about how you handle those issues, set expectations, and actually lead your company through these sorts of changes. Academically, I could see how he was saying to transform the company over time. Practically, though, I couldn't see how some of his messages could be delivered well. Especially to the engineers working on products.

I don't think we are in Kansas anymore, Toto
This was a groundbreaking book for many readers, who grew up in the pre-Silicon Valley boom days. How could Intel, Microsoft and other high-tech giants seize so much revenue, so fast? What were their marketing secrets and how can you apply them if you are in a new technology business? These are good questions and the description of how the successful companies stayed ahead of their competitors is educational. The rules look simple:
1. Just ship
2. Expand your distribution channels (and leave none unprotected)
3. Drive to the next lowest price point.

To me, this is more like staying ahead of the wave in surfing rather than riding a tornado, but whatever the metaphor, these are accurate descriptions of how high growth companies kept their products rolling and revenues coming in during high-demand times.

But do any of these rules apply to staying ahead of the competition during the lean times? Where have the tornados dropped everyone during the inevitable slowdown after a long, strong period of growth? Look at HP--who drove these rules to high success with the laser and deskjets and unbeknownst to many, took the lead in the home PC market too before the recession hit. Now, when spending on technology has been frozen by corporations seeking to hold costs down during the downturn, how do any of the marketing rules set out by Moore apply?

Well, the author points out that one has to be alert to when a new tornado is coming, though that is difficult. Now, when companies are slowing down is when technology developments in the skunk works are allowed to flourish; R&D has more time to perfect new technologies when there is little pressure to get out in a heated marketplace. Sooner or later, then next tornado is coming and the companies that are ready with strategic partnerships, competitive advantage, proper "bowling pin" positioning of product will profit. Right now may be the Year of the Monkey ("monkeys" compete on low price and low overhead) but the fundamentals have not changed for the next wave of a technology boom.

I like this book for looking at the fundamentals of companies who will be up and coming in the next recovery period, and for setting up marketing strategies for new products we are developing in house at our firm. Who has the best in-house R&D? What are the coming new technologies? Who's positioned to profit--look at the rules put forth in "Inside the Tornado" and see if you can make any predictions.

Recommended reading.

Pure High-Tech marketing
'Crossing the Chasm' and 'Inside the Tornado' explain high-tech marketing strategies and product/technology life cycle. In the 90s, some of the most successful high-tech companies could be distinguished by their marketing strategies. Standard approach to marketing might be fine for other industries, but it has less chance of succeeding in high-tech industry. 'Crossing the Chasm' refers to product's acceptance by mass market. Typical product adaptation cycle would go through various phases that include: innovators (very narrow market), early adopters, (much larger than innovators, but still nothing major), early majority (this is where you want your product to get), late majority (still huge market), and laggards. Now, in high-tech world, there is a chasm between early adopters and early majority. It takes different approach to cross that chasm and get accepted by early majority.
Once you are on the other side of the chasm, be prepare for the 'tornado' phase. Your product/technology will take off with enormous power driven by huge market. You don't want to be at the point where market demand surpasses your supply. At this point your company can grow at hyper growth rate and gigantic revenues can be generated. We have seen this before so many times and some of the examples (Dell, MS, Oracle, Apple, etc...) are known to everybody. ... Read more

Book Description

In 1980 the Indian software industry was practically non-existent.By the 1990s the industry was one of the largest employers in manufacturing.Similar patterns of growth can be found in other emerging economies.So given that the software industry is commonly viewed as a high-tech industry, how is it that such spectacular growth has occurred in countries where high-tech industries would not seem likely to develop? This book examines the reasons behind this phenomenon, and asks whether it suggests a new model of economic development.The contributors explore the implications of the rise of these newcomers to the software market for the global industry, and whether there are things to be learned about the role of human capital in economic growth, firm formulation and capabilities, business and managerial models and industry structure. Chapters include country studies on Brazil, China, India, Ireland and Israel and are complemented by cross-cutting chapters on some of the key issues highlighted by the groeth patterns of software in these nations, most notably the role of the multinational companies, the globalization of the skilled worker flows, and the formation of firm capabilities.The novelty of the growth patterns in the regions that studied makes this book useful for understanding analytical and empirical issues underlying new microfoundations of economic growth in some emerging regions of the world. ... Read more

Book Description

The first book to prepare us for the next big—perhaps the biggest—breakthrough in the short history of the cyberworld: the development of the quantum computer.

The newest Pentium chip driving personal computers packs 40 million electronic switches onto a piece of silicon the size of a thumbnail. It is dramatically smaller and more powerful than anything that has come before it. If this incredible shrinking act continues, the logical culmination is a computer in which each switch is composed of a single atom. And at that point the miraculous—the actualization of quantum mechanics—becomes real. If atoms can be harnessed, society will be transformed: problems that could take forever to be solved on the supercomputers available today would be dispatched with ease. Quantum computing promises nothing less astonishing than a shortcut through time.

In this book, the award-winning New York Times science writer George Johnson first takes us back to the original idea of a computer—almost simple enough to be made of Tinkertoys—and then leads us through increasing levels of complexity to the soul of this remarkable new machine. He shows us how, in laboratories around the world, the revolution has already begun.

Writing with a brilliant clarity, Johnson makes sophisticated material on (and even beyond) the frontiers of science both graspable and utterly fascinating, affording us a front-row seat at one of the most galvanizing scientific dramas of the new century. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Tidy Bit Of Science Writing
* George Johnson's A SHORTCUT THROUGH TIME could be subtitled
"A Beginner's Guide To Quantum Computing & Cryptography", with
this book exploring the bizarre quantum phenomena that could,
in potential, be used to perform computations on a range of
numbers simultaneously, or produce ciphers that are literally
impossible to crack by analytical means.

Trying to say more about the concepts discussed in this book
in a short review is impossible -- explaining how a particle
will simultaneously exist in all its possible states at once
until it's measured will give either a blank stare or a bland
"yeah right I know", meaning it didn't really register -- but
it isn't necessary, because Mr. Johnson does a right nice job
of explaining such matters in this neat brief book.

His writing is extremely clear and concise, at least relative
to the difficult matters he is discussing, and the book is
tidily illustrated. This is, to be sure, a book for beginners,
and in fact it spends some time up-front explaining basics
of computers before it moves on to quantum effects. A
specialist will likely have NO use for it, and might even be
a bit scornful at Mr. Johnson's occasional excursions into
arm-waving.

In fact, I did have some real problems with his discussions
of Shor's and Grove's quantum-computing algorithms, when
Mr. Johnson did seem to be getting into some real arm-waving.
Well, given the difficulty of the material, he was likely to
fall into that trap in places, and maybe I should just give
him the benefit of doubt, read that material again a few times,
and sleep on it.

However, I was basically familiar with quantum computing and
cryptography (at a layman level) before I read this book, and
at the outset thought it might not tell me anything I didn't
already know. I was wrong since I got a tidy explanation of
the application of quantum teleportation to cryptography
(blank stare out there?), and some other nice tidbits.

Besides, I was thoroughly impressed by Mr. Johnson's
sensibility in his comments about technical writing and his
degree of cautious skepticism in dealing with physicists, some
of whom seem to be slightly around the bend. The late Dick
Feynman, who plays a part of sorts in this book, could
actually understand what the such sorts were saying and
nail them, but the rest of us will just have to sympathize
with Mr. Johnson when he makes comments such as:

"Gilles Brassard tells me that each dim flash, on the average,
contains perhaps one-tenth of a photon, an idea I find rather
difficult to grasp."

You just gotta like this guy.

A Quantum Leap for Computing
Your computer will soon be out of date. You know that already, especially if you know about Moore's law, which was originated forty years ago, and says that every year and a half, the density of components on a computer chip will double. From the room-sized vacuum tube monsters down to the sprightly laptop, there has been a continued decrease in size and increase in speed. But silicon technology cannot reduce forever; it is still based on atoms, and it cannot get smaller than an atom. There is no law, however, that says we must forever be dependent on silicon, and so entirely new technologies may be developed. The technology, undeveloped but promising, which has interested physicists and computer scientists the most is quantum computing. We don't have quantum computers yet, and they aren't a sure thing, but the possibilities are tantalizing. George Johnson, a science journalist, has tried to make the new technology plain in _A Shortcut Through Time: The Path to the Quantum Computer_ (Knopf), and for those of us who aren't mathematicians, physicists, or computer scientists, he has done an admirable job at making a very strange, not-yet-practical technology understandable. Few of us need to know how silicon chips work, and fewer still will ever understand how quantum computers will work. Indeed, the quantum world is so vastly strange and counterintuitive that no one really can understand it. But Johnson's book is a good introduction to the strangeness, and a good vantage point from which to watch the upcoming revolution, if it comes.

Johnson's book is about a real quantum leap. The classical physics of our silicon computers does not hold within the tiny spaces inside atoms. Single particles at that scale can _really_ be in two places at once, and similarly, a quantum bit of information (known as a qubit) can be set to 1 and 0 at the same time, known as a "superposition." Qubits could be set to perform almost instantaneous calculations of huge programs, and there is no part of physics that says such computing should be impossible. Indeed, on the smallest of scales, primitive quantum computing has already been accomplished. Qubits are temperamental, and current research has to be done at supercold temperatures without the possibility of disturbance. Still, there is enormous intellectual interest in the prospect of quantum computing. One researcher in the field said that he and his colleagues are "writing the software for a device that does not yet exist." If quantum computing works, for instance, we will have to rethink all our current encryption methods, which are based on the difficulty of factoring large numbers; quantum computers do such things with ease silicon never can.

You aren't going to understand quantum computers by reading this book; Johnson knows that he is trying to describe the undescribable, and he makes it clear that he is no physicist, just someone trying to understand what all the fuss is about. His book is lucid and his descriptions do not bog down in technicalities (at times he gleefully hurtles over them). The book is also brief, but has enough substance to give even those who know little about current computing some basic understanding of where quantum computers may take us. He has successfully conveyed the excitement these potential gadgets have sparked, and readers will be able to participate in the excitement themselves.

Brain Freeze
This book is well written, clear, and concise. It is also challenging, amazing, and, at times, difficult to understand. Johnson begins with some brain freezing descriptions of what quantuum computing can do (trust me... it's freaky), then delves into what a computer is and how quantum computing may be applied. A must read for those who want to stay on the cutting edge of science or computing, but don't have time for four more years of school.

Good read about an exciting possibility
One of science writer George Johnson's aims in this book is to explain to a general readership how quantum computers might work. The key word is "might." As it stands now there are no quantum computers at work; and, although there is apparently no theoretically reason they won't be developed in the future, there are a host of practical problems to be solved that suggest they may never be developed.

Johnson acknowledges as much when he quotes French physicists Serge Haroche and Jean-Michel Raimond as saying that the small scale "hands-on experiments" with a few qubits that are currently being done "are more likely to teach us about the processes that would ultimately make the undertaking fail" than to teach "us how to build a large quantum computer." (p. 169)

As I understand it, basically the idea behind quantum compters is that (somehow) individual quanta (atoms, photons, electrons) are able to be in a particular state or not to be in a particular state; that is, either the equivalent of yes or no, but also in an indeterminate state; that is, a state that would signal yes and no at the same time! Somehow (and I hope I am forgiven for not fully appreciating this)--somehow because of this fabled indeterminancy, quanta can be used to compute at a speed that is more than exponentially faster than digital computers.

Johnson spends some series ink in trying to show how the atoms can hold and crunch numbers as long as they are not disturbed; that is, not measured in any way (which would bring about the famous "collapse of the wave function"). In this manner a problem that would take a digital computer weeks or months to solve could be solved in a fraction of a second. Problems now actually impossible to solve in any reasonable lengt