Book Description

The buzz on PILOTING PALM

"Thorough, intelligent, and inspiring, Piloting Palm tells one of the most remarkable stories in the history of American business–– the birth of the handheld industry. There are important lessons for entrepreneurs and managers in almost every chapter. A fascinating book!"
–– Emanuel Rosen, author, The Anatomy of Buzz

"The Palm is so ubiquitous, it’s easy to forget what life was like BP (before Palm). If you want the inside scoop on the product that changed your life –– and how it got here–– this is the place to start."
–– Seth Godin, author, Survival is Not Enough

"Even though I’ve been a user of every version of the Palm and am waiting breathlessly for the Handspring Treo Communicator, I never knew how Jeff Hawkins came up with the original design of the PalmPilot. Now I do. Piloting Palm is informative, well written, and a good read!"
–– Stewart Alsop, General Partner, New Enterprise Associates
columnist, Fortune magazine

"Piloting Palm is a fascinating blow-by-blow of the company that made the handheld revolution possible. Butter and Pogue have written a highly readable, insightful, and compelling history of the business strategies and the people who have redefined many of our lives."
–– David B. Yoffie, Harvard Business School professor
author of Judo Strategy: Turning Your Competitors’ Strength to Your Advantage

"Piloting Palm is a compelling and engaging read. The story conveys the drama, heartbreak, and joy of building a Silicon Valley start-up. Both Dubinsky and Hawkins set an example of how to realize a vision and then build a team that can turn it into reality. This was definitely a book I could not put down."
–– Bruce Chizen, President and CEO, Adobe Systems Inc.

"An incredible insight on the first successful handhelds ever! I thought I pretty much knew the entire history behind Jeff and Palm, but this book filled in all the details and nuances I never knew existed! My regards to Jeff and Donna for persevering!"
–– Kenny West, President, PalmGear.com

"This book is a gripping (no pun intended) history of Palm and Handspring. Above all, it’s a great story about stubborn entrepreneurs who overcame conventional wisdom, corporate calcification –– and Microsoft."
–– Guy Kawasaki, CEO, Garage Technology Ventures ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Piloting Palm Pulls Punches
This is the story of the handheld PDA and its development. Originally an idea of
Jeff Hawkins, he brought Donna Dubinsky on board as CEO to start a company to develop what became the Palm Pilot. Along the way both struggle to get enough capital to continue to make the product a success. They eventually get backing from
3 Com and while the capital is available, dealing with 3Com management becomes a major issue. Both eventually leave to from Handspring, and the story stops about a year into the new company, with Palm the dominant supplier of PDAs, but seemingly mismanaged, and Handspring's future uncertain.

The punches are surely pulled when describing the investors of capital in the business (there were many) - why would the story be so torturous if there had been more belief among the major investors in either the product and/or the management?
Another issue which I read into the story, is the sheer difficulty of working with the vision team that is Hawkins/Dubinsky - each non-Palm manger who is brought in by
3 com to develop the product seems to be confused, visionless or plain wrong. I began to have sympathy for the folks who had to manage Palm during the long-running dispute that led to their departure. From this book's viewpoint it looks as if only the original team of true believers could deliver the product, the process and the profits. I was not convinced.

Hawkins seems to have developed the operating systems and handprint recognition software that was the basis of the original product. He and Dubinsky argued against licensing this software while at Palm and yet were the primary beneficiaries of such a license when they formed Handspring. Hawkins in particular seems obsessed with the product rather than the system, and this I feel must limit the
Proliferation of the PDA concept - surely the reason that the PC overcame Apples' first mover advantage was the decision by IBM to license the operating system. Most of the early Palm personnel were ex-Apple, so maybe the lesson was not well learned.
[There is, incidentally, a deliciously vicious description of the failure of the Apple Newton, the first attempt at a mass market PDA]

I came away from the book feeling that Hawkins/Dubinsky were an excellent, driven duo, who can inspire fierce loyalty and overcome challenges to develop a product, but their vision may not be wide enough to make the PDA a ubiquitous system, as opposed to a handy device for technophiles.

Insightful!
If you like your corporate biographies short on technological details and long on struggles for survival and success, Piloting Palm is the book for you. Andrea Butter, Palm's marketing director in the early days, provides backstage access to Palm's evolutionary drama, complete with political infighting, searches for cash and the simple quest for survival. The story is told largely from the point of view of Jeff Hawkins, whom Butter and co-author David Pogue dub the father of handheld computing. The involvement of such dynamic firms as Casio, Tandy, GeoWorks, America Online, Intuit and various venture capitalists makes the story all the more interesting. We from getAbstract recommend this book for its straightforward - although not all too objective - account of the creation of a modern technological phenomenon.

Definitive Chronology
From Hawkins initial vision until early 2002, Piloting Palm chronicles the birth of the handheld industry's first real success story: Palm. The triumphs and set-backs are re-lived in detail in this page-turner that is augmented by numerous quotes from Hawkins and the others who lived it. The book is more of a chronology, and with the exception of evidencing a very pro-Palm and later pro-Handspring bias (one of the authors worked for Palm's marketing division previously), the book avoids drawing any conclusions about the companies and their successes and failures.

Insight, however, abounds from the quotes which appear on literally almost every page. The authors' access to the managers of the two companies is quite impressive; however, the book is little more than a narrative of what happened and doesn't really comment on how the principals felt that they could have improved on their performance or what lessons can be applied from their struggles to other businesses. In fact, the book talks more about how to build a PDA than a business.

The book will probably be regarded as the definitive history of the companies, but it really doesn't go far beyond that, and forces the reader who is looking to apply the lessons to search deeply within to extract the gold nuggets that are hidden throughout.

Pleasant page-turner with interesting business insights
This book represents a powerful collaboration between industry veteran Andrea Butter and well-liked technology journalist David Pogue. I really enjoyed the book's engaging, fun, yet substantive style. It doesn't shy away from describing technical issues in detail without getting overly abtruse. The only possible blemishes are: 1) as others have pointed out, the ending is a little abrupt, but then, any ongoing printed history runs that risk; and 2) the book steers clear of passing any judgments on the various controversies surrounding Palm, Handspring, and the handheld industry. It bends over backward trying not to offend anybody, which could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your point of view. All in all, a good-natured, well-researched book that definitely makes you look at your PDA with more respect and curiosity.

Pretty good, but just sort of ends
If you have any interest in the handheld industry, this book gives an interesting look at its history. It is mainly about Jeff Hawkins and Donna Dubinsky, the main founders of Palm. It treats them a little reverently - they seemingly do no wrong. But leaving that aside it is a good story of start up and the struggles it goes through as they eventually leave to found Hanspring. The only other negative is that the book just kind of ends at the beginning of this year (2002) and the future is so uncertain. Will Handspring's Treo product be like the original palm in the it completely takes over the market? Maybe the authors should have waited a year to the history is a little clearer. ... Read more

Book Description

"I can’t think of a more acute observer of the wild Silicon Valley saga than Mike Malone. He has seen it all from up close."
–Tom Wolfe, author of A Man in Full and The Bonfire of the Vanities

"Mike Malone is to Silicon Valley what George Orwell was to the Spanish Civil War."
–Paul A. Gigot, Editorial Page Editor
The Wall Street Journal

"One hundred years from now, when people talk about Silicon Valley, they will be using Mike Malone’s words."
–Tom Siebel, Chairman and CEO, Siebel Systems

"Malone has done it again! By compiling these gems from the past, we can revisit his powerful insights for the future. Thank you, Mike Malone, for helping to shape this legend we call ‘The Valley!’"
–Dr. Eric Schmidt Chairman and CEO, Google, Inc.

"In an area that has had too much hype, Mike Malone consistently provides the provocative, penetrating analyses and insights that brilliantly withstand the test of time. He is an impeccable source of enlightenment."
–Steve Forbes, President and Editor in Chief
Forbes Inc.

"An absolutely fascinating insight into life in Silicon Valley. It’s a beautiful combination of history, gossip, insight, and anecdote. It reads like a modern John Aubrey."
–Anthony Hopwood, Dean
Said Business School, Oxford University ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Still dreaming of SV
Incorporates a random selection of writings which, in their whole, describes the last 30+ years of SV life.

If you want to understand Silicon Valley,
If you want to understand Silicon Valley, you'll want to read about it through Mike Malone's eyes. There may be individuals with greater business acumen or longer residential histories, but no one can tell the story about Silicon Valley better than Malone. With incomparable journalistic skills and in depth industry know-how, Malone has assembled a series of stories and columns that chronicle the growth of the Valley and, serendipitously, his own career. Because it is an anthology of sorts, the book does not flow in any singular direction. Nonetheless, the collection is rich with insights on technology breakthroughs, towering personalities and company histories. From high tech "scavengers" to venture capitalists But most important, Malone fills us with strands of individual success and failures, the weave of which is the tapestry known as Silicon Valley. Perhaps the only negative about the volume is that its contents are largely a reprise of earlier Malone writings. If only he'd tell us more....

Interesting, but needs real editing ....
Having lived in Silicon Valley off and on since 1977 (I came out to join the now-defunct Ahdahl Corp) I found part of this book interesting/enlightening. However, the writing style meanders way too much; I had real trouble keeping my interest up (I kept reading on "one more page..." hoping it would get interesting, but ...

Per the prose extolling the talents/background of the author I'd have expected a much more well written book; it just wandered from paragraph to paragraph and chapter to chapter. Maybe next time ... ... Read more

Book Description

Now in paperback, the book THE WALL STREET JOURNAL called "required reading for anyone itching to know what happened at Big Blue." A behind-the-scenes look at the dramtic fall of IBM. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

The single best book for understanding the computer industry
Computer Wars remains the single best book for understanding the computer industry, both software and hardware. When people outside the industry ask why both Netscape and Microsoft have decided to lose a barrel of money by developing WWW browsers and giving them away, give them a copy of this book.

A great book
This is a book book, if you like the subject. The first 1/3 tells the story of the collapse of IBM, and the rest of the book goes into the buissness aspects of what went wrong and what to do in the future. Great if you like either buissness or computers in general.

How the war was lost
This book was in interesting book that went into the details. It clearly explaines the details of how IBM lost the war with the best technology in the world.

Great job of putting the computer industry in perspective.
This book details how the modern computer industry came into being. Who the players were, how they fought for domiance, who won, who lost, and why. The authors cleary delineate the pivotal points that shape today's competitive landscape. For instance when Intel and Microsoft stole the day from IBM.For anyone even casually interested in the computer industry, this is a fasinating and easy read ... Read more

Book Description

As the Internet revolution continues to unfold and transform telecommunications, pressure is building for faster, less expensive, and more widely accessible broadband service. Such a development would facilitate improved and less expensive traditional applications such as voice telephony and web browsing. It would also enable new and useful applications such as Internet-based television, videoconferencing, and software distribution. Broadband has great potential to improve efficiency and productivity, even to improve national security in some cases. Broadband service and affordability, however, have consistently lagged well behind demand and progress in information technology, with damaging results. The Internet revolution remains incomplete and threatens to stagnate if the situation continues.

In The Broadband Problem, economist and technology entrepreneur Charles H. Ferguson explains the causes and ramifications of this damaging bottleneck, and he offers suggestions on improving the current state of affairs. He asserts that current telecommunications law and policy have not provided sufficient levels of new entry, competition, and innovation in the local telecom market. The continuing dominance of ILECs (incumbent local exchange carriers) in that market impedes the healthy, and much-needed, development of an efficient broadband market. The result of these policy and market failures is inadequate technological progress, innovation, and productivity in advanced Internet services and telecommunication services generally.

The broadband problem is holding us back, and thus must be addressed and solved. With this important volume, Charles Ferguson has contributed mightily to that mission. ... Read more

Book Description

Continuing the trend-watching of Technology 2001, which discussed the technologies that could well define the computing and communications environment that lies ahead, The Future of Software assembles the observations of leading computer scientists, strategists, and planners in both business and academia, this time tackling software development.

Despite the extraordinary advances during the past few years in computing power, Derek Leebaert and the other contributors see as the biggest challenge for the future the development of software that can fully exploit the the computer's ever-increasing capabilities. Each author addresses the particular aspect of software that is his or her specialty, examining how various developments and applications will transform the way we think about and use comptuters as we enter the next millennium.

The topics include the history and evolution of software, the future of software and how it will change the way we live, software standardization, work group computing, computer supported collaboration, end-user programming, natural language and natural- intelligence capabilities and limitations, the Japanese software industry, software and the law, and the coordination of knowledge. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Well argued prerequisite for Financial Dynamics
Dr. Westland's book Valuing Technology provides unique explanations for the dot-com bubble, and for the chaos in tech markets. Both this and his sequel, Financial Dynamics offer important contributions to the study of investment valuation

It's not worth the money!!!
I bought this book because I thought it might help me with my master thesis on valuation but I was wrong. It does not even explain properly the basics. Information about the specific aspects of valuing technology firms is rare, and the structure of content is often unlogic. The author loves it to put self-praise on every other page. I don't understand why the other reviews on this list are so positive because there are much better books on this topic. I highly recommend "The dark side of valuation" by Damodaran.

Interesting and unique
This is an interesting book that helped me to understand why accounting and Wall Street have grown corrupt. Along with caveats, the author describes changes in accounting and finance that would help to improve the performance of the finance community in meeting investor's needs.

Substance, and enjoyable style
Valuing Technology provides an intellectual completment to books such as Tom Copeland's Valuation. It describes how the new economy (the author uses the term knowledge economy, following Peter Drucker's usage) differs from the industrial economy, and how market valuation and underlying accounting systems have to change in response. Westland's book is short, well-written, and filled with substance, and I found it enjoyable and informative reading.

Innovative survey of finance in the information age
The book is written in an engaging style, and surveys current strengths and shortcomings in the tools of financial analysis when applied to technology stocks. At points, the mathematics are complex, but only as much as he needs to state his case. I think Westland's explanations of the way technology companies are different than industrial firms are accurate. They provided me with insights that I have not seen anywhere else. The book falls short in describing how to value technology stocks, which is a weakness. On the other hand, there is enough new material in the book to make it worth its price ... Read more

Book Description

What has made Silicon Valley so productive of new technologies and new firms? How did its pioneering achievements begin-in computer networking, semiconductors, personal computing, and the Internet-and what forces have propelled its unprecedented growth? This collection of nine chapters by contributors from varied disciplines-business, geography, history, regional planning, and sociology-examines the history, development, and entrepreneurial dynamics of Silicon Valley.

Part I, "History," provides context for the Valley's success by exploring its early industrial roots. It traces the development of the electronics industry in Silicon Valley back to the founding of Federal Telegraph in 1908, and discusses the role of defense spending and the relationship with Stanford University in the region's growth. Part II, "Institutions," emphasizes the importance of supporting institutions and practices in helping Valley startups succeed. Four chapters explore the role of law firms in facilitating the formation of new companies, the evolution of the venture capital industry and its role in funding new firms, the importance of labor mobility, and the significance of close interfirm relationships in the success of Silicon Valley companies.Part III, "General Explanations," presents three different perspectives on the environment that has made Silicon Valley so successful. The first chapter considers Silicon Valley as an ecosystem of interacting institutions, individuals, and a culture that encourages and nurtures entrepreneurship. The second chapter argues that Silicon Valley should not be seen as a region in which relationships are based on civic virtue, but rather one in which trust is based on performance, which makes it uniquely permeable to new ideas and talented individuals. The final chapter contends that institutions specializing in new firm formation are responsible for Silicon Valley's unique ability to foster technological advances. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

perfect book for the new Silicon valley residents!
At the center of all questions about the Valley lies the matter of innovation-for the Valley occasionally appears like a perpetual innovation machine. I say "innovation" rather than simply "invention," because innovation, to me, means invention implemented. And I have grudgingly come to realize that invention is often the easy part of innovation. The hard part is usually the implementation. Here I was particularly interested in Stuart Leslie's well-chosen quotation from a letter of Frederick Terman. Terman was the Stanford University dean who played godfather to Hewlett Packard and so many other early start-ups in the Valley. When he left the university to work on radar during World War II, he wrote back to a colleague at Stanford, "I had never before realized the amount of work required to make a device ready for manufacture after one had a good working model." It was a lesson he clearly learned well as he guided young Stanford graduates to innovative success. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A Unique Achievment: constructing an Animation script
Is a shame that a great book like this only have one review until now ( and a wrong one ) hence I'll try to correct this.

NOTE: Be aware that this review is for the GARDNER'S GUIDE TO ANIMATION SCRIPTWRITING ( this review is wrongly appearing TOO in the "Gardner's guide to Multimedia & animation Studios", some kind of problem in Amazon.com I Think, :-( SORRY Chaz )

I bought this book in August 2001, if you are looking for books about scripts there are many ones, some very good, but any is writed exclusively thinking in animation and cartoons. For the animator this is an invaluable reference, here is the summary:

1.- Animation - An Overview
2.- Cartoon Genres
3.- The Moral
4.- Central Idea
5.- Dead End Ahead - The Central question
6.- The Characters and the Character Arc
7.- Introduction to Plot
8.- The Twenty-Two minute Structure
9.- The Eleven Minute Structure
10.- The Seven Minute Structure
11.- Make 'Em Laugh - Levels of Humor
12.- Prose
13.- Dialogue
14.- The Scene
15.- Broadcast Guidelines
16.- The Rewrite
17.- The Writing Process of Animation
Glossary, Cartoonography, Filmography, Road Map Forms, Apendix

The book itself have a good easyreading design, with plenty of quotations and references to well known movies or series, here you have the basics of writing but you can find more profound books about this, the special of the book is that is writed for cartoons specially, have 3 chapters studying the structures of the cartoonscript of 7, 11 and 22 minutes, of course you can apply all the information for an animation of any length, movies or shorts.

Including checklists for Structure, Characters, Scenes, Dialogue, Humor, Prose, 3 Structure guides, 75 Excercises, 37 Rules and an Animated 7 minutes Teleplay in the appendix: You have here a book that will go to occupy an important place near you.

I'm not an acclaimed screenwriter in fact I'm a novice in this area but I'm working with a firm producing some animations and I can asure you that this book can prevent you some rocky mistakes in this special field and even If you are a Pro you'll find some good points here.

A complete, definitive, "user friendly", industry directory
Gardner's Guide To Multimedia & Animation Studies is the complete, definitive, "user friendly", industry directory for anyone seeking jobs, connections, and services information and contacts. In addition to indices listed by state or province, and company name, Gardner's Guide To Multimedia & Animation Studies is carefully organized in four parts: East Coast, Central; West Coast; Canada. Within each regional section the companies are alphabetically listed and include the number of employees, areas of specialization; a brief description, address, phone, fax, and website address. Gardner's Guide To Multimedia & Animation Studies is a very practical and highly recommended addition to industry professional and library reference collections. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Good but not outstanding
Anyone who has used Napster (and it would be tough to find someone who hasnt!!!) will always have wondered what motivated shawn fanning (and his friends) to create Napster. Finally there is a book which deals with the topic. IRRESISTABLE FORCES does a concise job of charting Napster's creation, the near-fanaticism of its creators, Shawn Fanning's idealism, how the record companies woke up to the threat, and how they acted.

But thats not made me like this book. It also takes a peek at many of the pertinent post-napster issues - the future of peer-to-peer computing, online file sharing etc. The BMG-Napster venture is also talked about, and even the "children" of Napster find a mention. And all this from a unbiased point of view, giving a flavour of how all the concerned parties feel/felt.

There is only one thing I do not like about this book - and that is - for most of the issues - it does not do more than just take a peek. All the topics are dealt with too much brevity. I would have really loved this book had it been more detailed.

However, all said and done - the book is very good - and I gleaned a lot of information from it - only I was left thirsting for more. So I am going to go and get the other book in the market on Napster.

The bottom line?? For those who want wide-ranging information on Napster - this book will do for starters> ... Read more

Book Description

"Reading at times like a Clancy novel and at others like a Greek tragedy, Burrowss Backfire presents a detailed picture of how a leader can rob a company of its soul and cause it to stray from the principles that had made it enduringly great. Read it and weep."
–Jerry I. Porras
Lane Professor of Organizational Behavior and Change Emeritus, Stanford Business School
coauthor, Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies

"Peter Burrows has written a fascinating account of the largest high-tech merger and proxy fight of all time. Riveting stories about Carly Fiorina, Walter Hewlett, and the melodrama in the HP corporate boardroom make this book a great read as well as an object lesson in corporate governance and corporate change."
–David B. Yoffie
Starr Professor of International Business Administration, Harvard Business School
author, Judo Strategy: Turning Your Competitors Strength to Your Advantage

"Carly Fiorinas story as told by Burrows illustrates well the timeless role of leaders: to help organizations work through necessary but painful changes that dont happen naturally."
–Robert Burgelman
Edmund W. Littlefield Professor of Management, Stanford Graduate School of Business
coauthor, Strategy Is Destiny: How Strategy-Making Shapes a Companys Future

"A well-researched view inside the controversial management transition at HP. The personality-dominated decision-making process at HP shows us how the power of personalities can override and reshape business legacies. Backfire has all the makings of a modern historical novel."
–Regis McKenna
author, Total Access and Relationship Marketing: Successful Strategies for the Age of the Customer

"At a time when corporate governance was a most important issue in American business, the merger of Hewlett-Packard and Compaq produced a proxy battle that should have embarrassed everyone involved. Backfire tells the story in all its gory detail. It is must reading for investors, executives, and anyone who cares about corporate governance."
–Roger McNamee
cofounder, Integral Capital Partners and Silver Lake Partners ... Read more

Reviews (18)

Insightful!
Peter Burrows offers insights into high level business, where personality matters more than economics, as he explores the mammoth HP-Compaq merger. Most mergers fail to make money or to produce the promised "synergies" so, he asks, why - other than ego - do CEOs pursue them? Though stylistically somewhat trite, this book successfully explores the HP Board's decision to approve the merger, with Walter B. Hewlett's vote in favor, and his subsequent lonely, ultimately quixotic battle against it. The most contentious issues in contemporary business are all here: shareholder rights and value vs. CEO power; employee-oriented cultures vs. "re-engineering;" corporate integrity vs. sharp practice; and the interesting spectacle of a ruthless, hard-headed female CEO pitted against a sensitive, cello-playing man. The author says Hewlett-Packard executives were told not to speak with him after he quoted merger critics in Business Week, so there is an inevitable Walter Hewlett bias. We found this to be a very good read, even a must read, for corporate warriors.

Burrows Fiorina account far too favorable in view of results
The main weakness of this book was that its treatment of CEO Fiorina was far more favorable than the facts warrant. The controversy over the 20 billion dollar merger should have been foreseen by the Board of Directors. Certainly there was ample evidence at the time of the proposed merger that Carly Fiorina's ideas and actions were incompatible with her role as head of a major American company. Burrows should have detailed many more of these. For example, she invested millions of shareholder dollars in a radical feminist group and even set them up with office resources at HP. She donated over $100,000 of her personal funds to an eccentric socialist training camp in Los Altos Hills. This is clearly a businesswoman that simply does not have her head screwed on right for business. The businessman George Soros has been rightly condemned in the business community for analogous nutty actions on a larger scale but Burrows mostly gives Fiorina a free pass on such activity, although his account is certainly better than most.

It has been nearly five years since Carly Fiorina took over HP and the bottom line result is that even after spending 20 billion on Compaq, the investment community values HP at less that half of what it was worth when she took over. Clearly, a much harder-hitting book from Burrows was warranted than what he produced, given the huge magnitude of the investor losses that have occurred since.

Computer server business assessment needed in book
I enjoyed this book as it contained substantial original reporting that is not duplicative of the work that others have done. I would have liked to see more material concerning bottom line issues. The bottom line issue that has the most resonance for me is the Wall Street assessment, both now, and at the time of the merger, that HP's non-printing businesses have no value on the Street. In other words, if HP were to be bought by some other firm, the Wall Street consensus is that such an acquirer should simply eliminate the other businesses. HP's value is actually less as currently structured because eliminating these other businesses has closing costs associated with this shutdown activity.

The clear implication here is that Walter Hewlett was absolutely correct in opposing this merger, since the result clearly is that 20 billion dollars was completely wasted, and precious time is still being lost on ineffective strategies to revive these businesses. With the benefit of hindsight we can say that Walter Hewlett should have been given more credit than he received, even from Burrows, for opposing this capital and job destruction, even in the face of Fiorina's personal attacks.

This book should have pointed out that these at-risk businesses can still be saved, particularly the server and server-related businesses, with the appointment of proper management by the Board of Directors. What they need to be looking for this time is not someone whose picture has been on the cover of "Fortune" magazine, as was Carly's before she was hired, but someone with the knowledge and interest in saving HP. Carly not only does not have the engineering expertise, she simply creates the impression that she has no interest in HP's existing businesses, even printing, which she has left to wither on the vine in a new investment sense.

HP has had a computer server business for over 25 years. It is a big market, roughly 50 billion yearly and rising. HP has 27%, but has failed to gain any share at all from the collapse of Sun Microsystems. Instead, customers are transfering to IBM and Dell, which should be a big wake-up call for the Board. Dell Computer is number one in market position for the key Linux server business, perhaps because of HP's totally insular and uninformed approach to this market. A lot of hard work by HP employees went into building a formerly successful server business, it is senseless to discard this potentially excellent business because Carly is more interested in trying to sell MP3s at Starbucks, something that will never generate much profit.

I would have liked to have seen a clear statement in this book that if in the summer of 2004 if HP's non-printer businesses are still worth zero, that the HP Board of Directors needs hire a new CEO. Doubtless they prefer to have a charming dialogue with Carly about her boneheaded hipster ideas involving HP products in Starbucks rather than argue with some computer nerd about computer enterprise/service-provider product investments, but I would argue that being true to their responsibilities requires that they do the later, whether they like it or not. It would have been good for Burrows' book to say so.

Fiorina's harmful international impact ignored
My major concern with this book is that it vastly understates the negative impacts any poor HP CEO, and in particular Carly Fiorina, can have. The negative impacts are not limited to HP shareholders, employees and customers, whom few people seem to care about. A few months ago Fiorina bought a 10,000 person Indian software firm, adding greatly to HP's huge investment in India. Inappropriate investments, HP and otherwise, are greatly resented in India, because it reinforces corruption in the culture that prevents improved living conditions for most Indians. Your Ronald Reagan dealt with the corrupt culture in the Soviet Union in a vastly superior way -- not by financially supporting corrupt bureaucrats and communist state governments (as Fiorina has done in India) but by dealing very sternly with these malfactors. Fiorina's investments have caused great harm in India. A few days ago Atal Vajpayee's government was voted out and the communists are going to call many of the shots in the new government. This is very, very bad for about a billion Indians.

These potential international impacts should have been given attention in Burrows book. HP and a few other big US firms caused this senseless suffering in pursuit of corruption in India. The motivation for HP to outsource to India in the way they are doing it is certainly not cost savings (which don't really exist) -- the motivation is a combination of graft (doing business in India requires bribes, and once slush funds are created it is impossible to determine weather the bribes really go to Indian bureaucrats or whether American managers pocket most of the cash) and the desire of Carly to remove herself as far from actual production and productive people as possible. It is said she does not even use the company cafeteria because she could find herself too close to actual HP workers.

I would hope in the future America would produce more great leaders like Ronald Reagan and find ways to keep harmful ditzy people like Carly Fiorina out of leadership positions. Burrows book would have been much better with a discussion of these international impacts.

Insightful!
Peter Burrows offers insights into high level business, where personality matters more than economics, as he explores the mammoth HP-Compaq merger. Most mergers fail to make money or to produce the promised "synergies" so, he asks, why - other than ego - do CEOs pursue them? Though stylistically somewhat trite, this book successfully explores the HP Board's decision to approve the merger, with Walter B. Hewlett's vote in favor, and his subsequent lonely, ultimately quixotic battle against it. The most contentious issues in contemporary business are all here: shareholder rights and value vs. CEO power; employee-oriented cultures vs. "re-engineering;" corporate integrity vs. sharp practice; and the interesting spectacle of a ruthless, hard-headed female CEO pitted against a sensitive, cello-playing man. The author says Hewlett-Packard executives were told not to speak with him after he quoted merger critics in Business Week, so there is an inevitable Walter Hewlett bias. We found this to be a very good read, even a must read, for corporate warriors. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

the cot plannning guide
the book is fine, but i need more information ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Excellent look behind the scenes of the case, MS & the DOJ
There are no press releases in this book, no spin by the local media and no facades maintained for the public. Ken Auletta exposes this case for what it is, even if he gets some of the details wrong in the process. There are no heroes and no villains, though there is a distinct slant against Microsoft and its top brass (Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer). Even so, Auletta doesn't paint a rosy picture of the other parties involved either. Overall, I would have to say it's about as impartial as one could be.

As I read this book, I found myself flip-flopping back and forth between who I thought was right and who was wrong. In the end it was apparent to me that Microsoft was most likely guilty of some unfair business practices, namely denying computer manufacturers (OEMs) the right to put competitive software on computers with Windows software. But the case mutated away from that point to whether or not Microsoft has the right to add functionality to its operating system. Where this whole saga will end (if ever) is anyone's guess.

All in all, this is a good book to get an overview of the case and the people involved.

It ain't over till it's over-MSFT vs US in exquisite detail
Just when we were waiting for Microsoft to meekly split itself based on the outcome of the first landmark court decision, it looks like the software giant is racking up the points in what may be the most exciting appeals case in US history.

World War 3.0 couldn't have come at a better time. This book goes into background about Internet browsers, the internet itself and computer operating systems, a key point in the anti-trust lawsuit. And it does an equally thorough job of informing the reader about US anti-trust law. These details are essential to understanding the case against Microsoft, and they are presented here in a way that is detailed yet completely comprehensible.

This would be dry reading indeed if there were not also vivid descriptions of the players; Bill Gates, brilliant, visionary,self-absorbed and completely ill-equipped to play the high-stakes game of personality; the prosecutor, who has gotten himself the case of a lifetime and Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson, traditional and sober judge. What is surprising is how much Judge Jackson reveals in this book, as judges are notoriously close-mouthed.

The appeals process is now underway and it ain't over till it's over. If you want to be informed on a case that will literally affect the future of technology, it's well worth reading World War 3.0.

Rehashed newspaper articles
No new revelations here. This story has been told in earlier books, and with more ground breaking impact. This is a case of the publisher hoping to capitalize on a big business story, but too late !! See earlier books on the Microsoft antitrust case, such as The Microsoft File.

Balanced but ultimately misses the point
Ken Auletta is an excellent reporter, and here was able to obtain amazing access to the district court judge in the Microsoft case. Indeed, Judge Jackson gave long interviews with Mr. Auletta based on the judge's personal notes, and later was blasted by all of the Appeals Court judges for allowing this kind of access.

Mr. Auletta is generally very fair in recounting the events of the Microsoft trial, but he also is not a programmer and not a lawyer and not a business strategist and it shows. His grasp of some of the fundamental legal issues at stake is rather poor, and his failure to predict the reasoning of the eminently predictable appeals court (which had already ruled in favor of Microsoft) is a big problem with this book.

Part of the problem is that Mr. Auletta reported only on what he saw, and Microsoft to a large extent wasn't bothering to convince the district court judge of their case (they already felt they'd lose despite Judge Jackson's protests that he was impartial). Microsoft instead focused on setting up the right arguments to later win at the appellate level, which it now looks like they will do.

Mr. Auletta, for all his excellent reporting, ultimately misses Microsoft's deeper game plan, despite noting that the reason Microsoft hired the lawyers that it did was that they previously had one a large reversal at the appellate level for Kodak. He should have looked a bit further into the story, and paid less attention to the (albeit amusing) theatrics of the district court.

Packed With Knowledge!
Although a paranoid, childish and somewhat sniveling Bill Gates is the undoubted antagonist in author Ken Auletta's gripping account of the U.S. government's escalating war against Microsoft, it's tough to find the good guys. By detailing the legal maneuverings of Microsoft's competitors, which in large part spurred the government to action, Auletta pierces some of the innocent-victim personas adopted by the likes of Sun CEO Scott McNealy and others. But the author's treatment of Gates and his Microsoft colleagues is merciless, and in this honest portrait Auletta illustrates how the company's own arrogance brought on its legal woes. News junkies may find the broad outlines of the case familiar, but Auletta uses his readable style to delve into the major personalities and their motivations. We [...] like the way he makes even legal, technological details interesting to the general reader and fascinating to fans of corporate war stories. Read this book before catching the gripping sequel - playing now in U.S. Federal Court - in which Microsoft lands a critical counter-punch.
... Read more

Reviews (6)

Sad but interesting for history's sake
A great example of how the hype and speculation of the late 1990's led to the bursting of the internet bubble. The book typifies the kind of thinking that got everyone into trouble: No real understanding of how technology works: No viable business model for profit; Hysterical optimism and conclusions without solid critical thinking. Anyone who had half a clue back then would have read this book and said "This is exactly what is wrong with digital entertainment today". Anyone who still believes what this book has to say is crying over his useless e-toys stock right now. Read it only if you want to better understand why things turned sour.

This book is only bla bla...
This book is only bla bla... it dosnt says anything beside history and future potentials about the entertainment technologies. Nothing usefull (at least for me).

Truly interesting and informative
A plain-spoken and skillfully argued roadmap to the future of entertainment. Plenty of provocative assertions and predictions. I'm not sure I agree with all of the conclusions, but it was fun going along for the ride. Much better writing than you find in a typical biz book.

Very cool. A fascinating (and nonjargony) book about the Web
I was skeptical. I manage a radio station (talk radio, golden oldies, etc.) and, frankly, hadn't believed all the hype about the Internet. This completely changed my mind. What I really liked was that I could actually *read* it--it told a story, and a truly compelling one at that. From the early days of radio to what's going to happen in coming decades. I'm a believer. There's gonna be a revolution. The chapter on "Family Feud" (how radio broadcasters and recording labels and artists and webcasters and folks like Microsoft are all going to be battling it out in cyberspace) had me on the edge of my chair. Totally cool. Did I say that already?

Truly terrific book! Educational AND entertaining both.
As a professor of business administration for adult continuing education classes in Silicon Valley, I was delighted to discover this title. Whether you are a savvy businessperson wanting to know more about the possibilities of the Internet; a Web-savvy entrepreneur; or just interested in this whole Internet phenomena(and confused by all the jargon that's out there), this is a great read. I'll be using it in my graduate seminars next academic year. What's truly amazing is how Seidner and LaPlante managed to write a book that will be relevant for some years at a time when technology and business is changing at the speed of light. Highly recommended. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

What it really takes to try and make a dent in the universe.
I can still remember when I first opened a Newton MessagePad 130 with backlighting for my 13th birthday. I had heard before I received the 130 that the Newton was notorious for its bad handwriting recognition and its frequent crashes but I decided to give it a shot. After I got aquainted with my MessagePad 130, I began to wonder what all the fuss was about. It worked almost flawlessly. I decided to purchase this book to learn about the development of the product that I adored and loved. I was very impressed with the pictures and was equally impressed with the writing to go along with them. If you want to learn about what it takes to become a computer programmer/engineer, this book is for you. It lets you know about the struggles and the rewards of being part of a team and developing a finished product with a corperate deadline. However, the reason I only gave it four stars is that somebody who had no idea about the Newton wouldn't really know how everything turns out. The book leaves you hanging by letting you know that the Newton DID begin to ship, but thats all. Thats not the authors fault though. As many Newton fans know, Steve Jobs discontinued the Newton because of its lack of sales and basically said it was a drain on the company resources, but thats another story. This book was put together almost flawlessly and deserves more recognition than it has.

Sweat and circuits
On my shelf in its protective case is an original Newton (actually a MessagePad 100, the "retooled" version of the original). It is big, clumsy, slow, chews through its batteries in 20 minutes of use, and crash-prone. It is also a miracle of organization and intelligent function, especially when compared with my trusty Palm (which nevertheless runs circles around Newton in usefulness and functionality).

DEFYING GRAVITY deepened my appreciation of Newton (even down to the little red wire that seems to be escaping from the case ... a manufacturing boo-boo that makes sense in context). Taking the late-1980s visionary doodles of John Sculley, Apple's Pepsi-bred CEO, and "productizing" them under the pressure of internal competition and external expectations, required a deep-thought-driven development effort that ground down the members of Newton's team. One young engineer committed suicide not long before the launch -- though a Newton connection can't be proven, the 18 hour days and constant frustrations could not have helped him.

In this volume, with an unconventional page numbering scheme based on counting down the days until product launch, the reader experiences with the team the pressures that came from failure; from trying to pull together too many new technologies in a first-ever device; from communicating a totally new paradigm and avoiding the inevitable attempts to have that paradigm "pigeon-holed" into more familiar existing concepts.

The photographs are sometimes grainy and stark, just like the late nights spent with troublesome components and misbehaving code.

They drew me in: I celebrated with the team when Newton had its first successful public demo, after misbehaving right up to the demo time. The authors bring the reader right up the threshold of the new era: product launch.

Fortunately, they don't have to deal with the later market failure of Newton: 30,000 original Newtons bulldozed into a California landfill, incremental improvements but no marketed attempt at a smaller form factor, and the abrupt demise of the platform under the "new Apple"'s Steve Jobs just as a fast-enough MessagePad, an incredibly cute and functional eMate, and a critical mass of software development had been achieved.

Just as well -- this book is unconventional, and much more effective than a dry case study in showing just how much work goes into a new product category. I think it works in that regard, and also doubles as an unusual and attractive "coffee-table" book. Mine is staying with my Newton, to keep some history with this curious device when my grandchildren stumble across it in 40 years.

An engaging glimpse into the glory and mayhem of Apple
Follow the Newton from conception to birth. It's a facinating look at how creativity and business clash and merge to form a unique product for profit. Our post-Newton perspective only serves to make the story more poignant.

Excellent look into Computer industry.
This book is an excellent look into how the computer industry operates, from the CEO's time, to product delays, and product design and introduction issues. I only wish the book was 5000 pages. A *MUST* read for a Newton user. A *MUST* read for any Apple Fan.

Defying Gravity Captures the Essence of Silicon Valley
I miss the days when the computer industry had new, exciting and innovative ways to change our lives. Ok, the Newton didn't change the world but it was a damned glorious attempt. And the herculean effort to get this product from myth to the shelves is a terrific story (partly because we know the ending). Let's hope the new Apple can overcome its' demons of the past. If it was better written, it would be a Roman Tragedy... It still is a great chronicle of a great time past.. ... Read more

Reviews (124)

A tell tale title, The Cuckoo's Egg!!
I read this after I had finished reading Takedown by Shimomura. I found that even though the core objective was the same, i.e. tracking cyber criminals, Stoll delves much deeper into the technical aspects of hacking. A lot of net-working concepts would not be understandable by lay people. I guess non-IT guys would find it pretty boring. Once again the Unix OS has been discussed in fine detail in some chapters. Overall a very good read for the those who breath and sleep computer networks.

Thanks Gauri dear, for this neat Book.

Fascinating book for people interested in computer networks
This is an exciting and gripping story of a system administrator's life. One day, he discovers a hacker who is constantly breaking in into computer systems. When he begins to chase the hacker, he eventually finds out that it's not just some youth having fun reading other people's files. And you are going to hold your breath while following the administrator's every move.

The book's well written and funny. Its philosophy is somewhat anarchist, as is usual for computer freaks, and pretty ironical towards the US government institutions. I'm glad to say that the hero, looking like just another leftist jerk in the beginning, goes through a significant attitude change when he realizes that there are countries much more evil than the United States of America.

The Case of the Hannover Hacker
This tells of Cliff Stoll's involvement in reconciling a 75 cent bookkeeping discrepancy that led to an intruder who broke into the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory in order to break into classified military systems. Cliff writes with a 'stream of consciousness' style that used over 350 pages where maybe 86 pages would be used in a more concise style. [Is using many pages a mark of bureaucratic style?] Cliff describes his lifestyle as a university serf: eating a lot of pizza, bicycling around, living with friends, sewing quilts. His big event of the year is dressing up for a Halloween parade in San Francisco. This book lacks a Table of Contents and an Index (not intended for reference?). I don't expect a sequel.

This is worth reading as a slow-paced detective or mystery story. But it is unlike a Hammett or Chandler or other detective authors. One lesson is the care needed when talking over a phone line (the "F" entity). Cliff's comments on an uncaring Federal bureaucracy were echoed in the aftermath of 9/11/2001. The personal activities of Cliff and his friends show them to be dedicated followers of fashion who imagine themselves to be radically original. American telephones are computer controlled so they are easy to trace.

Cliff is asked about the "adiabatic lapse rate on Jupiter". This wasn't "by chance", but a test of his bona fides (Chapter 45). Chapter 47 explains how to decrypt Unix passwords from words. Plodding through this book is like running on a dry sandy beach. He could have been more specific. Cliff claims the problem with viruses is they destroy trust (naive?). My advice is: trust no one.

An enjoyable surprise.
I bought this book at the suggestion of a friend. I did not really expect it to be entertaining since most books on the subject are tough to get through. Instead it is as compelling as any good thriller. It is one of those books that are tough to put down once started, and I found myself staying up late to make it through just "a few more pages".
Try it and you're in for a treat.

Stoll hatches a good story
Here's a great nerd's-eye view of Cliff Stoll's practically one-man stand to capture a 'Cracker' (aka a Malicious Hacker for the non-geeks). There's enough technical detail to get the point across without losing an audience. Mr Stoll has a great ability to write that doesn't alienate the non-computer savvy folk, yet keep us fellow geeks enthralled. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Not exactly Yourdon's best book
While Yourdon's "Death March" wasn't another "Mythical Man-Month" by any measure, "Rise" is yet in another (much lower) class. Does Yourdon want to become a true industry pundit? Ed, your style is too clear for that; and you're writing in harback format, which doesn't blissfully disappear like all these magazines.

There are many valuable insights: the section on best practices, for example. The good thing is that Yourdon doesn't just talk about them: he lists a few. "User Manual as Specification" is so simple, so obviously good... why have we done anything else ever? "Good-enough software" is valuable as well, not because you're not doing that already, but because the key is making it a fully conscious and accepted process.

And then there are some chapters that I'd rather not talk about; the one about Java, for example. The author obviously got carried away. In hindsight, this is easy to say, but still: it lacked realism, even if Microsoft hadn't tried foiling Sun's plans since day 1.

Overall: read Yourdon's other books, they're worthier of your money. And if you haven't the classics like "MMM" (Brooks), go there first.

He shouldn't have changed his mind.
Although I haven't yet finished this book I can't help but feel that he was closer to the mark with his first book. In the last three years many foreign countries have been ramping up the amount of software development they do for American (and European) clients. Local software developers cannot compete on cost, so they must compete either on innovation or quality. They're not making it on quality and innovations can only take you so far.

Outdated and almost completely wrong
I had to buy this for my CASE tool class. First of all, Yourdon's reliance on "models" to illustate his concepts is ridiculous. The Maturity model, the SEI model...its all useless.

If people in the IT industry tried to follow these models, they would end up "dead and destroyed."

This book is boring, as well. It is his attempt at redeeming himself after his first book.

I could go on and on...

Must read for programming and consulting managers
I have read this book three years ago when I was a programming consultant. It is amazing to see the parallel between Yourdon's thoughts in the book and the current Software Engineering Institute CMM methodology. It is as if the whole new methodology was based on this book!

This book definitely reads better than SEI's documentation. You can finish the book in a couple of days and retain the mahority of the ideas presented.

If you are a programming supervisor, IT manager, or an enthusiastic software engineer, this book is fun, captivating, and very motivational.

Decline and Fall, Version 2.0
Yourdon writes a book (Decline and Fall of the American Programmer) predicting doom and gloom, and when he's proved wrong, does he offer a free refund? Or at least apologize? No, he asks his readers to invest more money to learn why the previous book was all wrong. No thanks for me. ... Read more

Book Description

Will e-commerce ever really take off? What will it take to make online advertising work? Will we ever be able to vote online? Questions about the Internet's true potential have been echoing across the IT landscape since the dot-com bubble burst. Will the Internet's full promise ever be realized?

Noted industry forecaster David Moschella says it will- because the main source of IT innovation and progress has fundamentally changed. In this visionary book, Moschella predicts that it will be the effectiveness of IT customer leadership that will determine the future prospects for the information technology industry.

Customer-Driven IT describes the shift from a supplier- to a customer-led IT industry. It explains why even the most powerful IT vendors simply can't address most of the key opportunities and challenges the industry now faces-but how IT customers and their industries increasingly can.

Moschella explores the concept of a customer-driven IT industry value chain, in which the value that IT customers create for each other is the most important source of IT market demand. By applying this model to a wide range of business, educational, government, and consumer IT applications, Moschella shows why IT customers must take the lead in developing many of the new systems, platforms, and standards the IT industry needs to move ahead.

This change in industry leadership has many implications for customers and suppliers alike. The book describes the adjustments each group will have to make in terms of its strategies, tactics, and mind-sets in order to leverage new opportunities and realize future profits, particularly in emerging areas such as Web Services and Semantic Applications.

The fate of the IT industry now rests much more with those who use technology than with those who sell it. If customers successfully embrace this important new role, the growth of the Internet might ultimately surprise us all. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Highly recommended
This is an excellent book on the near term future of IT. It says that the next IT growth is based on customer innovation. No incremental improvements to existing or leadership in emerging markets are is likely to be sufficient to drive a major industry expansion (page xiv). The shift from supplier to customer dominated industry represents a huge cultural and business change and challenge.

The emerging customer-centric era requires customer leadership, including vision, motivation, skills, and decision making capabilities. Customers must show the same level of faith and commitment than IT suppliers have provided in the past. The customer motivation is the single most important risk of the future success of IT (page 230). This is closely tied to executive attitudes towards technology (234).

This also means that traditional venture capital backed start-ups will play a diminishing role in the industry.
The responsibility is on the leadership of existing industries, with a relative absence of start-ups and therefore a relatively reduced role of entrepreneurs (143).

"The sad thing is that so much of (this) energy flowed into a flawed industry vision ...unless the IT industry embraces some sort of shared long-term vision and direction, the use of technology could either drift aimlessly or continue to squeeze diminishing returns out of proven areas of investments" (40).

Many of the key customer-centric applications have already been identified. These include music, advertisement, payments, health care, e-learning, government services, and community interaction (26).

Web Services and Semantic Applications are marketed as the next big thing concepts. Web Services implement