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YOUR COMMENTS: CONTINUED
I was very impressed with the TV show. I am a LAN Administrator for Lockheed Martin and benifiting greatly by the computer generation. I also was impressed that you had the transcipt available. I think this encouraged me to purchase the Video and the book.
The WEB site is pretty neat as well. This too help
in my decision to purcase additional materials.
Keep up the Good work.
I wanted to congratulate Bob Cringely, et al., on an excellent show. It was entertaining, informative and truely fascinating - the 3 hours when by in a flash. It even inspired me to by his book - and I spend so much time in front of my computer that I don't read much of anything anymore!
Congrats also to PBS - it's shows like these that
make having PBS worthwhile!
Great TV program! One thing that's hard to believe is the forward advances that have been made in a relatively short time. Looking at what PC's of today can do compared of PC's of yesterday, it almost leaves me without words. I could not immagine what our lives would be like if they had never been invented. wheew! graham shaw Fort Campbell, KY
GREAT SHOW!! This was a extremely informative show. An excellent history of electronic computers. It filled in many of the gaps in my computer history. It also corrected some of the things that I had learned about the history. Anonymous
I loved your show. I was very moved by it. I am a computer artist, and thought a show about computer art would be very interesting. The thing I found to be so interesting is the fact that the first Mac became main stream starting in 1987. Look at the computer art now in 1996. The advance is so intense. As far as commercial art, fine art,movies, special effects. It would be such an exciting show. I can be reached of course if you are interested is seeing any computer artwork. Karen Chandler Locust Valley NY
I thought that the program focused too much on Bill Gates. Also, I do not know when the program was originally produced, but in recent months Apple Computer has a (very good) new CEO and has been marketing many new and exciting products never seen before. Also, I do not remember hearing any mention of the partnership between Apple, IBM, and Motorola. From this partnership came the PowerPC RISC processor which has started to revolutionize the PC market bringing faster and less expensive computers to the end user. Anonymous
BRAVO! BRAVO! I thought the show was another ex- ample of the quality programming that is a stan- dard at PBS. I thought Bob Cringeley's insights made for a very compelling program. I could not turn away even though what could be the last game of NBA finals was on tonight! Keep up the good work and I can hardly wait for the next report in "ten years"! Roger Delaney Stone Mountain, GA
The pictures on the "guess the computer" were awfully small and grainy. I have owned or used most of those computers, but could not recognize them from the pictures. Bruce Casner Neenah, WI
Triumph of the Nerds is wonderful. I can't recall the last time I actually stayed "glued to the tube" 'til the end. And to think all this time I thought Bobby and Pammy were just imaginary characters in Cringely's magazine column. Thanks! C. Buck Guerry Charleston, SC
This is the most engaging program since "The Civil War". I only meant to watch a few minutes of it but become enraptured by its content and history which I lived through but somehow misssed. I was there for it all but it meant so little at the time. Bravo!!!! Bruce Beckett Tavares, FL
I thought the show was GREAT!! Its about time someone FINALLY showed the public what Gates is REALLY LIKE!!! Personally, I can't stand the guy, but I think he is a very business minded man, and to that extent he deserves all the riches he has earned, however, I DO NOT like his products, and I will not support his company in buying his software, just because I have no respect for a man that cannot come up with his own ideas for a profit. I think you've done a wonderful job in explaining to the public; that is just what Gates is, and nothing else, A BUSINESS MAN, NOT a computer "guru" that everyone cracks him up to be.
Is your book much different than the show? I was thinking about buying it...
because I'm DEFINITELY buying the video!!!
Much, much better than I had dared hope. You managed to make the topic comprehensible and yet covered all the bases without geek speak. I think your audience better understands why certain features are available and others are not, why computers are priced as they are, why the software is as bad as it is, and where we may be going with all this. The main actors in this drama were shown sympathetically, but without hiding the warts. A really, really impressive feature. Congrats. This is what pbs is all about. Unmuzzled truth. Anonymous Averill Park, NY
Great television! Once again, PBS has brought the viewer a smart and informative program that can educate all. I only wished that the program could have looked at what the future would bring to the age of desktop computing. Anonymous
I must admit, as a Mac user, I was impressed with the angle you chose to present this material to the public. Even though my husband swore up and down that you all were PC/DOS biased, I didn't come away from the program with that impression (and I even missed the first hour!). Having read some about the start of Apple and Macintosh, I was happy to see truthfulness in your story. Our household is a non-Microsoft one and after tonight, I don't think it will change! I guess we are suckers for the little guy, but I don't feel we have gotten a rotten deal with our Macintosh. I work in the graphics design industry and personally am on the Internet often, so I was happy that your coverage was current and up to date. I admit, I usually don't watch PBS because I find the subject matter boring or not something I want to take the time to watch (and I don't spend that much time on watching TV anyway!), but this caught my eye! Congratulations on a job well done (oh, yeah, the web sight isn't that bad either!) Anonymous
I was spellbound for the full three hours of the show. The interviews and Cringley's(?) narration conveyed a sense of how exciting it must have been to be a Steve Jobs, a Bill Gates, or any of the other visionaries when everything started. Anonymous Urbana, Illinois
Pretty good. But, completly ignores the current OS/2 Warp. Which most admit is a superior GUI to Win '95. There are millions and millions of OS/2 OS's running on PC's today. Also, incorrectly writes off IBM, still the largest seller of PC's. This makes me wonder if 'Triumpth' misleads me on areas I'm less familiar with. Typical of TV programs today - simplifies and distorts to make it's point.
Hardly the only example of distorted programs on PBS: Nova
uses plenty of marketing techniques to compete with commercial
outlets. Keep it Simple - don't worry about the facts too much.
Is it possible for anyone other than an under 25 white or asian boy to make it big in the computer (or internet) industry, even today? Are people who do not fall into these categories just not working much in the field, or is their work unknown by the people who should know? Anonymous Eatontown, NJ
I really enjoyed your program but wondered why you did'nt include more info about computers such as the TRS-80, Commodore 64,Atari and Ohio Scientific computers. In my opinion these systems did as much or more to advance the PC due to the lower cost of these systems as compared to the Apple and IBM. Derwin Wilson Clearwater FL
Excellent Program! I actually went offline long enough to watch it. Bill Whitaker Hazard,Ky.
The show was well done; it reinforced some of the history I had picked up in reading Bill Gates's biography _Hard Drive_ a couple of years ago. I was expecting a bit more profound statement about the rise of the Internet in the last fifteen minutes. You should be aware that I am currently getting this message to you without the help of any hardware, software, or idea from Oracle Corporation, the company whose CEO you had featured in the Internet segment.
I would have been interested a millionaire of the
newer generation whose software I am using to
interface the Internet right now:
Marc Andreeson.
I for the most part do not watch you. But today found Triumph of the Nerds. and I loved it. You did a hell of a job on it. In fact you did such a good job on it that i want to show it the class of teens i teach, but we ran out of funding. If you could please spare a copy of Triumph of the Nerds for my class and i , we would love you for it. Thanks V.M. Kumar Rachuri p.s. Today you guys got a new long time viwer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am very disappointed in the WINTEL bias of the program and the host. I believe it does an extreme disservice to the public at large to portray the mac and other computers as "fading fast". Remember the industry standard is not necessarily the best. Your keyboard is an excellent example. Dr. David Hall Madison, WI
a great show. enjoyed by the whole family. first-rate video clips,great old advertisements perfect exposure of Larry "Satan" Ellison as the bizzare and despicable creature he is. Fantastic job... Martin Owensby Greenville SC
I loved your show. I only caught the last hour.. I especially enjoyed the history of the PC..I have used used both IBM and the Macintosh.I am a Mac Lover. I do hope that PBS will schedule this program again in the near future. I have forwarded my personal review of this one third of a wonderful program to my friends, and referenced the pbs.org and the book to them
Thank you for a worthwhile and interesting program
Thank you for a well presented program. It left me feeling as if I had just had a brief glimpse of many possible futures. I would like to see a compilation of what others would like to see in future computers. I would like to see a system which was primarily voice activated, and incorporated all the dependent systems I rely on during the day, including such simple concepts as modem queing so that I could run sequential modem dependent programs without shutting one off completely so another one can use the modem.
Thanks again.
Fabulous show! We have been Bob fans for years - glad to see him in his inimitable style explaining things at level the whole family could enjoy. Bought the book in hard cover and was delighted to see this come to the small screen. We would welcome more "Bob TV" anytime he want to 'splain things again. We'd love to hear him do more on the Internet. Hope it isn't 10 years before we have the pleasure of seeing him again. Thank you for a delightful evening of quality programing. Anonymous Indianapolis, Indiana
After viewing this I could only wish I were 60 years younger! How I envy my grand children when I consider the marvelous things on the horizon. Peter Poulos Crystal Lake, IL
First of all I have to admit that I only caught the last half of the episode. Are you going to air it again? I thought, what I did see of it and I have read the transscript, that it was a fair and acurate assessment of the ongoing fight between the desk top super powers. I was a little disappointed in the slight slant that the show had against Macintosh. It did credit the company for several things and did allow the company to tell its story but still I was left with impression that Aplle is dead in the water. If you haven't guessed by now I am a Mac user. I can understand and do agree that Apple is not doing much at the moment to save itself and their new OS, Copland, may just be a after though of Windows 95 that should have been introduced last June. Still I felt that one of the greatest systems invented diserved more than the write off it got.
Other than that, the show was terrific!
Great Show! Great companion page! My first personal experience with a computer was in 1970, as a freshman in high school. It was hard to relate to a keypunch machine and a card reader connected to a 300 baud link to the mainframe. But still, it was impressive! When the Apple II hit, it was obvious we were on our way to an exciting future. Your show provides one with an accurate map of the evolution of the home computer. WOW! Just 20 years have past, and humanity has "turned a corner", for better or worse. The "net" is showing us to our next corner.
Again, Great Show! Thanks PBS!
I found the program to be very interesting, and it reminded me of the influencial individuals responsible for the creation of computer technology. This was a well written and researched program. It was also nice to see a computer show which was, refreshingly, not caught up in the Operating System War between Apple and Microsoft. However, Bob's comment that is "Apple fading" was not accurate, and was address in my question to him.
Thank you for showing such an insightful T.V.
program PBS.
This was a very interesting show, covering as many viewpoints as possible. Entertaining and informative. I am curious to know whether the net will, in fact, render personal computers obsolete. Will Apple's contract to provide computers to Chinese schools breathe new life into the Mac? Daniel Parks Santa Fe, NM
I THOUGHT THE PROGRAM WAS FABULOUS. I REALLY ENJOYED HOW THE PROGRAM EXPLAINED THE EVOLUTION OF THE PC, THE INDEPTH INTERVIEWS WITH ALL OF THE PLAYERS,(ESPECIALLY PAUL ALLEN'S,THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I EVER SAW HIM GIVE AN INTERVIEW ).BUT MOST OF ALL I ENJOYED THE "REAL WORLD" TELLING OF THE STORY. I NOT ONLY FEEL I RECIEVIED AN EDUCATION ON THE HISTORY OF THE PC INDUSTRY, BUT ALSO ON DOING BUSINESS. THANK YOU. TONY BAYLLI BRONX, N.Y.
Great series! I particularly enjoyed Part III. I had heard plenty of rumours over the years on how my favorite computer maker, Apple, blew its opportunity to make the Macinotsh operating system the desktop standard. Like many Mac fans who are saddened that Windows now rules most of the PC world, I had always tried to make sense of how an inferior product beat out a better one.
The battle was not between Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, as
I had believed, rather it was between John Sculley and Gates.
Sculley lost, and so did those of us who believe the world
was subsequently marketed a product that stinks.
I admit that I don't usually watch PBS, but have recently happened upon a couple programs that may do much to change that. The first was the concert version of Les Miserables. The second, the one about which I'm writing now, is "Triumph of the Nerds." I don't know when production of the program was completed, but it seems to me that some of the closing comments in the 'where are they now' section were a bit premature, particular where they related to Apple. If I recall correctly, the word used to describe Apple today was "dwindling." While Apple has experienced some difficulties recently which resulted in some very visible layoffs, this multi-billion dollar company, in fact ANY multi-billion dollar company does not just fold. They may stumble and end up being worth a few billion less, but they just don't disappear. In fact, the recent change in leadership and ongoing consolidation of the product line are doing much to increase Apple profits - all despite eager reports from The Wall Street Journal and New York Times that Apple was going to be swallowed up by a much bigger, healthier fish. Further more, while the focus of most discussion about the present and future of personal computing revolves around the internet, Apple can boast that statistics show that Macs are used to create and maintain more World Wide Web sites than any other computer. Not bad for a dwindling company! My only other comments relate to what seemed to be a clear bias towards Microsoft and Bill Gates. Sure, Gates is an incredible business man and innovator, but the portion of the program I saw (from IBM vs clones to the end), I almost felt like I was watching a Microsoft commercial. Now, I'm not suggesting that there should not have been considerable focus on Bill Gates as a major player in the PC game, but there were some contributers to his success that were overlooked. For example, the program was good enough to mention that the first two versions of Windows were real dogs, and almost mentioned that the third version worked better but was still just a shell on top of a long since outdated DOS operating system. What it didn't mention was that a major part of the success of Windows was the fact that many companies, large and small, and many home users had already made major investments in hardware that they were not willing to throw away. Windows, though clearly not the best GUI, was the best available option for those who could not afford to trash their entire hardware and software investments. What could people do but buy the anything that would make them at least somewhat more productive. Now, Microsoft has achieved what the manufacturer of any product wants, name recognition. With so much interest in personal computers, many feel a tremendous pressure to add one to their own household. As neophytes, they don't necessarily take the time to find out what computer will make them most productive or best suit their intended use. Rather, they feel that whatever most people have must be the best thing to have. That means that people have a tendancy to buy PC clones and and Microsoft software, when what they really want to do is keep track of their finances, write some letters, send and receive e-mail from home, and help their children learn - a job well suited to a Macintosh. Finally, (and I know I've rambled on) many in the academic market have become extremely frustrated with Microsoft and it's market share philosophy. More! More! Bigger! Better? Microsoft software tends to suffer from feature-itis. They add everything under the sun, including the kitchen sink, to their software and never take a moment or two to clean up the software and make it a little small, a little neat, a little more efficient. No. They add and add until customers have to lay down big bucks for memory upgrades just to be able to run the latest release of Microsoft Whatsit version 99.01b. And since they have such a large market-share, they feel no need to accomodate the end-user. Heaven for bit that they ever thing about releasing a low end product with half the features for their basic level users.
Okay! Enough ranting on my part. Overall, I enjoyed
your program. I'm happy to see a focus on what was
once just the realm of the nerd.
PBS, I've been watching your internet shows on late at night - have been enjoying them - I would say that is why I am here now - in cyberspace. Thanks for helping - really. I am a Friend of Iowa Public Television. PBS has always enriched my life - since I was a kid - to now.
Thanks for all you do.
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