Ebook {Epub PDF} In the Beginning was the Command Line by Neal Stephenson

In the Beginning Was the Command Line is an essay by Neal Stephenson which was originally published online in and later made available in book form (November , ISBN ).The essay is a commentary on why the proprietary operating systems business is unlikely to remain profitable in the future because of competition from free software. IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE COMMAND LINE. This was originally just a set of musings about Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) that gradually took on the shape of an essay. On the spur of the moment, the decision was made to post it on my publisher's website. Today we would say that it went viral, but back then we said that it had been Slashdotted.  · - Neal Stephenson, "In The Beginning was the Command Line" What a fun read. It's about technology, sure, but more about culture. Neal takes a good look at operating systems, why we get emotionally involved with them, and why Windows is still so popular. He does this with a grand detour to Disneyland, and a hefty dose of humor/5.

Here is a better formatted version with updated commentary from "With Neal Stephenson's permission, Garrett Birkel responded to In the Beginning was the Command Line in , bringing it up to date and critically discussing Stephenson's argument. Birkel's response is interspersed throughout the original text, which remains untouched.". In the Beginning was the Command Line is an unusual text. Neal Stephenson admits that it is "a subjective essay, more review than research paper". And its subject is one whose appeal might not seem immediately apparent to most readers (leaving the computer-obsessed aside): computer operating systems. Neal Stephenson, author of the sprawling and engaging Cryptonomicon, has written a manifesto that could be spoken by a character from that brilliant www.doorway.ruily, In the Beginning Was the Command Line discusses the past and future of personal computer operating systems. "It is the fate of manufactured goods to slowly and gently depreciate as they get old," he writes, "but it is the fate.

In the Beginning Was the Command Line is an essay by Neal Stephenson which was originally published online in and later made available in book form. The essay is a commentary on why the proprietary operating systems business is unlikely to remain profitable in the future because of competition from free software. It also analyzes the corporate/collective culture of the Microsoft, Apple, and free software communities. IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE COMMAND LINE. This was originally just a set of musings about Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) that gradually took on the shape of an essay. On the spur of the moment, the decision was made to post it on my publisher's website. Today we would say that it went viral, but back then we said that it had been Slashdotted. In the Beginning was the Command Line Page 1 of 78 In the Beginning was the Command Line by Neal Stephenson About twenty years ago Jobs and Wozniak, the founders of Apple, came up with the very strange idea of selling information processing machines for use in the home. The business took off, and its founders.