Summary Report: Triumph of The Nerds

Summary Report: Triumph of The Nerds

Abstract

Triumph of the Nerds Part 1 was the first installation in a three-part series, the other segments I still have to complete, but part one seeks to dive into the early stages of personal computer development. The host, Bob Cringely, takes the audience on a trip through not just the personal computer’s early stages of development, but also the emergence of some of the technology that made it possible, such as the microprocessor. The video features interviews with some of the industry’s heavy hitters and explains how they came to make their innovations.

Summary Report: Triumph of The Nerds

The Video’s Main Points

I may say that the video does not have only two “main points,” but what the video aims to accomplish is obvious, so I will use two of those in this segment as my key points of discussion. The primary purpose of Bob Cringely was to let the audience into the environment of how the personal computer, or PC, came into being. He does this successfully through interviews with early inventors and discusses his place in the process.

The utility of the PC and the degree to which it is a revolutionary technology is another primary point Bob makes in the video. In several aspects, he does this by explaining how sales skyrocketed when computers were launched and what they were used for. Computers were initially seen as a “toy” from Bob’s tale for nerds to tinker with in their garages or between clubs. They immediately engaged in handling a multitude of procedures, including detailed payroll and financial details that could have taken many hours to do by human hand, absolutely instantly with the help of a PC.

Agree or Disagree

I think it would be difficult for someone who watched the video to disagree with any of the narrator’s key points as he only states facts in the first video of the series and does not give any personal opinion details. I think he was right in showing the audience how the personal computer era started. I think it would be difficult for anyone watching to learn something they didn’t already know, even though they had an IT history.

As for the PC’s usefulness, a buffoon will have to be someone who disagrees with that reality. Bob goes to great lengths to explain how machines, outside of input errors, can complete tasks almost immediately that would have taken considerable time before and take out space for human error when doing so. The justification for computer-generated spreadsheets was one point in the video Bob made and said, somewhat amusingly but also seriously:

“The spreadsheet was the crystal ball of every businessman. All those ‘what if’ questions were answered. What if I fire the Department of Engineering? What if I invest $10MM in the future of pantyhose? Hey? Look? In less than a year, I’ll be rich and have slimmer thighs at the same time! The PC says so! “The impact of the spreadsheet was massive” (Cringely, 1996).

Social or Ethical Issues

In parts 2 and 3 of the series, which we will revisit in the coming weeks, I expect to see much more social and ethical implications of the personal computer’s invention, potentially including topics such as social networking and communication around the world. In Part 1, the social “issues” were restricted to how the number of procedures was treated by early computers, such as the example of accounting used above. Computers have been able to perform tasks even more accurately than humans have ever been able to do. Although the video does not directly mention it, one could see how this could lead to a decline in the workforce due to computers being able to replace humans, something that has been a hot topic since the advent of technology and remains a concern for a large number of people even today as AI and other innovations continue to advance.

10 Nuggets I Found Interesting

This segment was straightforward for me, as in the video, I found many nuggets interesting. Ten of them, all referenced from (Triumph of the Nerds, 1996), are mentioned below.

1. Paul Allen owned an NBA team. Fun fact, I found through Google research that Allen eventually bought an NFL team as well.
2. Paul Allen and Bill Gates were friends in high school, but the video did not state whether they went to the same high school or met outside of school.
3. The Altair 8800 was the first personal computer in the world (not Apple!)
4. The Altair sold 250 units a day a month after it was released.
5. At the time the video was made, PCs were the world’s third-largest industry.
6. Intel was founded by Gordon Moore
7. Apple was the first mass-market computer corporation; note that the first personal computer was the Altair 8800 above.
8. The first Apple PC was designed by Steve Wozniak, not Steve Jobs (both are called Steve though, ha!)
9. Steve Jobs went through a life period where all he ate was fruit.
10. Between the introduction of the Altair 8800 and the Apple 2, two years have passed.

Extra nugget:

11. When working in a mall, Steve & Steve met as characters from Alice in Wonderland.

Reference

Cringely, B (1996). Triumph of the Nerds, Part 1. PBS