Review of The Other Computer History

[Osazuwa Ogbebor]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Other Computer History" by Hans Bodmer.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Imagining a world without computers, the internet and social media would seem impossible today. But, it did exist. The Other Computer History by Hans Bodmer takes us through the journey computers have taken from day 1 till now. From being bulky machines to becoming the sophisticated pieces of tech they have become today. From being an option only a privileged few could get to becoming an integral part of human existence that encapsulates all. The Other Computer History shares the journey of a man in this new found world of computers. It thus helps one to see the history of computers in a whole new light.

The author did a fine job in taking something, complicated, and passing it across in a simple way. The use of humour and interesting stories helped in driving home the author's intent. It is remarkable to note that The Other Computer History, which could have been filled with highly technical words and jargons, was made so simple to read for the readers by the author. It is much like a kind of biography but given in the third person. This helped to spark interest and sought of added a bit of mystery to it. Additionally, the author used much photographs to give even more detail to his descriptions, making it much easier to follow through.

It is worthy of note that the first language of the author is not English. He was born in Switzerland and has German as his first language. There were typos in the work right from the copyright page. The author seemed to have worked on some of the typos from previous editions of this work seemingly without complete success. He did have a good grasp of the English language enough to pass across his message in a simple and interesting way.

The Other Computer History is a good read and definitely worth the time taken to go through it. Seeing the history of computers from a different perspective will help to broaden our horizon. I give this book a 3 out of 4 stars. This is only because of the typos in the book, but, overall it is a good read.

I recommend this book for people interested in computers especially those interested in computer history. It will also be great for persons who are just interested in knowing the impact computers have had in human existence even before now, after all, there is always wisdom to learn from the aged.

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The Other Computer History
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