1.) We will be watching a lot of Robert Cringley this week. Use this as an opportunity to study his particular approach to the history of Silicon Valley. What factors does he typically emphasize? What factors does he ignore? How does his intellectual style compare to others you have encountered? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the Cringley approach to history?
2.) Consider the term at the center of this film series and the next: the "nerds." What does Cringley mean by "the nerds?" What is the significance of calling these films "Triumph of the Nerds?" Is Silicon Valley history best understood in terms of the label "Triumph of the Nerds?" Why or why not. What label would you use to capture Silicon Valley history in a few words?
3.) Pay attention to the role that Intel plays in the birth of the PC. Is it accurate to call Intel the father of the PC industry?
4.) Think about the relationship between the hippie counterculture of the 1960s and the "Hacker ethic" described by Steven Levy. In what ways are they compatible? Where do they differ. As you watch all of the films in the Triumph of the Nerds series, ask yourself the following question: "Which was more influential in the development of the PC: the hippie counterculture, hacker culture, some hybrid of the two (which you should try to define precisely), or something else (which you should also specify)?"
5.) How do you account for the amazing success of the MITS Altair? What factors produced the climate that made the Altair such a hit?
6.) This film discusses the significance of the Homebrew Computer Club. How does the presentation in the film compare to others you have seen (in The Paperback Computer) or read? How would you situate the Homebrew Computer Club historically?
7.) The film discusses the communal culture of the Homebrew Computer Club, especially its ethic of sharing and its focus on technological innovation. In what ways was this the continuation of a long tradition in Silicon Valley? In what ways was it a new innovation? Does the Homebrew Computer Club mark the continuation of a long history of Silicon Valley culture or a departure from its traditional values?
8.) The film gives you more details about the history of Apple Computer, a key institution in the history of Silicon Valleyís success. What were the keys to Appleís phenomenal success and which were most important? Consider such factors as individual vision, technological innovation, business sense, financial advantages, and other less obvious factors. Also consider Apple in terms of the longer history of Silicon Valley. Did its success mark the continuation of a long history of Silicon Valley culture or did it mark departure from its traditional values?
9.) Why, according to Robert Cringley, are "Killer Applications" so crucial to the success of any new computer technology? What was the "killer app" that made the early PC such a success? Was this the application that Jobs and Woz envisioned for their machine? What does the relationship between the machine and its "killer app" teach us about the relationship between technological innovation and commercial success?
10.) Consider the story of Dan Bricklin, the inventor
of Visicalc, in comparison with the early careers of Steve Wozniak and
Steve Jobs. The last two got fabulously rich, but the first did not.
Yet all three claimed that money and financial success were not their primary
motivations. What do these stories teach us about the engines that drove
Silicon Valley into global prominence in the 1980s and 1990s? Is Silicon
Valley driven by a quest for riches or is it driven by a drive to create
revolutionary new technology? Why is it common in Silicon Valley for those
who follow the second star to nevertheless become glaring symbols
of the first? Is it appropriate to consider a figure like Doug Englebart,
who never got rich, as a symbol of Silicon Valley?