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Buy on Amazon4.5 out of 5, 836 ratings on Amazon

#123 of 2,629 all-time

Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution

Steven Levy

39 people recommended it in 22 threads, 2007–2025.

What people on Hacker News said

djm
For me, it was the first book I read that introduced me to the idea that software could be written by ordinary people and not just big companies (I was pretty young and didn't have much experience using a computer at the time).

on HN, 2008

neilv
The Levy "Hackers" book is what told me there were concentrations of other kids who liked to figure out and build things as much as I did.

on HN, 2019

NegatioN
Both Minsky and McCarthy seem like almost mythical figures in the book, and I don't think I could ever hold aa candle to them, but the next best thing is probably to understand their thinking.

on HN, 2019

randcraw
No other book captures so well the iconoclastic adventurer spirit at the heart of the microcomputer revolution from '75 to '85. Because I and my future boss had just read “Hackers” (in 1986), we spent a job interview exchanging favorite vignettes from the book, which led to my first job in programming. This book changed my life.

on HN, 2018

And on Amazon

If you like computers, this book will tell you where they came from. A fun read!

Ok, I admit, I'm old. I actually remember most of the things talked about in this history of the computer age's genesis. Got my first home computer in 1982, a Timex Sinclair ZX81. 8K of ram and no keyboard, just a flat panel like on microwaves. Try typing in programming code on that! hah! Moved "up" to an Atari 800XL, which I hated and then to a Commodore 64, which I expected to hate, but loved. After that I reluctantly moved to a PC clone, although I wanted a $3600 Macintosh. Just couldn't afford it. At that point I got my first job as a self taught computer tech, in 1988. …

Gabriel · verified purchase · 5/5

What would happen if hackers...

The only thing that is missing in this wonderful book is the UNIX era, which constitutes a story by itself. I was really disappointed to see that UNIX is mentioned in only one or two pages (and nothing is mentioned about UNIX and C hackers). Other than that, I think it paints a very vivid and humane picture of a very special period of the history of computing. I would also recommend it to people who are not technical so that they can understand the mindset and psychology of hackers better. …

Emre Sevinç · verified purchase · 5/5

Great Book If You Have The Prerequisites

What do you think of then you think of the word hackers? It is one of those words that has morphed from a good to a bad connotation. This book is about the good guys; those who developed the original computers and software that made the home computer possible. This is not the immediate perception the buyer may have. If you just glance at the title and buy the book assuming it is about modern-day bad-guy hackers who use their genius for criminal purposes, you will be totally disappointed. This work is a 25-year anniversary edition, so the original writing was done by 1985. …

Joseph L. Famulary · verified purchase · 4/5

Where it comes up