The Dream Machine

Behind every great revolution is a vision, and behind perhaps the greatest revolution of our time, personal computing, is the vision of J. C. R. Licklider. He did not design the first personal computers or write the software that ran on them, nor was he involved in the legendary early companies that brought them to the forefront of our everyday experience. He was instead a relentless visionary who saw the potential of the way that individuals could interact with computers and software. At a time when computers were a short step removed from mechanical data processors, Licklider was writing treatises on “human-computer symbiosis,” “computers as communication devices,” and a now not-so-unfamiliar “Intergalactic Network.” His ideas became so influential, his passion so contagious, that author M. Mitchell Waldrop calls him “computing’s Johnny Appleseed.” In a simultaneously compelling personal narrative and comprehensive historical exposition, Waldrop tells the story of the man who not only instigated the work that led to the internet but also shifted our understanding of what computers were and could be. Included in this edition are also the original texts of Licklider’s three most influential writings: “Man-computer symbiosis” (1960), which outlines the vision that led to the personal computer revolution of the 1970s; his “Intergalactic Network” memo (1963), which outlines the vision that inspired the internet; and “The Computer as a Communication Device” (1968, co-authored with Robert Taylor), which amplifies his vision for what the network could become. Review “When people ask me about Xerox Parc, I always tell them about J. C. R. Licklider (Lick) and how he formed the ARPA Information Processing Techniques Office in 1962 and started the great research funding for interactive computing and pervasive worldwide networks that has resulted in most of the technology we use today: both via the inventions of the eventually 16 or so ARPA projects at various universities and think tanks, and by creating the next generations of computing researchers, many of whom became the founders and mainstays of Xerox Parc. The top book I recommend to read about this large process that stretched over 20 years isThe Dream Machine by M. Mitchell Waldrop. It is the most accurate, has the most detail, and has the best organization and writing. He is able to admirably catch many of the most important parts of both the history and the spirit of the many headed research and engineering processes that together created our interactive networked information world.”--Alan Kay

“The Dream Machine works admirably as an exploration of the intellectual and political roots of the rise of modern computing. It s an ambitious and worthwhile addition to the history of science.” --San Francisco Chronicle

“A masterpiece! A mesmerizing but balanced and comprehensive look at the making of the information revolution the people, the ideas, the tensions, and the hurdles. And on top of that, it is beautifully written.” --John Seely Brown, former director of Xerox PARC, coauthor of The Social Life of Information“A sprawling history of the ideas, individuals, and groups of people that got us from punch cards to personal computers… comprehensive… impressive… [and] compelling.”--The New York Times Book Review “The story is fascinating, played out in almost 500 pages of engrossing politics, personalities, and passions. This is not a casual read--but for those who want the whole story, well told, it is a very good one.”--Wired “A sweeping history of personal computing, made vivid by rich detail.”--The St. Louis Post-Dispatch “A well-reported story about the overwhelming power of vision and tenacity.” --USA Today“An informative and engaging history.” --Library Journal About the Author M. Mitchell Waldrop is a freelance writer and editor. He earned a PhD in elementary particle phys