Revolution in the Valley

Written by Philip Roy | 25 April 2009

The contents of this book isn't new by any means, and in fact this book was published in 2005. It is based on an exceptionally interesting website (www.folklore.org) that has now be 'serialised' (for want of a better term) into an excellent podcast (www.macfolkloreradio.com). However, there's something about having a book like this....seeing the images and (like the podcast) because of the fact that the book is broken up into small stories, being able to read one or two stories in under 5 minutes. It was great to be able to just read a story (or six) each night.

Those wanting a chronological and detailed account of the first Macintosh's development will be disappointed. Instead, this book details a multitude of events and fond memories of author Andy Hertzfeld and others during that time. It might seem fragmented in this way, but each compartmentalised story is well told, amusing and personable, but often only spans 1-2 pages. It's easy to get to know the people that feature in the book, albeit from one person's perspective.

But that is perhaps where the origins of the book make it interesting. The folklore.org website has and remains, a website that others can contribute to. Many involved in the Mac's initial development have added their version to events on the website and these are noted in the book as much as possible. The website also continues to have events added. It would be great to see more key figures doing this, but I also appreciate that sometimes, anecdotal retellings are more relevant and cherished for those who were involved.

And I guess that the latter is what Hetzfeld does so well....shares with us some of his amusing anecdotes from the time, and at times lays his heart quite clearly on the line...being unashamed to admit to crying at stressful times or telling us of his opinions of people he worked with, shared (and continues to share) a kinship with, and those who he never quite saw eye-to-eye with.

Of course, a lot of the book covers Steve Jobs and his eccentricities during the development of the Macintosh. The 'reality distortion field' is plainly evident in his comings and goings. But perhaps the thing I liked the most about the book, is that it humanises these events instead of trying to (as the name of the website suggests) turn them into folklore. The decision by Wozniak to leave, the internal politics of Apple and more, are all covered from the point of view of someone in amongst it, but not at the centre of it, making it feel more real and not hyped as much as Apple enthusiasts have built these events up over the years.

For example, near the end of the book, the start of the departure of Steve Jobs is well covered, when the Apple board take the side of John Sculley and strip Jobs of all authority, but leave him in the role of chairman of Apple. But it's not those events that capture your attention in the book. It's the fact that Hertzfeld calls this section "The End of an Era" and describes how he, Bill Atkinson, Bud Tribble and Steve Capps arrange to go to dinner at Job's house two days after the events. The description of the house, the meal and conversation, all show how somber the moment was....

Later, when it was time to leave, we lingered outside under the beautiful summer night sky. We were all pretty emotional by then, especially Steve. I tried to convince him that the change wasn't necessarily so bad, and that I would be excited about returning to Apple to work with him on a small team again. But Steve was inconsolable, and more depressed than I had ever seen him before. As we left, I thought that it was lucky that he had Tina there to keep him company in the cavernous mansion.

One of the other great benefits of the book are the illustrations in it. Screen shots of the Finder being developed (actual Polaroids that were taken at the time are displayed) and some great notepad lists and drawings of plans under way, show what an amazing opportunity all involved were a part of.

There's also some anti-microsoft sentiment in there when in becomes clear just how strong Bill Gates's business acumen was, and how Apple on a number of occasions agreed to deals with him that upon reflection, gave away too much.

But most of all, this is a book that is unashamedly proud of what it details and what the those involved were doing. It was history in the making, and Revolution in the Valley gives us glimpses of this time (and sometimes mundane issues) from one of those who was part of it.

Note - You can read how the website became the book on the folklore.org website (http://www.folklore.org/StoryView.py?project=Macintosh&story=Revolution_in_the_Valley.txt)

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