What the Dormouse Said

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What the Dormouse Said: How the 60s Counterculture Shaped the Personal Computer Industry, by John Markoff, 2005. Ref. ISBN 0-670-03382-0

The transition from computers as big distant devices to the modern world of personal computers. Beginning with the idea of a 'Memex', put forward in 1945. How Doug Engelbart was inspired to try to make the vision a reality. He invented the computer 'mouse', among other contributions. They flowed into the work done by Xerox PARC, which in turn inspired the Apple Macintosh and Microsoft Windows.

The title is a reference to the Mad Hatter's Tea Party in Alice in Wonderland. And more specifically to a song called White Rabbit from the American rock band Jefferson Airplane. Use and abuse of LSD is one theme running through this book.

Radical politics, pop, drugs and new technology are shown as intermingled. There was also an early split between the idea of commercial and free-supply computing. The young Bill Gates played a role, protesting at the way his Altair BASIC was being distributed free. Gates said in his Open Letter to Hobbyists, "Who can afford to do professional work for nothing?" The book takes the contrary view.