spaf@cs.purdue.edu (Gene Spafford) (11/08/90)
I just recently got a copy of "The Devouring Fungus: Tales of the Computer Age" by Karla Jennings (W. W. Norton & Co., ISBN 0-393-30732-8, $10.95). As can be gathered from the unusual title, this is not exactly a computer textbook. What it is, is a collection of anecdotes and stories about computer technology and the people who spend their time working with computers. The stories range from historical to modern-day, and most are amusing to read. Not all are firmly grounded in documented facts, but that doesn't detract from the amusement factor; even the apocryphal tales convey a sense of the attitudes and foibles of the "computer geeks" who have shaped our community. The tales related in the book read like a cross between items in the Risks digest and postings to the alt.folklore.computers newsgroup. Many of the stories will be familiar, but that is what makes them folklore -- we've all heard variants of these stories, and probably repeated a few in turn. This is the first time I have seen anyone collect so many of them together, and in such an amusing and readable way. For $11, this is a must buy if you're into computers. My copy is going in a place of honor next to my Hacker's Dictionary, and just down the shelf from my Sidney Harris cartoon book. Check it out yourself.
mfinegan@uceng.UC.EDU (michael k finegan) (11/13/90)
This was also reviewed in today's New York Times ... They also thought it was humorous - and shared a few of the anecdotes. - Mike