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The Commodore Series #4
Commodore: The Final Years
Concluding the Commodore trilogy, this book takes a look at Commodore's resurgence in the late 1980's and then ultimate demise. This was a period of immense creativity from engineers within the company, who began “moonshot” projects using emerging CD-ROM technology. Get to know the people behind Commodore's successes and failures as they battle to stay relevant amidst blistering competition from Nintendo, Apple, and the onslaught of IBM PC clones. Told through interviews with company insiders, this examination of the now defunct company traces the engineering breakthroughs and baffling decisions that led to the demise of Commodore.
544 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 2019
22 people are currently reading
134 people want to read
About the author
Brian Bagnall
11 books20 followersBrian Bagnall is the author of numerous computer titles, including the Commodore Series.
Librarian's note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Librarian's note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 3, 2020
Okuması beklediğimden çok daha uzun sürdü. Brian Bagnall serinin diğer kitaplarındaki gibi akıl almaz bir iş başarmış. Bir firmanın biografisi herhalde ancak bu kadar detaylı ve başarılı şekilde yazılabilir. Ancak bu kitapta da serinin diğer kitaplarındaki "aşırı bilgi" sorunu var. Commodore hakkında bu kadar detaya kimin ihtiyacı var, bilemiyorum. Eğer konu hakkında sadece genel bir bilgi sahibi olmak istiyorsanız, kitap size 40 tonluk kamyon gibi çarpacaktır.
Commodore firması benim hayatımda önemli yer tuttuğu için ben memnuniyetle okudum, ancak yazarın toplam 4 kitabı (ilk sıraya yerleşecek olan 4. kitap daha çıkmadı) özetleyecek tek bir kitap çıkartmasını çok isterdim. Şu haliyle seri çok ama çok fazla detay içeriyor ve yutulması zor bir lokma, hatta belki de gereksiz bir okuma çabası haline geliyor.
Commodore firması benim hayatımda önemli yer tuttuğu için ben memnuniyetle okudum, ancak yazarın toplam 4 kitabı (ilk sıraya yerleşecek olan 4. kitap daha çıkmadı) özetleyecek tek bir kitap çıkartmasını çok isterdim. Şu haliyle seri çok ama çok fazla detay içeriyor ve yutulması zor bir lokma, hatta belki de gereksiz bir okuma çabası haline geliyor.
April 12, 2020
A must read for Amiga fans
The Commodore history series from Brian Bagnall are all excellently written but to me this is the standout highlight of the series. At the time I never understood why Commodore failed given the success of its computers in the UK at the time but this book gives a clear overview of the events. What went wrong and which people were most culpable. It also covers what Commodore were working on at the time of the collapse, so you do get an idea of what products might have appeared next.
Its also interesting getting a better understanding of the decisions made behind the products released. At the time I wondered what the A600 was all about and CDTV seemed a curiosity; all of this is covered.
On finishing the book I still wanted to know more, I'm sure a followup covering liquidation and successive ownership of Commodore and Amiga technology, trademarks, who-did-what next would also be a worthwhile read.
The Commodore history series from Brian Bagnall are all excellently written but to me this is the standout highlight of the series. At the time I never understood why Commodore failed given the success of its computers in the UK at the time but this book gives a clear overview of the events. What went wrong and which people were most culpable. It also covers what Commodore were working on at the time of the collapse, so you do get an idea of what products might have appeared next.
Its also interesting getting a better understanding of the decisions made behind the products released. At the time I wondered what the A600 was all about and CDTV seemed a curiosity; all of this is covered.
On finishing the book I still wanted to know more, I'm sure a followup covering liquidation and successive ownership of Commodore and Amiga technology, trademarks, who-did-what next would also be a worthwhile read.
November 23, 2020
This is the final book in the Commodor Trilogy and describes the final few years of Commodore releasing such monstrosoties like the A500+, A600 and CDTV.
The gross mismanagement of Commodore from the top, spending years trying to release the C65 - an 8 bit successor the C64 when the A500 was already out and was massively popular.
The mistakes are all there to see, watching the company edge ever closer to "that" iceberg seemingly oblivious to their own actions.
Commodore should have been so much more. After the C64, A500, A1200 and A4000 they should have been around for much longer but all the products inbetween, all the cancelled projects, it was just too much....
A good book by Brian, just like all his other Commodore books. A must read for Commodore fans.
The gross mismanagement of Commodore from the top, spending years trying to release the C65 - an 8 bit successor the C64 when the A500 was already out and was massively popular.
The mistakes are all there to see, watching the company edge ever closer to "that" iceberg seemingly oblivious to their own actions.
Commodore should have been so much more. After the C64, A500, A1200 and A4000 they should have been around for much longer but all the products inbetween, all the cancelled projects, it was just too much....
A good book by Brian, just like all his other Commodore books. A must read for Commodore fans.
January 11, 2020
Y llegamos al final de la historia, con este tercer volumen, más de 1500 páginas de la aventura empresarial de Commodore, una empresa que llegó a liderar la venta mundial de computadores al público en general.
En este volumen se cuenta el declive y la caída empresa y como no supo hacer frente al abaratamiento de los clónicos ni supo diferenciarse como Apple. Muchos desmanes y malas decisiones hicieron caer al mayor fabricante de ordenadores de consumo en los 80s.
Este último volumen destila un sabor un poco amargo como no podría ser de otra forma, al viaje de leer la historia completa ha merecido la pena sobradamente.
En este volumen se cuenta el declive y la caída empresa y como no supo hacer frente al abaratamiento de los clónicos ni supo diferenciarse como Apple. Muchos desmanes y malas decisiones hicieron caer al mayor fabricante de ordenadores de consumo en los 80s.
Este último volumen destila un sabor un poco amargo como no podría ser de otra forma, al viaje de leer la historia completa ha merecido la pena sobradamente.
August 17, 2022
The winners tell their history
When all you get today is the history told by the winners, it’s refreshing to have the fallen also have a voice. For every celebration of the “incredible” Apple II, you should have ten times that for the Commodore 64.
It’s also a great business book, you learn a lot more from the mistakes of the dead than from the good fortune that may have reached the ones that survived.
When all you get today is the history told by the winners, it’s refreshing to have the fallen also have a voice. For every celebration of the “incredible” Apple II, you should have ten times that for the Commodore 64.
It’s also a great business book, you learn a lot more from the mistakes of the dead than from the good fortune that may have reached the ones that survived.
April 10, 2019
Wow, what a finale to the series!
I read the first volume some fifteen years ago and I found it to be just excellent, both as a computer history book and a business one.
I think Bagnall lost his way a bit in the middle (and I honestly lost track of the releases), but this final tome is just great.
I read the Kickstarter backers' edition, which means the ebook I received had both more content and more errors (typos, typesetting, a couple of other minor things). But, to tell you the truth, I didn't really find anything that should be left out of the final version, even if Bagnall said it was probably too detailed.
A true rollercoaster (mostly going down, sadly), describing the products, people and company in vivid terms and certainly not a book you put down easily.
I read the first volume some fifteen years ago and I found it to be just excellent, both as a computer history book and a business one.
I think Bagnall lost his way a bit in the middle (and I honestly lost track of the releases), but this final tome is just great.
I read the Kickstarter backers' edition, which means the ebook I received had both more content and more errors (typos, typesetting, a couple of other minor things). But, to tell you the truth, I didn't really find anything that should be left out of the final version, even if Bagnall said it was probably too detailed.
A true rollercoaster (mostly going down, sadly), describing the products, people and company in vivid terms and certainly not a book you put down easily.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews