Computers at large

by Charles J. Sippl

Book by Sippl, Charles J

222 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1976

Reviews

[Lee Herman · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the authors do some justice to the serious side of the topics they are raising, the book has some flaws, in my opinion. It was written in the late 1970s, so it reflects a certain point in time in the history of computers. My objections are unrelated to the inevitable datedness since it is simply a consequence of when it was written. In fact, a number of the predictions they make which seemed far-fetched at the time have come to pass and even be surpassed by futher technological change.

I have two complaints. One is that in attempting to lighten up a fairly serious book, they got way too cutesy with language and too loose in making clever wordplay at the expense of using technical terms properly and precisely.

My second complaint is that in discussing the negative impacts of computers on society, the book turns polemical and even almost hysterical ranting which takes away from the serious issues raised.