Goodreads asked Brian Dear:

Where did you get the idea for your most recent book?

Brian Dear I used the PLATO system for many years, starting in 1979, and was always amazed at the worldwide community of people there. I skipped microcomputers for many years because PLATO was light-years ahead. And then over the years I kept wondering why wasn't anyone writing a book about PLATO, the way books were popping up about Silicon Valley, and books like Steven Levy's Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution. Years would go by and not a single meaningful mention of PLATO in any major book or magazine in the 80s, 90s...

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