Electronic Dreams: How 1980s Britain Learned to Love the Computer
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Remember the ZX Spectrum? Ever have a go at programming with its stretchy rubber keys? Did you marvel at the immense galaxies of Elite on the BBC Micro or lose yourself in the surreal caverns of Manic Miner on the ZX Spectrum? For anyone who was a kid in the 1980s, these iconic computer brands are the stuff of legend.
In Electronic Dreams, Tom Lean tells the story of how computers invaded British homes for the first time, as people set aside their worries of electronic brains and Big Brother and embraced the wonder technology of the 1980s. This book charts the history of the rise and fall of the home computer, the family of futuristic and quirky machines that took computing from the realm of science and science fiction to being a user-friendly domestic technology. It is a tale of unexpected consequences, when the machines that parents bought to help their kids with homework ended up giving birth to the video games industry, and of unrealized ambitions, like the ahead-of-its-time Prestel network that first put the British home online but failed to change the world. Ultimately, it’s the story of the people who made the boom happen, the inventors and entrepreneurs, like Clive Sinclair and Alan Sugar, seeking new markets, bedroom programmers and computer hackers and the millions of everyday folk who bought in to the electronic dream and let the computer into their lives.
Customers say
Customers find the book nostalgic and entertaining, describing it as a great trip down memory lane. Moreover, they appreciate its readability and thought-provoking content, with one customer noting how the writer moves historical information forward quickly.
gk –
A great book if you grew up in this era are or interested in the home computers of this time.
I was fortunate to grow up and live through this whole era. Back in 1981 when I first got my hands on a zx81 I was 13 years old. It was really what got me into programming. If you lived through it then this book is a great trip down memory lane covering all the trials and tribulations of the computers of the time, and the companies that developed them. If you didn’t live in this era then this book gives a great history lesson on how things really were.Its easy to look back at these machines and dismiss their limited capabilities. However you have to remember there was huge innovation and in a short space of time computers went from massive machines costing several thousands of pounds to a small device that is sub 200 or even sub 100 pounds.A great book and a recommended read. My only criticism would be it seemed too much content was spent covering the (then GPO/Post Office) product called Prestel. It had very limited impact and adoption in the UK so it seemed strange that so much was devoted to a machine with limited appeal. Unlike the Sinclair and Commodore machines which had massive adoption, but are covered here in great detail.
Mr. Matthew G. Buckley –
a really strong recommendation for anyone who grew up through the exciting technological times of the late 70’s and 80’s or who has a love for retro computer technology of a particularly British bent
Apart from the odd habit of occasional repetition (for example, he tells at three different points in the first few chapters that computer valves were the size of light bulbs), this is a sparely written, yet fact filled book which also manages to engage. The author clearly likes his subject matter very much, and his enthusiasm is engaging. A little bit on the short side for my tastes, but, still, a really strong recommendation for anyone who grew up through the exciting technological times of the late 70’s and 80’s or who has a love for retro computer technology of a particularly British bent.
SirChutney –
A nostalgic and enjoyable book on Biritianâs pioneering relationship with computers
Technology historian Tom Lean delivers an entertaining and affectionate account of Britainâs former computing dominance. Fuelled by a wave of cheap, futuristic microcomputers in 1983 Britain enjoyed the highest level of computer ownership in the developed world. Millions of people discovered for themselves the innocent joys of programming and gaming. In those heady early days of computing, Britannia very much ruled the digital waves.Simultaneously, the UK had several computer manufacturers. Sir Clive Sinclairâs Sinclair Research was making more than any other company in the world. There was even a Welsh computer, the Dragon 32, not to mention the BBC Micro. The UK had an primitive version of the modern internet, Prestel, set up by the Post Office. And other firms would go onto form ARM.This is a nostalgic and enjoyable book on the countryâs pioneering relationship with computers. Heartily recommended.
Gavin Griffiths –
Fantastic electronic memories brought to life
Brilliantly written, very to the point and enormous fun in bringing back memories of school and miss spent hours on the very machine is mentioned in the book many facts brought to light, which I thought were half truths turn out to be real stories and innovations from my childhood. The writer moves the historical information forward quickly and explains much but without going to deep technically or igeekerly. A fascinating read about home computers and electronics we take for granted today, and more importantly home grown in the UK. Fantastic read for anyone who has a computer on their desk today!
N. Rudd –
OK
OK – but a bit boring
Brian Clegg –
Pure nostalgia for anyone who bought a home computer in the 1980s
At the end of Tom Lean’s book, subtitled ‘How 1980s Britain learned to love the computer’ is an epilogue where he points out the remarkable success of the cheap and cheerful Raspberry Pi computer, which has sold over 6 million units in just a few years. He puts this, at least in part, down to nostalgia for the early days of home computers – and certainly any UK readers of the right age will feel a wave of that nostalgia when they read this book and come across their first home computers.There have been plenty of books on the introduction of microcomputers in the US, but far less on the distinctive British experience, so this was a welcome addition to the field. Unlike When Computing Got Personal, it doesn’t try to take on the whole PC revolution, but concentrates on the distinctive concept of the home computer. The major stars here are the output of Sinclair, Acorn (responsible for the BBC computers that were the school standard in the UK for years) and Commodore. Between them, these brands dominated the home computer market in the UK, where the likes of the Apple II hardly made a mark as they were far too expensive.What is truly fascinating is the consideration of why this home computer boom happened, and why it ended. As Lean makes clear, early on, no one really had a clue about what a computer could do in the home. The most frequent suggestion seems to have been to use them as a way to store and organise recipes. What emerged initially was an exploratory process. Many purchasers just wanted to get their hands on a computer, to try it out and learn. Key to this was the quality of BASIC provided – because most of the early users were programming for themselves.When the killer app came – and this is how we can distinguish home computers from PCs – it was not the spreadsheet, or anything else business oriented. Yes, people did do a spot of business work on home computers, but these limited devices were not good at page-based work, typically only displaying 40 characters across a screen. The killer app was games. Games made the home computer and then, to some degree, killed it. Because once users had moved away from that experimental phase (recaptured by the Raspberry Pi), the distinctive nature of home computers became less significant. Coupled with the rise of the IBM PC and the Mac, which began to provide games as well as their primary business-oriented uses, the likes of Sinclair and Commodore were doomed. The old home computers became relegated to the toy cupboard.Generally, the book works well, though in a couple of chapters the author does slightly lose the audience by being too much of an enthusiast, giving us a little too much information. There is also one statement that’s dubious. Commenting on the point and click interface used in the ill-fated BBC laser-disc Domesday project, Lean comments how advanced this was in a system built between 1984 and 1986, contrasting it with Apple’s first attempt at a graphical user interface, Lisa, which came out in 1983, and pretty much flopped. This is true, but disingenuous, as the Mac was launched in early 1984 – and it was such a huge success that it’s hard to believe the developers of the Domesday project were unaware of.This is a book that may have limited appeal outside the UK, but for anyone who was here in the 80s and got a feel for the excitement and sheer novelty that having a computer in the home for the first time brought, it’s an essential.
chocy –
Nostalgic and fun
I really enjoyed this book. It was well written and flows nicely and I learned a few bits and bobs about computers that I didn’t know. I’m 38 so I grew up using a spectrum 48k and then a cpc464 and I found myself grinning with nostalgia many times whilst reading. Simply put if you played computer games in the 80s you’ll love this book.
Sean Smith –
Excellent read
Full of nostalgia and reverence. A wonderful read, thought provoking and nuanced. I enjoyed every word. It helped me relive a well spent youth.
Goran –
Super!
Marco Klotz –
Electronic Dreams – How 1980s Britain gives an user’s overview what it was like to grow up in the 80 when homecomputers tried to find their place in every day’s electronics. Thanks to the frequent input in this book from engineers and hard and software creators of that computer age, it helps understanding how creative energy and business ideas were the spark of today’s digital consumer maker. Me – being a child of the 1970s, who owned an Amstrad (Schneider) CPC664 – it was awonderful journey to relive my youth and get some background information why what happened in the home computer industry – not only in Britain. The book also shows that the spirit of the 80scomputer Eldorado is relived within the today’s success of the Raspberry Pi. Enjoy the entertaining read and go even further withe several sources (books and websites) mentioned at the end of the book.