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Overdrive: Bill Gates and the Race to Control Cyberspace
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Author: James Wallace
List Price: $24.95
Our Price: Click to see the latest and low price
ISBN: 0471180416
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons (May, 1997)
Edition: Hardcover
Sales Rank: 43,680
Average Customer Rating: 3.53 out of 5
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Customer ReviewsRating: 3 out of 5
Didn't really meet expectations
I read Hard Drive and like it a lot. I work with computers and I am very interested in the whole history of how things developed and how MS managed to stay on top. I liked this book, but I have to give it 3 starts because it really didn't keep me interested a whole lot. The part about Netscape and how MS almost totally missed the Internet was great. What is most amazing to me is how they turned it around and blew everybody away, which is not easy task for a company that size. Although the litigation against MS should be mentioned because it's part of the history of the company, the chapters about the lawsuits were way too long and boring. I can imagine that a lot of people gave up reading it after chapter 2, with so many names thrown around. Maybe if I were a lawyer I would've enjoyed more. I would read another book by the author as he did a good job on the research, perhaps in a few years it's going to be about how MS dominated the Internet. Hopefully, it'll be more focused on that subject.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Have to read this book to know more about Bill Gates.
This is one of the best written books out there on Bill Gates and the reason seems to be the journalistic background of the author that is so well suited for this kind of biographical account. The book has numerous real life stories of not just Gates but other legends as well like Marc Andreessen. Like me, you may also find that it is hard to put this book down once you pick it up and start reading it (almost on any page, any chapter).If you are in the Information Technology field, you will no doubt thoroughly enjoy this book but it isn't written just for someone knowledgeable in computers. Almost anyone can read this book with little difficulty as the focus is not on technology terms but on the lives behind the technology and the Internet revolution. After reading this book, you will definitely catch up on the events of the last 15 years or so that have changed the world into one filled with computers and the Internet everywhere. The paper used in the hard cover edition of this book feels strange to the touch and is not the normal paper you would find in most books. It feels more like cheap paper with a strange white color and the font used throughout looks like one of the generic fonts from the eighties. This alone discouraged me from reading this book for the first few months after I had bought it. But when I finally decided to read it, I instantly moved it to the top of my reading list. If you are a budding entrepreneur wanting to topple Bill Gates' empire with some revolutionary idea that you are building in your garage or apartment, you HAVE to read this book. It is inspirational as it gets the hair on the back of your neck to stand up for most of the book and it gives you raw data to analyze and strategize how to succeed in this highly competitive market place. The same author also wrote 'Hard Drive' which was a best seller prior to 'Overdrive' and I plan on reading 'Hard Drive' next as I am so impressed by 'Overdrive'. The thing that really got me hooked on this book is the author's writing style where he keeps your attention the WHOLE time. He does it by hooking into your emotions as evidenced by his account of Bill Gates' visit to Orlando, Florida in 1993 where he gets stuck in a traffic jam. As the author reveals the cause of the traffic jam (everyone from around 100 miles all going to the Sheraton hotel to listen to Bill Gates talk) you can't help but chuckle at the hilarious situation Bill is in (since he is the cause). The book is full of several such accounts where you can't stop reading! Working on a startup company myself, I was looking around for biographical books on successful entrepreneurs to get some ideas and informaiton that I can analyze for myself and find some patterns. I then came across a few books focused on Bill Gates (this being the best) all of which I purchased immediately. I have not been disappointed. This book is headed for my long term collection. I hope that you too enjoy this book!
Rating: 2 out of 5
Actually In Park
Gossipy, disorganized and poorly written anti-Gates screed. This book is so badly written it's hard to get through it, even for someone who is a knee jerk hater of Chairman Bill (like, well, me). The author meanders about, jumping from topic to topic like a kangaroo, leaving the reader at first dazed and confused, but finally bored and annoyed. Worse, he spends an inordinate amount of time discussing Gates personal life, from the chairman's alleged over attachment to his mother to the birth of his kids. Excuse me, but I'm interested in the business end of Gates' life, I don't care if he wants his mommy. Wallace spends an entire chapter gushing about Gates' Hawaiian wedding and how exclusive and elaborate it was. Doubtless Wallace is envious, I was bored. The anti-trust battles are poorly explained, at best, why did Bingaman refuse to prosecute chairman bill? We can only guess. This book has little to recommend it, although Judge Sporkin thought highly of the prequol, HARD DRIVE. I never read it, and after reading this disjointed mess I don't think I will.
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