My Top Five Historical Computer Films And Documentaries

Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Elon Musk, and many other computer entrepreneurs have one thing in common – an unwavering determination to succeed. One could also point to a certain arrogance, especially with Jobs and Musk. But have you ever heard of Rod Canion (Compaq), Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney (Atari), Charles Babbage, Sir Clive Sinclair and Steve Wozniak? These are just a few among the many who rarely get a mention, so documentaries, TV series, and films help to bring them to the fore. Did you also know that Austrian-born Hollywood star, Hedy Lamarr was also a famous inventor?

Stay hungry. Stay foolish. Steve Jobs

So, in no particular order:

Pirates Of Silicon Valley

Numerous films and documentaries about Steve Jobs have been made over the years, particularly following his death in 2011. I enjoyed both Jobs (2013) and Steve Jobs (2015), even though the former was universally panned. However, the most compelling film which portrays the man is Pirates of Silicon Valley (1999), and this scene where he meets Bill Gates for the first time, shows just how different and in some ways, so alike the two men were.

Another scene that portrays the daring of Bill Gates, ably assisted by Steve Ballmer and Paul Allen, is when they license DOS to IBM, even when they have no disk operating system to hand at the time.

There are some films that I never get tired of watching and this is definitely one of them, even if it strays from the truth a tad at times. Having said that, many of the real characters portrayed in this film say that it’s the most accurate they have ever seen.

Halt And Catch Fire

This four-season series is a tour de force and combines personal relationship drama, superb acting, and a fictional take on the development of the first portable computer. One could say that it is loosely based on the Compaq story and what many of these dramas and documentaries have in common with real life, are the teams that front these innovative pioneers. In this series, the entrepreneur sales wizard, Joe MacMillan, teams up with dropout coder, Cameron Howe and disillusioned engineer, Gordon Clark, to produce a working computer from virtually nothing. Naturally, references to IBM are purely coincidental. You then have to consider teams such as Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer; Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, among others, where very often one is a backroom boy and the other, very much an up-front visionary. If you can find this series on AMC or Prime, believe me, you will not be disappointed.

Silicon Cowboys

This remarkable documentary tells us how a small team from Texas took on IBM at its own game and produced the first portable computer, going on to sell millions and generating billions of dollars. In those days, taking on the behemoth IBM, was no small feat and this documentary is absolutely riveting. And guess what? It’s free to watch on YouTube, so grab it while it lasts!

Micro Men

This BBC drama tells the story of Clive Sinclair’s rivalry with Chris Curry, the founder of Acorn Computers way back in the early 80s in Britain. Sinclair was a boffin and inventor; often very arrogant, but he was way ahead of his time, having later invented the Sinclair C5, one of the very first electric vehicles. He went on to sell over five million ZX Spectrum computers and again, you’re in luck, as Micro Men is free on YouTube!

Triumph of the Nerds

This is a three-part documentary series with candid recollections from all the major players of the time, including Jobs, Gates, Wozniak, Ellison, and many more. For the historical context of how the silicon revolution came to be, this is unbeatable. Watch now in upscaled 4K on YouTube!

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