When Computing Got Personal

I’ll admit I groaned when I saw yet another ‘history of the PC’ title—until Norman Gilligan’s voice kicked in. There’s a reason this audiobook works where others falter: it *sounds* like the story it’s telling. Gilligan doesn’t just read; he *performs* the era. His Steve Wozniak is all breathless enthusiasm, his IBM execs dripped in corporate condescension, and his narration of the infamous ‘Homebrew Computer Club’ meetings crackles with the energy of a underground punk show. The production is clean but not sterile, with just enough vocal texture to keep you hooked during the denser technical stretches (though I’ll dock half a star for the occasional over-enunciation of acronyms—“C-P-U” grates after the fifth time). Nicholson’s real achievement is framing the PC revolution as a series of *betrayals*—not just of companies, but of ideals. The chapter on Microsoft’s pivot from open BASIC to proprietary dominance is brutal, and the audiobook’s pacing slows just enough to let the irony sink in. My only real critique? The final act rushes through the 1990s, as if the story’s momentum falters once the rebels become the establishment. Still, the epilogue’s meditation on how ‘personal’ computing became ‘surveillance’ computing lands with a chill. This isn’t nostalgia; it’s a cautionary tale disguised as a triumph. Perfect for anyone who’s ever loved a machine while resenting what it’s become.