I was an engineer at Netscape through the period this documentary covers and it's one of my favorite (though bittersweet) documentaries. I wasn't involved in the development side, so my involvement with most of those featured was quite limited, but . . . what a great piece. I'd also couple it with (what I'm sure has been mentioned elsewhere, but I've not read that far, yet) Revolution OS ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjaC8Pq9-V0 ).
Seconded on both. I also enjoyed The Social Network.
On documentaries, I highly recommend Code Rush, a story of Netscape. It's actually in full here (scroll down to The Film): http://clickmovement.org/coderush
agreed. I can't believe I had never seen this until a few months ago. Speaking of great tech documentaries, just got done with Jason Scott's BBS documentary, which was fantastic.
I really enjoyed this documentary. It's where I learned the term "Zarro Boogs". At one point jwz (Jamie Zawinski) makes a comment which essentially foreshadows net neutrality. I was also blown away by Stuart Parmenter contributing to the code base at age 16!
Fantastic documentary and great story! It starts off slow and teases you a bit, but it culminates nicely.
I'd love to see documentaries of this quality tell the stories of computer science's rich history in the early 20th century. I've often wondered what if someone like Ken Burns would weave it into a series that most people actually find interesting.
Are there any good documentaries about the tech industry from the perspective of companies building themselves?
I’ve seen a few about notable blowups and some about big tech, but nothing that follows a startup through their lifecycle or covers the in day to day innards of the business like this one tries to.
I saw RevolutionOS and it was good but there aren’t any others I’ve been able to find like it either.
Thanks! I can always use another good documentary.
In return, I can recommend The KGB, The Computer, and Me, based on the excellent book The Cuckoo's Egg.
I can also recommend all of the documentaries done by Jason Scott (Get Lamp, BBS: The Documentary, Going Cardboard (although he only edited that: He's director on the rest), and DEFCON: The Documentary)
Here is a list of 20 documentaries I have come to love and return to when I come across them. There is no specific order to them. Enjoy! The * next to the number indicates the last 4 years. If you have seen one listed that you'd like to share what you think about please leave a comment with this structure [# in the list ] Comment... . i.e. [1] Loved learning about Noyce. What a guy.
2. Shenzhen: The Silicon Valley of Hardware | Wired UK: Future Cities [1:07:50] [2016]
the evolution of “Shanzhai” – or copycat manufacturing – has transformed traditional models of business, distribution and innovation, and asks what the rest of the world can learn from this so-called “Silicon Valley of hardware".
Youtube: https://youtu.be/SGJ5cZnoodY
*2.1. The People's Republic of The Future | Bloomberg: Hello World [30:10] [2019]
Shenzhen, tech-fueled entrepreneurs try to navigate an authoritarian regime.
Youtube: https://youtu.be/taZJblMAuko
9. The Secret of Tuxedo Park | PBS: American Experience [53:00] [2018]
Alfred Lee Loomis isn't just a Wall Street tycoon, but a scientist with a checkbook to pay for it. Opening his home to the best, he follows his interest and a call from the government about WWII.
Homepage: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/secret-tux...
11. How Ants Can Make The Internet a Safer Place | Tom Mishra [00:04:08] [2015]
Five researchers, scientists and mathematicians studied the behavior of Ants and Game Theory to create a safer Internet.
Video: https://vimeo.com/147548221
12. Chasing Einstein | Ignite [1:22:00] [2019]
Follows leading scientists around the world, from the largest particle accelerator at CERN in Switzerland to the LIGO gravitational wave detector in the US to find out whether Einstein's theory of gravity can stand the test of time.
Homepage: https://chasingeinsteinfilm.com
Where to Watch: https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/chasing-einstein
13. Language of Love (Ur kärlekens språk) | [1:43:00] [1969] * Rated X, and in Swedish
A panel of real-life doctors discuss sexual hangups, misconceptions, personal prejudices and the ignorance of individuals when it comes to matters sexual.
Where to Watch: https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/language-of-love
18. McMillions | HBO [6 Part] [2020]
A detailed account of the McDonald's Monopoly game scam during the 1990s.
Part 1: Episode 1 [55:50]
Part 2: Episode 2 [53:57]
Part 3: Episode 3 [56:54]
Part 4: Episode 4 [57:08]
Part 5: Episode 5 [56:41]
Part 6: Episode 6 [56:59]
HBO: https://www.hbo.com/mc-millions
Where to Watch: https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/mcmillion
19. Jesus Camp | Magnolia Pictures [1:24:00] [2006]
Children at a christian summer camp as they hone their "prophetic gifts" and are schooled in how to "take back America for christ." The film is a first-ever look into an intense training ground that recruits born-again christian children to become an active part of America's political future.
Kanopy: https://www.kanopy.com/en/product/10803148
Where to Watch: https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/jesus-camp
Sometimes it's good to learn about the also-rans of history. Plus more dot-com era documentaries are always welcomed, a quaint reminder of the time before Silicon Valley, Shenzhen, and tech ate the world.
The whole piece looks & feels like a documentary that could have been aired during the Dotcom bubble. Looking forward to watching this in twenty years from now.
Even though most of the non-tech people on camera made little sense, I thought this was a great documentary.
It shows how people trade health for little reward in the end. And so many people just go flying under the radar, while they are the real people behind the products we use today.
It's all about the entrepreneurs these days, what happened to those C++ hackers working long into the night?
Ah that's right, they don't look great on magazine covers.
"All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace" is another excellent documentary by Adam Curtis that I found particularly interesting for it's focus on the history of silicon valley.
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