1.) Cringley suggests that the PC industry only became a "serious business" when IBM entered the game in 1981. Why doesn't he think Apple was a serious company? Is it right to view Apple and Silicon Valley more generally as the hippy fringe of the computer industry? Does viewing Silicon Valley this way romanticize the realities at its core? Or does it celebrate the real essence of Silicon Valley?

2.) IBM's entrance into the PC industry is a deeply significant story in the history of Silicon Valley even if it did not really involve the valley directly. What were the key decisions that IBM made in producing their first commercially successful PC? What was the significance of these decisions for Silicon Valley? For the PC industry as a whole?

3.) The contrast between Gary Kildall and Bill Gates is representative of many of the larger themes at the center of Silicon Valley history. What did Gates and Kildall have in common? Where were they different? What does the subsequent history of the two individuals tell us about the relative importance of technological innovation and business acumen in the development of the PC industry? What does it teach us about the relative importance of 60s idealism and old-fashioned capitalism in shaping the development of the personal computer industry? Is the story of Gates and Kildall emblematic of the relationship between technology and capitalism in general?

4.) Why did IBM assume dominance in the PC industry so rapidly after 1981? What role did technology play in this success? What role did corporate culture play? What role did business acumen play? What lessons do you draw about the commercial application of technology from this story?

5.) Pay attention to the details of how Compaq became a leading company within the PC industry. What were the implications of the Compaq innovations on IBM? On Apple? On Intel? On other computer chip manufacturers like AMD, Motorola, or National Semiconductor? On Microsoft? How did the birth of PC clones change the PC industry? What were the effects of these changes on Silicon Valley?

6.) Consider the spilt between IBM and Microsoft that occurred in 1990. What does this divorce illustrate about IBM? About Microsoft? About the relationship between technological innovation and capitalism?

7.) Consider the culture of Microsoft as it was fostered by Bill Gates, Paul Allen, and Steve Ballmer. In what ways is it appropriate to consider Microsoft a "Silicon Valley company" even though its headquarters are in Seattle, Washington? In what ways are Microsoft and Silicon Valley diametrically opposed? Consider how your answer changes depending on which company you pick as representative of Silicon Valley. For example which of the following pairs seem harmonious and which seem antagonistic: Microsoft and HP? Microsoft and Apple? Microsoft and Intel? For many in the valley today, Microsoft is public enemy number one. Is this hostility an accurate reflection of Microsoft's character vis-à-vis the dominant character of Silicon Valley or is it a false image which masks the real similarities between Microsoft and Silicon Valley?
 

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