Coders: The Making of a New Tribe and the Remaking of the World

As a former tech reporter myself, and--full disclosure--a friend of the author, I'm predisposed to like this book. However, even were I not, Coders resonates as a necessary book for our current moment.At no other time in recent history has software and the people who make it been more critical to how we experience the world. Thanks to the current "pics or it didn't happen" mentality, Thompson's talent at digging into the personalities and the quirks of the mostly men (and the few women) who write the code that we rely on to stay in touch with loved ones, share experiences, shop, consume media, etc., should make readers to think about how the foundations of so much of daily life are produced.He deftly exhumes the history of the software industry from its early days when coding was considered secretarial labor (and thus left to the ladies) to today's more male-dominated environment, where software bros chase the big score. He asks the right questions: Why did this happen and what was the effect of that shift? What are the knock-on impacts when coders are overwhelmingly white (or Asian), male, and convinced of their own overweening intelligence? Is the current, toxic environment found online solely because humans can be pretty awful to one another? Or is it because the guys who coded the platform just didn't think about online abuse because they never had to? Did that ignorance lead them to unwittingly enable the abuse, fake news, and mob culture we now have to endure? Thompson convincingly argues that a fair amount of that ignorance is at fault.Ultimately, code doesn't just happen; humans with their weirdo attitudes, biases, ideologies, and faults write it, and they tend to encode into the code itself those very same attitudes, biases, ideologies, and faults -- whether they mean to or not. That's why it's important to understand the history of coders and the code they write. Given how important software is to the modern world -- a glitch at one airport can disrupt airline traffic all over the world, just to name one recent example -- we also have to know who the authors are.Thompson's book does that, and with a verve, style, and brisk pace that makes Coders a readable, engaging, and valuable addition to this field of study.

This is a good history of programming and programmers. I have read much of the historical material before in other books but this book manages to present new material in every chapter. This book seems to be targeted for the non-programmer or maybe someone who works with programmers and wants to figure out why they do things the way they do. First - there is not one programmer type but they good programmers share some common qualities that the book delves into for the reader. When my son wanted to become a programmer I feared there was one quality he did not have - ability to deal with frustration. The book details why that ability is essential for all good programmers to survive and thrive. I loved the book so much I purchased copies to give out to co-workers that have to work with coders.

Clive Thompson’s new behind the screen look at the tribe of coders is by no means perfect. A journalist by profession, Thompson’s chapters somewhat read like a series of loosely connected articles for the New York Times magazine. But these glances at different aspects of the computer programming world do incisively capture the culture for both good and ill.Written primarily for those who are not members of the tribe, as a data scientist I cannot say I learned much by reading it. But its depiction of the hyper-masculine, intellectually preoccupied, socially inept world of programming did resonate. Of course, Thompson is not the first writer to depict this world. Nor is he the first to opine that the immense amount of harm caused by these new technologies is the result of the blindnesses of this monoculture. But updating readers on the cultural changes in computing from the 1950s to the 1990s to 2019 is important for everyone who has to live in the partially online modern world.Thompson also makes a concerted argument that the lack of women and minorities in computers is the result of cultural bias and not in any sense genetic. Though largely relying on anecdotal evidence the argument grows increasingly persuasive as the book advances. I wish Thompson had relied more on data and less on personal testimony. Given, however, that this is an issue with significant cultural and financial implications, it’s encouraging to see this position well-articulated.I ended up thinking after reading it through that the book is a light and mostly pleasant way for those not in coding to understand something of this ever growing part of modernity. Not a must-read but something that non-coders will both benefit from and enjoy.

I can't say enough about how much I love this book. I read an excerpt from it before it was published and I immediately jumped on a pre-order. I have been in the world of programming and technology for 40 years, having studied it in college and then spending my entire career in it. I am also a woman. So I have seen and lived most of what the author presents. I found the writing very smart and engaging and the research is impeccable. Furthermore, one of my favorite aspects of the book is that each chapter is almost a stand-alone topic. It is a long book, but well worth every hour I spent reading it. It is staying on my kindle as reference and future re-reading.

I thought this would be an interesting book - knowing virtually nothing about coding or coding culture. Although it was interesting it was also repetitive and at times ponderous - filled with jargon, references to "his friend x or y," and written with "a homey touch." I was most surprised that apparetly it never occurred to the author that this male dominated field would be filled with sexism and harrassment - not unlike human medicine, basic science, and physics. I did learn a few things but I wouldn't read it again and will delete it off my device.

Spannend, aber ein bisschen zäh am Ende.

Anecdotical for the most parts but nevertheless an enjoyable read about the state of the land as coding and coders of all sorts go.

What a great book about coding and coders. It is really complete and very precise about the history of this profession. Moreover all the major trends to come from this profession are analyzed. And to finish, we discover less media talents but who count.

I get so excited when I find a great book. I finished this book in a week: fascinating and well written. It's nonfiction but it reads almost like a novel, making it easy and fun to read. I don't plan on becoming a coder but this has helped me understand how relevant programmers are in the working world. I thoroughly enjoyed it; you won't discover the secrets of the universe or be inspired to set up a business, but it's a light and enjoyable read. Recommended!

This is an interesting book but a little too long. Could have used better editing. Worth reading none-the-less.