Rate this book

10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10 (Software Studies) (2013)

by Nick Montfort(Favorite Author)

3.77 of 5 Votes: 5

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

MIT Press

review 1: A meditation on a famous code one-liner in the programming language BASIC. The book demonstrates the elegance of the simple line of code producing a fascinating output. It reflects on the one-liners programming language (Basic), visual output (maze), required functions (randomness), required hardware (Commodore 64), re-interpretations (in processing) and playful extensions (complimentary maze walker). There is no need to give every chapter the same amount of attention. But when you end the book, you are left with a high respect for the thoroughness and meticulousness with which the book's 10 (!) authors executed their mission.
review 2: Amazing in-depth look at a single line of code within its historical, cultural, and technical context. The book touches on the... more history of the C64 and the surrounding era of home computing, the aesthetics of emergent patterns and randomness, and the details of the C64 that made the program possible. The book managed to hit my love of generative art, my weak spot for cultural analysis of technical topics, and nostalgia for computing in my childhood. The only part of the book that felt clumsy was the chapter on the cultural significance of the maze, which was relevant but felt like it was stretching a bit too far sometimes (even for a book this unusual).Overall, out of five I give this an Awesome. less

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