In the Beginning...Was the Command Line

Picked this up for the first time in ~20 years. I read this many times at an impressionable age, and I credit it for influencing me to start the career path that I'm still on, and further, influencing me to be the type of computer user that I am (a Morlock, in the book's terms). I've internalized so much of the book that I don't feel like I'm really reading it anymore... it's more like, I'm watching sentences go by that are already in my head.

On the other hand, there are some sections that rub me the wrong way now. There's an attitude of elitism that doesn't feel right for me. I know that I was full of conceit and superiority when I was younger, so it would have appealed to me then, but it's kind of abrasive now.

A brief history of operating systems and user interfaces. It's a quick read, and has some fun soliloquys on plebians. It's not necessary reading, but it's a good distraction for an hour or two.

I love this book. You can read it online for free. While it is a geeky look at Windows, Mac OS, and Linux, the acccesable writing will make you forget that you're reading an essay.