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More classic nonfiction from #1 New York Times bestselling author Neal Stephenson

	Some Remarks	In the Beginning...Was the Command Line

Customer Reviews	210	490
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Amazon.com Review

Neal Stephenson, author of the sprawling and engaging Cryptonomicon, has written a manifesto that could be spoken by a character from that brilliant book. Primarily, In the Beginning ... Was the Command Line discusses the past and future of personal computer operating systems. "It is the fate of manufactured goods to slowly and gently depreciate as they get old," he writes, "but it is the fate of operating systems to become free." While others in the computer industry express similarly dogmatic statements, Stephenson charms the reader into his way of thinking, providing anecdotes and examples that turn the pages for you.

Stephenson is a techie, and he's writing for an audience of coders and hackers in Command Line. The idea for this essay began online, when a shortened version of it was posted on Slashdot.org. The book still holds some marks of an e-mail flame gone awry, and some tangents should have been edited to hone his formidable arguments. But unlike similar writers who also discuss technical topics, he doesn't write to exclude; readers who appreciate computing history (like Dealers of Lightning or Fire in the Valley) can easily step into this book.

Stephenson tackles many myths about industry giants in this volume, specifically Apple and Microsoft. By now, every newspaper reader has heard of Microsoft's overbearing business practices, but Stephenson cuts to the heart of new issues for the software giant with a finely sharpened steel blade. Apple fares only a little better as Stephenson (a former Mac user himself) highlights the early steps the company took to prepare for a monopoly within the computer market--and its surprise when this didn't materialize. Linux culture gets a thorough--but fair--skewering, and the strengths of BeOS are touted (although no operating system is nearly close enough to perfection in Stephenson's eyes).

As for the rest of us, who have gladly traded free will and an intellectual understanding of computers for a clutter-free, graphically pleasing interface, Stephenson has thoughts to offer as well. He fully understands the limits nonprogrammers feel in the face of technology (an example being the "blinking 12" problem when your VCR resets itself). Even so, within Command Line he convincingly encourages us as a society to examine the metaphors of technology--simplifications that aren't really much simpler--that we greedily accept. --Jennifer Buckendorff

From Library Journal

Available for free download online at an Avon-sponsored website, this extended essay on computer operating systems by high-tech novelist Stephenson (Cryptonomicon) generated such demand that the server actually crashed. The audience for this title, though, is potentially much broader. Stephenson's strength lies in making technical topics accessible; anyone who has used a mouse, typed a letter into a word processor, or developed an interest in the history of computers will be able to enjoy much of this book. He is weakest, however, in reining in his proseAthe ease of composing on a computer seems in his case to encourage logorrhea. The long-anticipated outcome of the government's case against Microsoft may increase interest in Stephenson's viewpoint that the inevitable tendency of computer operating systems is toward becoming both free and open. Buy where interest in technology issues is strong, although readers who pick up the book because of Stephenson's name may wish that a firmer hand had edited the material.ARachel Singer, Franklin Park P.L., IL
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0380815931
Publisher ‏ : ‎ William Morrow Paperbacks
Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 9, 1999
Edition ‏ : ‎ First Paperback Edition
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Print length ‏ : ‎ 160 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780380815937
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0380815937
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.25 x 0.36 x 8 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #209,939 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #151 in Computers & Internet Humor
- #172 in Software Development (Books)
- #441 in Humor Essays (Books)
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(490)

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Neal Stephenson

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NEAL STEPHENSON is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the novels Termination Shock, Fall; or, Dodge in Hell, The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. (with Nicole Galland), Seveneves, Reamde, Anathem, The System of the World, The Confusion, Quicksilver, The Diamond Age, Snow Crash, Zodiac, the groundbreaking nonfiction work In the Beginning . . . Was the Command Line, and Some Remarks, a collection of short fiction and nonfiction. He lives in Seattle, Washington.

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490 global ratings

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Customers find the book highly readable and entertaining, with one noting it reads like a novel. Moreover, the writing style is engaging, with one review highlighting its well-written history of computer operating systems. Additionally, the content receives positive feedback, with one customer particularly appreciating the metaphors of the four operating systems. However, the historical perspective receives mixed reactions, with some praising its historical perspective while others point out its lack of historical completeness. Customers note that the book is a bit dated, being 10 years old.

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29 customers mention readability, 28 positive, 1 negative

Customers find the book highly enjoyable and entertaining, with one customer noting it reads like a novel.

...historical fiction account of the history operating systems is a good read but it is antiquated due the exponential growth of technology....Read more

Interesting book. A bit dated but still interesting and actually funny at times. 20 years after it was relevant it still had some provoking thoughts.Read more

One of my favorite books. It's a quick read and entertaining.Read more

It's an interesting read, if for no other reason than to get perspective from someone with more Linux history than yourself, but I'm not sure I...Read more

23 customers mention informative, 20 positive, 3 negative

Customers find the book insightful and researched, with one customer noting its smart perspective in plain English.

This is an interesting book, well written and researched....Read more

Entertaining and informative, and even more so as the command line retreats further and further into the past of the experiences of the typical user.Read more

...Plenty of wit and wisdom without indulging his tendency to run on.Read more

...Very insightful, although his 800, and 900 pg. Novels are a little 'scary'.Read more

15 customers mention writing style, 13 positive, 2 negative

Customers appreciate the writing style of the book, finding it interesting and accessible, with one customer noting it is written for the lay-person and another describing it as a well-written history of computer operating systems.

somewhat dated, but well written and a good historical perspective to the effect of the computer in today's society. Strongly recommended.Read more

Neal Stephenson is a great author if you remember using computers over twenty years ago you will enjoy this book.Read more

...a computer person and programmer, I really enjoyed the content and writing style.Read more

...Stephenson is a good writer, but I don’t like his fiction because he doesn’t really write realistic characters....Read more

14 customers mention content, 13 positive, 1 negative

Customers find the content of the book great and brilliant, with one customer particularly appreciating the metaphors of the four operating systems.

Great book. Covers a much neglected area between 'language' , interface, computer language and other media, like films....Read more

excellent.Read more

Stephenson has an interesting take on the subject matterRead more

Excellent book, definitely would still recommend it to anyone with or without much prior understanding of computersRead more

11 customers mention historical perspective, 7 positive, 4 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the historical perspective of the book, with some appreciating its good historical content while others point out its lack of historical completeness.

somewhat dated, but well written and a good historical perspective to the effect of the computer in today's society. Strongly recommended.Read more

...generalizations, long sidebars about unrelated topics, and useless anecdotes....Read more

Although a bit out-of-date I enjoyed the romp through history and the final return "...under it all, even today, is the command line..."...Read more

This is a brief history of, and commentary on, the development of computer operating systems in the context of the competing business models of...Read more

12 customers mention outdated, 0 positive, 12 negative

Customers find the book outdated, noting that it is 10 years old.

somewhat dated, but well written and a good historical perspective to the effect of the computer in today's society. Strongly recommended.Read more

Interesting book. A bit dated but still interesting and actually funny at times. 20 years after it was relevant it still had some provoking thoughts.Read more

Outdated. Omits major developments. Simplistic viewpoint.Read more

...As such, it is very dated when viewed from a 2015 perspective. He does a nice job of contrasting Apple vs Microsoft vs Unix vs Lenix and so on....Read more

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William J Becker
Essential read about Computer Histor
Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2025
Format: KindleVerified Purchase

The author looks at the development of the operating system in a practical way. The author shows the history and the development of the command line, but also explains the practicality of the GUI. And the importance of the GUI in making the computer a commodity item.

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Penfist
Not for everyone but well worth reading if you like going for deep dives
Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2005
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
In the Beginning...Was the Command Line

Originally published in 1999, Neal's essay on operating systems is, like most of his writing, multilayered and filled with palatable prose and a thought provoking potpourri of information that, especially in the case of this essay in book form, often requires rereading for proper digestion.

Neal has a lot to say in Command Line.

First and foremost, I walked away with the following impression: in the world of Neal, Windows is a necessary but doomed operating system. Neal explains why as only he can. He also tells you why Apple is doomed and Microsoft might be. Furthermore, Neal explains that there are better operating systems available and makes a case for why you might want to try them out: they are free, and they don't crash. These two operating systems are Linux, which is a variant of UNIX and BeOS, which is the product of a mad Frenchman but which has many merits that outweigh the product's French origins.

Command Line is filled with memorable statements that sometimes border on or are in all actuality, profound.

For instance - "Contemporary culture is a two-tiered system, like the Morlocks and the Eloi in H.G. Wells The Time Machine, except it has been turned upside down. In The Time Machine, the Eloi were an effete upper class supported by lots of subterranean Morlocks who kept the technological wheels turning. But in our world, it's the other way round. The Morlocks are in the minority, and they are running the show, because they understand how everything works. The much more numerous Eloi learn everything they know from being steeped from birth in electronic media directed and controlled by book-reading Morlocks. That many ignorant people could be dangerous if they got pointed in the wrong direction, and so we've evolved a popular culture that is (a) almost unbelievably infectious, and (b) neuters every person who get infected by it, by rendering them unwilling to make judgments and incapable of taking stands."

In other words, Neal is saying, there are the people who read the book and there are the people who only watch the movie that is made about the book, and the people who read the book are the people who really know what the author was saying. The people who watch the movie don't really get it, because they get the filtered version, the dumbed down version, the version built for mass consumption by those who are less intelligent or perhaps just not as focused.

Command Line isn't for everyone. It's for Morlocks, or those who want to be Morlocks. If you've never owned a pocket protector, opened your computer case up or tinkered with the innards of any of the plethora of electronic devices you own, then you probably won't consume this book with relish, as I did.

Now, if you've stuck with my review to this paragraph, you likely are the type who will enjoy Command Line. Most importantly, you are, in all probability, the type to ponder on and eventually benefit from Neal's closing, in which he compares God to an engineer and remind his readers that, "if you don't like having your choices made for you, you should start making your own."

I came away from reading Command Line thoroughly convinced that I need to explore BeOS when I return from the war I'm currently fighting. And of course, I will continue making my own choices whenever possible, rather than letting others make them for me.

Update: Since I wrote the review I've been talking to people and reading Neal's web site. Two things are apparent to me: a) the book is very dated and b) Macintosh made the very smart decision to move their OS to a UNIX based product. This book will still be a highly enjoyable read if you have the soul of a nerd, as I do.

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Patrick Shepherd
Cadillacs and Tanks
Reviewed in the United States on December 21, 2001
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
As a hardware/software engineer I have worked with MS-DOS, Windows, MacOS, and UNIX for many years. Reading this fairly short, critical, and sometimes hysterically funny essay was an enjoyable experience, albeit I had some major reservations about some of Neal's suppositions and conclusions.
Stephenson presents, first of all, a rather simplified version of the history of PC computing world and the operating systems that have helped define and advance (or impede) the development of the PC from something that only a geek could love to a ubiquitous near-appliance. His definition of what an operating system is matches what most programmers, using common sense, would call an operating system: a suite of low level tools that perform the mundane tasks of interpreting what an application wants to do to the physical realm of reading/writing memory, disk files, displaying graphics, etc. This is not a trivial point, as the current insistence by Microsoft that its operating system is inclusive of web browsers, audio/video players, and other application-level programs is a key item in its anti-trust defense. However, Stephenson bypasses the relevance of this in favor of defining the differences between the MacOS, Windows, UNIX, and BeOS. For this purpose he uses a highly useful (and sometimes funny) metaphor defining each OS as a car dealership, each of whom sells their type of product to a different type of customer.
One of his major points is the idea that an OS is a saleable product, even though in essence it is nothing but a long string of 1's and 0's, information only, and not a physical item, represents a paradigm shift, on the order of trying to sell a car's driving interface (steering wheel, brakes, etc) as a product separate from, and having intrinsic value in its own right, the car itself. Given the obvious nonsense of this separation in the case of the car, he makes the case that operating systems should all eventually be given away free, ala Linux, and that businesses that depend on OS income are treading a very dangerous path.
He shows a definite preference for those OSs that allow the user to 'get under the hood' and tweak its operating parameters, such as Linux, and includes a long discourse on the whole concept of simplified, pre-packaged interfaces as culturally defining/defined, including some good analogies with what Disney does to make complex, detailed subjects immediately comprehensible to Joe Six-Pack.
All of this makes for easy, enjoyable reading, whether you are a power user or just someone who wants to send e-mails. But his conclusions about which OS is best and the future direction of OS evolution is definitely skewed towards the power user, someone who is comfortable in dealing with all the inner complexities of computers and software. As such, he sometimes forgets that computers are a tool (even though he devotes a section to different levels of tools in terms of quality , power and user skill levels), of no use to the user except insofar as they provide something that user wants and needs, and it is that end result the user wants, at the absolute minimum of fuss on his part.
A thought provoking essay, whether you agree with him or not.

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Casey Knolla
Great history of operating systems
Reviewed in the United States on November 4, 2012
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
Being only 25 years old, I grew up somewhere in the middle of the OS's lifetime. This book was educational for someone who takes advantage of modern OSes, and it also sheds light on the blissful console command times. I struggle with GUIs often, and the author highlights the pros and cons of the introduction of them. He also compares the for-profit business model of selling OSes versus open source which I was well aware of, but he makes points I had not considered before.
As a computer person and programmer, I really enjoyed the content and writing style.

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Muy bueno.
Reviewed in Spain on November 19, 2019
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Genial. Un clasico.

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R. G. Milner
An excellent read although somewhat dated.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 9, 2005
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
This is an excellent book, a very entertaining and worthwhile read if you are at all interested in modern computer operating systems.
However, like all computer science books, the technological aspect of it has already dated considerably, reducing its relevance as a survey. This is of course inevitable in such a fast-moving field. I would be very interested to read an updated edition taking into account the current situation in the OS marketplace.
Stephenson primarily contrasts Windows(tm), Linux, MacOS and BeOS. Out of these systems, BeOS is basically dead, MacOS has undergone a sea change (to a considerable extent building on BeOS and Linux), Linux has grown in sophistication and user-friendliness, and Windows is... still basically Windows with some extra knobs on it.
The book should not be ignored, though. The fundamental issue Stephenson comments on - whether it's possible to control complex equipment through simplified interfaces - is never going to disappear. It's also an entertaining read simply for the author's wonderful use of language.

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thibaud
Once upon a time, there was no Windows...
Reviewed in France on October 13, 2009
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
The book is a really well written in-depth look at the way we see a computer. The author takes the case of the Personal Computer and the history behind OSeses like BEoS, PCDOS, MS Dos and Windows. It can be considered obsolete and out of date if you do not really pay attention to what a computer is and what it is not. It is actually universal if you take a step back and see down the line on how things can be or could have been. The chapter about the GUI was a good analysis about what our PCs might have been today if people were more thorough about making a decision based on something else than just mere looks. Overall this book is easy to read and while it gets theoretically detailed about notions that most of computer users have forgotten or will never need to know, it is really interesting and never a bore.

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Perseus
"Brevity is the soul of wit"
Reviewed in Germany on February 2, 2009
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
"In the Beginning was the Command Line" ist ein kompaktes Essay, in dem sich Neal Stephenson auf SEHR ironische Weise mit der Geschichte von Betriebsystemen auseinandersetzt: Ohne Wissen der meisten Benutzer tobt schon seit Jahren ein Kampf zwischen zwei ganz unterschiedlichen Bedienkonzepten.

Auf der einen Seite: Die Verfechter der grafischen Benutzeroberflächen (Buttons, Menüs, Regler usw.). Alles soll möglichst "schön" aussehen und Einsteiger animieren.

Auf der anderen Seite: Die Puristen. Die Programmierer. Sie bevorzugen die direkte Kontrolle über den Computer, eben die Kommandozeile.

Mit diesem Gegensatz als Aufmacher führt Stephenson den Leser nicht nur in die Funktionsweise von Betriebsystemen ein (was auch für einige Lacher sorgt; lassen Sie sich von den "Auto"-Metaphern überraschen, die in keinem Buch über EDV fehlen dürfen), sondern spannt sogar noch den Bogen für (ein wenig) Kritik an der westlichen Konsumgesellschaft ("Morlocks" vs. "Eloi").

In einem Wort: Herrlich.

[Das Buch kann auch von weniger technisch veranlagten Lesern verstanden werden; jene sind sogar meines Erachtens die Zielgruppe, denn Stephenson möchte nicht zuletzt auch erläutern, wie sich unser Umgang mit dem Computer verändert hat.]

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Zubair Shaikh
Outdated and irrelevant
Reviewed in India on August 10, 2025
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Print quality is very good. Better than most paperback.
The book is also freely available on the web.
The book has biases and the author has not done much research.
The essay is outdated and irrelevant.
Not recommended.

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Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews. Please reload the page.

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential read about Computer Histor

4.0 out of 5 stars Not for everyone but well worth reading if you like going for deep dives

3.0 out of 5 stars Cadillacs and Tanks

5.0 out of 5 stars Great history of operating systems

Top reviews from other countries

5.0 out of 5 stars Muy bueno.

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent read although somewhat dated.

4.0 out of 5 stars Once upon a time, there was no Windows...

5.0 out of 5 stars "Brevity is the soul of wit"

1.0 out of 5 stars Outdated and irrelevant

Essential read about Computer Histor

Not for everyone but well worth reading if you like going for deep dives

Cadillacs and Tanks

Great history of operating systems

Muy bueno.

An excellent read although somewhat dated.

Once upon a time, there was no Windows...

"Brevity is the soul of wit"

Outdated and irrelevant