The New New Thing

One reason for Netscape to go IPO, according to the book The New New Thing, was

that Jim Clark, the Silicon Valley anarchic posterchild of the new economy,

needed to cash out his shares for a sail boat. Built by Dutch masters, the

vessel was huge and posh and unique in that it was outfitted with the requisite

hardware and software to be completely controlled by computers. At least that

was the goal. And so the story unfurled.

 

Lewis has a flair. He does not fawn over someone, no matter how great in the

eyes of the world (and many of his characters are). His perspective is level. A

character under his pen feels not just real but funny. This book reminded me of

the movie Punchline: "We are all God's animated cartoons." In the case of the

main character, Jim Clark, he set out with his high-powered observation, to not

just explain what happened but also find out what made the guy tick, all with

plenty of humor, e.g.,

 

    In the Valley anyone over forty tended to fade into technical irrelevance.

    "I'm an old dog who taught himself a new trick," Clark would say. He was an

    old dog who taught himself so many new tricks that he was a threat to the

    reputation of old dogs.

 

I spent 10 days on this 268-page book and felt well-informed and enjoyed every

minute reading it. For example, the U.S. DOJ's anti-trust case against Microsoft

over Netscape reached me in grad school in Beijing and to me Microsoft was

obviously guilty. I could never imagine, however, what it was like in the court

room. According to Mr. Lewis, it was hilarious. Here's how Jim Barksdale,

Netscape's CEO, explained the idea of an Internet browser to a Microsft lawyer:

 

    "A browser is a separate, standalone product," said Barksdale, pressing his

    advantage. "It's a THING. It walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, it's a

    duck!"

 

I think I'll read it again, and maybe even buy this book.