Pirates of Silicon Valley

Pirates of Silicon Valley is a biographical television film by Martyn Burke from 1999, based on the book Fire in the Valley: Making of the Personal Computer by Paul Freiberger and Michael Swaine. He describes the development of home computers and personal computer in terms of the rivalry between Apple Inc. and Microsoft.

The film's story begins in the early 1970s and ends with the power struggle between Steve Jobs and John Sculley and Jobs subsequent separation of Apple.

Action

The film is told from the perspective of Steve Wozniak and Steve Ballmer. It begins with the shooting of the famous Apple commercials "1984", directed by Ridley Scott following a flashforward an Apple press conference in 1997, when Steve Jobs a collaboration with his biggest rival Bill Gates announces.

Then the actual story begins in 1971. Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak sell their Blue Box, a device with which you (illegally) can make free telephone calls. Alongside Steve Wozniak developed a computer, holding of the first jobs at all.

Then the story of Bill Gates, Paul Allen and Steve Ballmer told who study at Harvard University and write for the Altair 8800 MITS a BASIC interpreter.

In alternating panels of the rise of both companies is described later in the film. At Apple, the construction of the Apple I and Apple II in the development of Microsoft BASIC, and the coup with their MS -DOS.

A major theme always remain tensions between Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, such as the dispute over the development of the graphical user interface, although this was not developed by one of the two companies, but by Xerox.

The film ends where he has also started: Announcing the collaboration between Microsoft and Apple at a press conference in 1997.

Others

In the opening address at Macworld Expo New York City in July 1999, initially joined Noah Wyle on and pretended to be Steve Jobs. In the course of the event then occurred only Steve Jobs himself in appearance.

Awards

  • Nominated for five Emmys (1999)
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