The Apollo Guidance Computer: Architecture and Operation
The Apollo Guidance Computer: Architecture and Operation by Frank O'Brienby Frank O'Brien
Ranked 9 of 9 computer history books by recommenders
Recommended as a detailed technical walkthrough of the Apollo Guidance Computer's architecture and operation, written in the style of a lead engineer guiding a newcomer through the code.
Recommended as a detailed technical walkthrough of the Apollo Guidance Computer's architecture and operation, written in the style of a lead engineer guiding a newcomer through the code.
3 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 3
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 1 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 3 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 1 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Walkthrough of assembly codebase
“considering the code base is in assembly, I'll gladly welcome a walkthrough”
Comment from 8 Oct 2026 in “Margaret Hamilton has died” “It reads like a lead engineer walking a new hire through the codebase.”
Comment from 8 Oct 2026 in “Margaret Hamilton has died” Deeper technical detail
“is also good and goes into more technical detail”
Comment from 8 Oct 2026 in “Margaret Hamilton has died” Reads like a lead engineer
“It reads like a lead engineer walking a new hire through the codebase.”
Comment from 8 Oct 2026 in “Margaret Hamilton has died”
Other computer history books people recommend
The four most recommended other computer history books, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Soul of a New Machineby Tracy Kidder | 59 | 0 | 100% | 8 | 28 yrs3 owners | Approved |
| The Old New Thingby Raymond Chen | 31 | 1 | 97% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Accidental Empiresby Bob Cringely | 15 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
| A History of Lisp | 11 | 3 | 79% | 1 | — | — |
| The Apollo Guidance Computer: Architecture and Operationby Frank O'BrienThis page | 3 | 0 | 100% | 1 | — | — |
What people said
All 3 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“is also good and goes into more technical detail”
“considering the code base is in assembly, I'll gladly welcome a walkthrough”
“It reads like a lead engineer walking a new hire through the codebase.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.