Man and the Computer
Man and the Computer by John G. Kemenyby John G. Kemeny
Shares rank 36 of 152 nonfiction books by recommenders
A 1972 book by the co-creator of BASIC, recommended for how accurately it predicted home computers, the internet and online news decades early.
A 1972 book by the co-creator of BASIC, recommended for how accurately it predicted home computers, the internet and online news decades early.
6 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 6
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 3 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: 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: 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
- 6 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 3 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
Predicts modern technology decades early
“Predicts the rise of home computers, the internet, Wikipedia, online news, and a bunch of other modern technologies decades before they actually existed.”
Comment from 10 Oct 2026 in “Show HN: The rarest tech books and docs you've probably never read” “I found his book "Man and the Computer" particularly prescient.”
Comment from 7 Dec 2025 in “Mathematics Without Numbers (1959)” Chapter 5 is especially worth reading
“Read Chapter 5, the "Symbiote or Parasite" one you've partially quoted here. It's a real banger.”
Comment from 30 Jul 2026 in “Man and the Computer by John G. Kemeny (1972 book by the co-creator of BASIC)” “Everyone in Silly Valley needs to read chapter 5 ASAP.”
Comment from 30 Jul 2026 in “Man and the Computer by John G. Kemeny (1972 book by the co-creator of BASIC)” Fascinating and full of quotable material
“I skimmed it, many quotable stuff[1], fascinating”
Comment from 30 Jul 2026 in “Man and the Computer by John G. Kemeny (1972 book by the co-creator of BASIC)” “it is fascinating reading”
Comment from 29 Jul 2026 in “Man and the Computer by John G. Kemeny (1972 book by the co-creator of BASIC)”
Other nonfiction books people recommend
The four most recommended other nonfiction 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 Cuckoo's Eggby Cliff Stoll | 40 | 0 | 100% | 8 | — | Approved |
| Amusing Ourselves to Deathby Neil Postman | 36 | 0 | 100% | 9 | 1 yr3 owners | Approved |
| The Anxious Generationby Jonathan Haidt | 24 | 12 | 67% | 10 | — | Approved |
| Bullshit Jobsby David Graeber | 20 | 12 | 63% | 8 | — | — |
| Man and the Computerby John G. KemenyThis page | 6 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
6 of the 7 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Predicts the rise of home computers, the internet, Wikipedia, online news, and a bunch of other modern technologies decades before they actually existed.”
“Read Chapter 5, the "Symbiote or Parasite" one you've partially quoted here. It's a real banger.”
“I skimmed it, many quotable stuff[1], fascinating”
“Everyone in Silly Valley needs to read chapter 5 ASAP.”
“it is fascinating reading”
“I found his book "Man and the Computer" particularly prescient.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.