- Whole Earth Software Catalog and Review
Whole Earth Software Catalog and Review (1984-1985) was a series of related publications produced by
Stewart Brand 's "Point Foundation" as an extension of " TheWhole Earth Catalog ".Overview
The "Catalog" and "Review" were notable for being "devoid of any industry advertising" and for being "accessible and user friendly - written in an glib, conversational style that takes most of the bugs out of microprocessing." Bob Sylva, SCENE. "
Sacramento Bee ", November 13, 1984, p. CO1]Fred Turner discusses the production and eventual demise of both the Catalog and Review in "From Counterculture to Cyberculture: Stewart Brand, the Whole Earth Network, and the Rise of Digital Utopianism." Turner notes that in 1983, "The Whole Earth Software Catalog" was proposed by John Brockman as a magazine which "would do for computing what the original ["Whole Earth Catalog"] had done for the counterculture: identify and recommend the best "tools" as they emerged." [Fred Turner." From Counterculture to Cyberculture", (Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 2006): 129.]
Brand announced the first publication of the quarterly "Whole Earth Software Review" at the
SoftCon trade show at theLouisiana Superdome inNew Orleans in March of 1984. [ [http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,952360,00.html The Stepchild Comes of Age] ] While both were published as an extension of "Whole Earth," the Catalog was a large glossy book sponsored byDoubleday and published inSausalito California while the Review was a small periodical published inSan Diego . [Brand Stewart. "Whole Earth Software Catalog 1.0", p. 2.]"The Whole Earth Software Catalog and Review" were both business failures, however. The Catalog was only published twice (1.0 in June and 2.0 in Fall '85), with only three of "The Whole Earth Software Review" supplements published . [Fred Turner. "From Counterculture to Cyberculture", (Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 2006): 130.] At the same time, another Brand publication, "
CoEvolution Quarterly " evolved out of the original "Whole Earth Supplement" in 1974. [Fred Turner. "From Counterculture to Cyberculture", (Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 2006): 120.] In 1985, Brand merged "CoEvolution Quarterly" with "The Whole Earth Software Review" to create the "Whole Earth Review." [Fred Turner. "From Counterculture to Cyberculture", (Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 2006): 130.]This is also indicated in the issues themselves. Fall 1984, Issue No. 43 is titled "The Last CoEvolution Quarterly."The cover also states, "Next issue is 'Whole Earth Review': livelier snake, new skin." In January 1985, Issue No. 44 was titled "Whole Earth Review: Tools and Ideas for the Computer Age." The cover also reads "The continuation of "CoEvolution Quarterly" and "Whole Earth Software Review"." In an article titled "Whole Earth Software Catalog Version 1.1,"
Stewart Brand states that there are three intended audiences for the new "Whole Earth Review": a) the audience of "The Whole Earth Software Catalog", b) the audience of "The Whole Earth Software Review" and c) the audience of "CoEvolution Quarterly ". [Stewart Brand . "Whole Earth Software Catalog Version 1.1", "Whole Earth Review, No. 44 (Sausalito, CA January 1985): 74.]Bibliography
"Whole Earth Software Review"
*No. 1, Spring 1984
*No. 2, Summer 1984
*No. 3, Fall 1984"Whole Earth Software Catalog"
*1.0, June 1984
*2.0 1985Notes
References
*Elmer-DeWitt, Philip. " [http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,952360,00.html The Stepchild Comes of Age] ."
TIME , Mar. 05, 1984.
*Lehmann- Haupt, Christopher. " [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D01E1DC123BF930A35753C1A962948260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=print Books of the Times: Whole Earth Software Catalog] ." "New York Times ," October 3, 1984.
*Sylva, Bob. SCENE. "Sacramento Bee ", November 13, 1984, p. CO1
* Turner, Fred cite book
year = 2006
title = From Counterculture to Cyberculture: Stewart Brand, the Whole Earth Network, and the Rise of Digital Utopianism
publisher = University of Chicago Press
id = ISBN 0-226-81741-5External links
* [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D01E1DC123BF930A35753C1A962948260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=print BOOKS OF THE TIMES: Whole Earth Software Catalog]
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