Matialth
Good concept, poorly executed.
Intcatinfo
A Masterpiece!
Voxitype
Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.
Dana
An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.
kosmasp
Or how the underdog took on the big company and what happened next. If you are only interested in the slightest in what went on behind the scenes during the computer wars (let's call them that). Compaq took on the giant that is IBM, something that not really many had done. There had been knockoffs of IBM computers, but Compaq tried to go head to head with a colossus.That does sound insane, doesn't it? But innovation can go a long way. And good ideas do prevail ... well sometimes they do. Sometimes they are only recognized years after the fact. So Compaq came up with the portable PC. This may sound weird with technology far ahead at this point in time. But really this was innovative, and in a time when no one dared to go out of the norm and do something revolutionary. So Kudos to Compaq and the founder ... and if that whetted your appetite, the documentary is delivering on uncovering what went on back then
bryanbph-82636
I think you probably needed to be around during the time that this documentary is set in to fully appreciate how great this show is. If you weren't, it is still a fascinating look into the past to help the younger folks hopefully appreciate much of what they have today, and just take for granted. I was a young adult when all of this was taking place, and had the privilege of owning one of the Compaq "portable" computers. I'll always remember a lady at the airport asking me why I was carrying my sewing machine on my trip (since most people had never seen a portable computer at the time) she had no idea it was actually a computer.I couldn't stop watching this show, as it took me back down memory lane and made me remember how much fun those golden days were of getting a PC that had a 'turbo' button on them. Great job on this documentary. Well worth the time to watch it!
gavin6942
Three friends dream up the Compaq portable computer at a Texas diner in 1981, and soon find themselves battling mighty IBM, for PC supremacy. Their improbable journey altered the future of computing and shaped the world we now know.I always love these documentaries about tech companies and the Internet and so forth. Having grown up in the 1980s, this feels like such an integral part of my life. I was more computer literate at 14 than I am now at 36... I could build computers, diagnose problems, and now I wouldn't try.And Compaq is an important part of that story. Doors were opened for other companies (such as Dell) and really ended the way we think about PCs. I do not equate IBM and PC, and almost never have, due in part to Compaq. Whereas we have never seen this same thing happen to Apple... which strategy works best?
JustCuriosity
Silicon Cowboys was very well-received at its world premiere at Austin's SXSW Film Festival. Whereas the narrative of the era is usually the competition between Apple and IBM, this film based on a book by Compaq's founder, refocuses the narrative on the competition between IBM and the PC clones led by Compaq. The film's David vs. Goliath narrative arc is absorbing and entertaining. It presents a highly entertaining history that avoids getting lost in technical detail that would overwhelm and confuse non-tech geeks. They focus on intriguing accessible concepts such as the Compaq's introduction of the concept of first portable PC – weighing at 28 pounds - as the predecessor to the modern laptop and eventually the tablet and the smartphone. The filmmakers were able to dig up tons of entertaining archival footage and conduct extensive interviews with most of the major players in the 1980s clone wars. The editing and the music are fabulous. The period music and look evokes the nostalgia for the 1980s. Highly recommended for those who want to try to understand a technological revolution that they may have lived through, but didn't fully understand at the time.
