https://www.netflix.com/title/70302182
I just finished watching all four seasons and went from merely being intrigued to thinking this is one of the better series I have ever seen.
The show is well-researched about the history of computing and the emergence of the tech scene. Like Mad Men, they make an effort to add a lot of accurate period details to give a more immersive experience.
The show starts in a more conventional vein of the now-standard anti-hero prestige drama, but quickly the character arcs take many twists and turns and all the characters are portrayed at their human best and worst. Heroes become villains and vice versa, and back again. In the end, all the main characters are seen as complex, sympathetic, and likable, which is very refreshing
If you are interested in nostalgia, computers, tech, or just truly excellent acting and writing, I highly recommend it.
I don't know much about coding, but from my googling it looks like Clean Room Design is where you get one team to examine copyrighted code, writing a document describing how it works (where the document crucially does not contain any copyrighted code), then give the documentation to a second team who writes the new code without ever coming into contact with the pilfered code or any of the people who examined it. This way you can be sure that no copyrighted code is in the new product, even if the final project works the same.
However, as far as I can tell, Cameron NEVER looks through Gordon's documentation on the IBM code. So did she just straight up write a new OS from scratch instead? If so, doesn't that mean there was no point at all in drawing IBM's ire?
Naturally the REAL point of fucking with IBM was Joe's convoluted plan to force Cardiff to work on his pet project, but once they're working on it you would think they'd at least make use of what they've got.
For the uninitiated, Halt & Catch Fire was a tv show about the personal computing boom of the 1980s. In this scene, one of the series' central characters, Joe MacMillan- a bloviating blowhard born w/ a silver-spoon up his ass but not an ethical idea in his skull (sound familiar)- unveils the first free anti-virus software for the average PC user. But as it turns it out, the "free" software is actually a ploy and he plagiarized the software in the first place. The name of the program: Citadel.
https://reddit.com/link/r7qff5/video/p03akkk299381/player
I recognise no-one is going to care about this, but the first (and last) time I watched Halt and Catch Fire (a fictionalized story of the development of the Compaq Portable) I was I a junior in high school trying to figure out what to do with my life. I know I wanted to do something with computers so I was looking into IT. I found Halt and Catch Fire and then decided to major in Computer Engineering. Flash forward to today and I'm in the middle of my senior year of Electrical Engineering Technology. It has made me pretty emotional this evening.
I don't think I can recommend this show enough. This show is pure quality . Great actors, directors, story and perfect ending!
I'll put a brief summary of the Show here:
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erxorxXIlAY
It's the early 1980s, and the spirit of innovation in personal computing is about to catch fire. Hot on the trail is a renegade trio -- a visionary, an engineer and a prodigy -- who risk everything to realize their vision of building a computer that can change the future. Not long after IBM corners the market with its flagship PC, a flaw is discovered in its operation, opening the door for competition. In steps Joe MacMillan, a former IBM executive who now works for Cardiff Electric. MacMillan plans to reverse-engineer IBM's technology, putting Cardiff in the thick of the personal computer race. He enlists the help of engineer Gordon Clark, who dreams of creating a revolutionary computer, and Cameron Howe, a volatile prodigy who puts her future on the line to join MacMillan's rogue project.
Note: The show's opening theme is amazing!
Just finished watching all 4 seasons of Halt and Catch Fire. If you haven't seen it, and you're bored looking for something fascinating to binge watch - seriously, check it out.
As someone who works in the tech industry, it's hard to find many series or movies which don't go completely overboard with fictionalised technical details. Most series just make unrealistic shit up as they go along, but HACF actually is reasonably well grounded in reality that it feels "real" enough, yet still leaves you blown away by the thought of what a small collective of people have achieved, and how far we've come with technology in the last couple of decades.
Aside from the technical details (which perhaps only a few of us might care about), the acting alone was INCREDIBLE, the character development, the storyline in each season, the genuine nostalgia, everything about this series was so well executed. I'm honestly surprised so few people have heard of it before.
I was just scrolling through Netflix and found this show starring Lee Pace (from Pushing Daisies, one of my favorite shows ever). I thought it had an interesting name and gave it a look.
I just finished season 1 and it's freaking amazing. How did I never hear of this show before? Not a recommendation, not an ad, not a poster somewhere, nothing! AMC managed to make a gripping, addictive, fast paced computer thriller that ran for 4 seasons and slip it under the radar.
The show follows 3 protagonists, corporate "Steve Jobs hopeful" sociopath Joe McMillan, brilliant slightly psychotic hardware engineer Gordon Clark and young antisocial punk software programmer Cameron Howe as they try to develop their own Personal Computer in the early 80s during the computer revolution, facing off against giants such as IBM in the corporate world.
FREAKING AWESOME.
I've looked at Prime, Apple TV, Itunes, Netflix, Google Play and I can't find it anywhere. Has anyone found a (legal) way to stream Halt and Catch Fire in Ireland?
So, a while back, Christopher Cantwell posted a fundraiser that he said if it reached $20,000 he would write a new full episode script (see tweet below). Well, the fundraiser finally went over $20,000. That’s good news for the fundraiser and also for us.
I don’t use Twitter, but can someone tweet him and ask him if he’s going to honor his word on this?
https://twitter.com/ifyoucantwell/status/1251239805259669504
I grew up in the 70s through the 80s and my dad was always into computers, so Halt and Catch Fire rang some memories for me. It's basically a show about the rise of computing and Internet Service Providers like Prodigy and AOL, and the smaller ones,, etc. It sounds boring, but it's better than it sounds. Lol Thanks!
I like the time period (specifically 70s/80s/90s), I like the subject matter (vintage computer hardware, design/engineering, programming), I like the characters and actors.... so what else would I like?
FYI, I've seen Stranger Things (70s/80s setting) and Silicon Valley (computers/programming) so no need to suggest those.
Thanks!
I'm debating whether to begin watching this show, as it was canceled after 3 seasons. Is it worth it, despite it having an unnatural ending? Or will it be too much of a tease and just lead to frustration.
I love binge watching a full complete series made from A to Z and ending naturally. So I donno...
What would you say?
EDIT: Thx for the replies. You've convinced me to watch it. There was not a single negative comment :)
Just finished it yesterday. Wow, see who those characters are at the beginning and who they end up being. That was a damn lesson on character development.
The performances became better and better, as did the writing and the plot. Each season improved over the previous ones and by the time the show finished I was so sad to say goodbye to those characters. Damn, it hit pretty hard, but in the end I think each got a great ending, being realistic to their progression.
If you haven't watched it, go see it. It's such an underrated gem! I'd say it's now on my top 3 favourite shows of all time.
What did you think of it?
Heya folks! I just began watching Halt and Catch Fire today and have some questions about some of the actions they do.
- Gordon uses a oscilloscope to measure the voltage of the pins. Why?
- Gordon somehow derives 65,536 different "contents of the addresses" from the lights - I understand the lights representing the bits ie. 1 if on and 0 if off but how does he get that? And what does contents of the addresses mean?
I understand that these aren't necessary to go on with the show but I'd like to know more about computers from 1980's and how it worked. I'm still fascinated by computers and learning about them so a clear explanation would be greatly appreciated!
Expect a lot of posts like this from me when moving on with each episode lol.
It’s there something in the vain of HACF? I’ve seen Silicon Valley also and they share some things. But the 80s computer tech stuff is special.
Someone recommended this show in a recent post and I just wanted to say thank you. I have binge watched, lived and breathed this show for the past two days and I’m totally submerged in it. Such an awesome hidden gem.
The show ran from 2014-2017 on AMC. Not many people watched it. But the curated soundtrack featuring big hits, 80s college rock, and unknown beats should be remembered. Here is a complete song list:
https://www.tunefind.com/show/halt-and-catch-fire
A personal favorite: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzPECgrwjKE
Missing this right now...
This series is now streaming on Netflix in the US (and other places) and I really can't recommend it highly enough. You might have never heard of it, it's known as "the best show nobody watched."
It's a period drama spanning the 80s and 90s about the early days of personal computing, gaming, and tech. It's mostly about the engineers visionaries, and eventually venture capitalists who built these industries - many of whom are women. It's very well researched for the content and the nostalgia factor is great as they made a lot of effort to add many details that we all forgot about.
The first season is pretty good, but not a good example of the show, as they started in a standard mold of male anti-hero prestige drama, however the fully-fledged female stars are there from the beginning. The show matures, however, through its four seasons and you won't be sorry you watched it all. I've rarely, if maybe ever, seen such a realistic portrayal of women, and as central characters and flawed heroes.
As a bonus, it also has a pretty sophisticated look at being queer. While this is never central to the plot points, that's part of what makes it work so well.
The series is now considered one of the best of the 2010s by critics, but I'm sorry it got such low ratings and it was seen by so few. Even if you aren't a techy gal, a gamer, or into STEM, I think you'll really appreciate the great craft of immersive storytelling and great characters, supported by a truly excellent cast with no weak links.
Am wanting my nerd fix, and have noticed that Halt And Catch Fire is on Netflix (S1 Canada, all four seasons on US). Anyone into it? Have watched the first three episodes so far.
Bit late to the party, although with today’s TV landscape I feel like you can never be too late, but finished Halt and Catch Fire last night. I know it’s been said before and often comes with the tag line “the best tv show no one was watching” and “criminally underrated” but that’s not a hyperbole. It really is that good.
Literally nobody I know has either watched the show or even knows about it, which is why I need to tell others on here.
After bingeing the final 4 episodes last night of the stellar 4th season not only was I emotionally drained but also so pleased to have continued watching all the way to the end.
The final season delivers a number of episodes which in my opinion are some of strongest episodes of television ever. I genuinely felt the feelings of the characters I was watching. This rarely happens.
The show went through a number of changes over the seasons and was able to time jump effectively which other shows sometimes struggle with. The 4 main cast members all deliver and grow across the series, each with a good amount of screen time.
While I can’t articulate how much I really enjoyed this show I just wanted to say if you haven’t seen it, please please make sure you give it a shot.
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