Island Tinkerers
Innovation and Transformation in the Making of Taiwan’s Computing Industry
Reeks: History of Computing
Honghong Tinn
- How
- Taiwan
- rose
- to
- global
- prominence
- in
- high
- tech
- manufacturing,
- from
- computer
- maker
- to
- the
- world’s
- leading
- chip
- manufacturer.How
- did
- Taiwan,
- a
- former
- Japanese
- colony
- and
- the
- last
- fortress
- of
- the
- defeated
- Chinese
- Nationalists,
- ascend
- to
- such
- heights
- in
- high-tech
- manufacturing?
- In
- Island
- Tinkerers,
- Honghong
- Tinn
- tells
- the
- critical
- history
- of
- how
- hobbyists
- and
- enthusiasts
- in
- Taiwan,
- including
- engineers,
- technologists,
- technocrats,
- computer
- users,
- and
- engineers-turned-entrepreneurs,
- helped
- transform
- the
- country
- with
- their
- hands-on
- engagement
- with
- computers.
- Rather
- than
- engaging
- in
- wholesale
- imitation
- of
- US
- sources,
- she
- explains,
- these
- technologists
- tinkered
- with
- imported
- computing
- technology
- and
- experimented
- with
- manufacturing
- their
- own
- versions,
- resulting
- in
- their
- own
- brand
- of
- successful
- innovation.Defying
- the
- stereotype
- of
- “the
- West
- innovates,
- and
- the
- East
- imitates,”
- Tinn
- tells
- the
- story
- of
- Taiwanese
- technologists’
- efforts
- over
- the
- past
- six
- decades.
- Beginning
- in
- the
- 1960s,
- they
- grappled
- with
- the
- “black-boxed”
- computers
- that
- were
- newly
- available
- through
- international
- technical-aid
- programs.
- Shortly
- after,
- multinational
- corporations
- that
- outsourced
- transistor
- and
- integrated
- circuit
- assembly
- overseas
- began
- employing
- Taiwanese
- engineers
- and
- factory
- workers.
- Island
- tinkerers
- developed
- strategies
- to
- adapt,
- modify,
- assemble,
- and
- work
- with
- computers
- in
- an
- inventive
- manner.
- It
- was
- through
- this
- creative
- and
- ingenious
- tinkering
- with
- computers
- that
- they
- were
- able
- to
- gain
- a
- better
- understanding
- of
- the
- technology,
- opening
- the
- door
- to
- future
- manufacturing
- endeavors
- that
- now
- include
- Acer,
- Foxconn,
- Asus,
- and
- Taiwan
- Semiconductor
- Manufacturing
- Company (TSMC).
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