Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

This book is available as open access through the Bloomsbury Open Access programme and is available on www.bloomsburycollections.com. Software has replaced a diverse array of physical, mechanical, and electronic technologies used before 21st century to create, store, distribute and interact with cultural artifacts. It has become our interface to the world, to others, to our memory and our imagination - a universal language through which the world speaks, and a universal engine on which the world runs. What electricity and combustion engine were to the early 20th century, software is to the early 21st century. Offering the the first theoretical and historical account of software for media authoring and its effects on the practice and the very concept of 'media,' the author of The Language of New Media (2001) develops his own theory for this rapidly-growing, always-changing field.What was the thinking and motivations of people who in the 1960 and 1970s created concepts and practical techniques that underlie contemporary media software such as Photoshop, Illustrator, Maya, Final Cut and After Effects? How do their interfaces and tools shape the visual aesthetics of contemporary media and design? What happens to the idea of a 'medium' after previously media-specific tools have been simulated and extended in software? Is it still meaningful to talk about different mediums at all? Lev Manovich answers these questions and supports his theoretical arguments by detailed analysis of key media applications such as Photoshop and After Effects, popular web services such as Google Earth, and the projects in motion graphics, interactive environments, graphic design and architecture. Software Takes Command is a must for all practicing designers and media artists and scholars concerned with contemporary media.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

Manovich (CUNY) critically examines modern software media authoring/creation tools in Software Takes Command. The three-part book covers early history and development ("Inventing Media Software"), foundational technologies and early experimentation ("Hybridization and Evolution"), and current status and future developments ("Software in Action"). The book does not reveal just the origin of these pervasive tools, e.g., Photoshop or Auto-Tune, but also what the algorithmic DNA within the code shares with the analysis techniques used in the intelligence community and how this "cross-pollination" resulted. One of the most critical points made is how the evolution of the personal computer coupled with the efforts of early software/interface pioneers at Xerox PARC and MIT provided the necessary foundation to even make these software tools possible. This formative period was a key factor in the development of what Manovich terms "metamedia," the melding of standard media within a software environment. The result is the mashable data representations increasingly seen today, e.g., Google Maps and its varying informational overlays. Development of this software over time has made what was once reserved for experts accessible to increasing numbers of laypersons, abolishing the distinction between passive observers and creators. This thoroughly researched, beautifully written book should satisfy even the most curious readers. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. J. R. Lauber Briarcliffe College Library