''The Whole Earth Software Catalog'' and ''The Whole Earth Software Review'' (1984–1985) were two publications produced by

Stewart Brand Stewart Brand (born December 14, 1938) is an American project developer and writer, best known as the co-founder and editor of the ''Whole Earth Catalog''. He has founded a number of organizations, including the WELL, the Global Business Networ ...

's '' Point Foundation'' as an extension of the ''

Whole Earth Catalog The ''Whole Earth Catalog'' (WEC) was an American counterculture magazine and product catalog published by author Stewart Brand several times a year between 1968 and 1972, and occasionally thereafter, until 1998. The magazine featured essays ...

''.

Overview

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." Brand announced the first publication of the quarterly ''Whole Earth Software Review'' at the SoftCon trade show at the

Louisiana Superdome Caesars Superdome (originally Louisiana Superdome and formerly Mercedes-Benz Superdome), commonly known as the Superdome, is a domed multi-purpose stadium in the Southern United States, southern United States, located in New Orleans, Louisiana. ...

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

in March 1984. While both were published as an extension of ''Whole Earth,'' the ''Catalog'' was a large glossy book sponsored by Doubleday and published in Sausalito

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

while the ''Review'' was a small periodical published in

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

. 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 ''The Sacramento Bee'' is a daily newspaper published in Sacramento, California, in the United States. Since its foundation in 1857, ''The Bee'' has become the largest newspaper in Sacramento, the fifth largest newspaper in California, and the 2 ...

'', November 13, 1984, p. CO1 ''The Whole Earth Software Catalog and Review'' were both business failures, however. The Catalog was only published twice and ''The Whole Earth Software Review'' three times.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. In 1985, Brand merged ''CoEvolution Quarterly'' with ''The Whole Earth Software Review'' to create the ''Whole Earth Review.'' 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,"

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''.

. "Whole Earth Software Catalog Version 1.1", ''Whole Earth Review'', No. 44 (Sausalito, CA January 1985): 74.

Bibliography

''Whole Earth Software Review'' *Spring 1984, Issue 1 *Summer 1984, Issue 2 *Fall 1984, Issue 3Official website for ''Whole Earth Catalog''
/ref> ''Whole Earth Software Catalog'' *''Whole Earth Software Catalog.'' Spring 1984 by Point. *''Whole Earth Software Catalog for 1986 (2.0 edition)''. 1984, 1985 by Point (Winter 1986).

Notes

References

*Elmer-DeWitt, Philip.

"

TIME Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

, Mar. 05, 1984. *Lehmann- Haupt, Christopher.
Books of the Times: Whole Earth Software Catalog
'' ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

,'' October 3, 1984. *Sylva, Bob. SCENE. ''

'', November 13, 1984, p. CO1 * Turner, Fred

External links

Whole Earth Index
- archive of Whole Earth publications including ''Whole Earth Software Catalog'' and ''Review''

{{Whole Earth Defunct magazines published in the United States Whole Earth Catalog Quarterly magazines published in the United States Magazines established in 1984 Magazines disestablished in 1985