"Innovations in Isolation: MacPaw presents book about twentieth-century scientists who worked in Ukraine despite material, technical and political barriers
MacPaw has published a book in English,Innovation in Isolation: The Story of Ukrainian IT from 1940s to Present". The book tells the stories of the scientists of the last century who turned Ukraine during the Soviet era into a centre of computer innovation among the former Soviet republics. Despite numerous material, technical, ideological, and political barriers, they strived to make life better and influenced the country's modern technological potential.
Book content
Starting with the first stages of computerisation and ending with the current achievements of Ukrainian IT companies, the book describes the evolution of technologies that have transformed the Ukrainian IT sector into an influential player on the global stage. The book consists of two major sections.
The first part of the book covers the history of cybernetics in Ukraine from the 1940s to 1991 and is illustrated with dozens of rare archival photographs. Readers will learn about the behind-the-scenes aspects of the creation of the first computers in Ukraine, the outstanding engineers and scientists who launched the computer era behind the Iron Curtain, and the conditions in which they worked. The history of technology recreated in the book is based on dozens of interviews with those who personally knew the key innovators of the time: colleagues, relatives and students of the pioneers of cybernetics, Viktor Glushkov and Sergei Lebedev.
The second part looks at the successes of eight Ukrainian IT companies: Ajax Systems, MacPaw, Grammarly, Petcube, Readdle, Jooble, Reface and Depositphotos, which have become world leaders in their respective fields. Interviews with their CEOs reveal the strategies and innovative approaches that helped them achieve success.
The purpose of the book
The aim of the project is to demonstrate to the world the importance of cybernetics development in Ukraine for the world and how the achievements of past scientists have influenced the country's current technological potential and the creation of world-famous technology companies in Ukraine.
"I hope that readers will discover unknown pages of the history of technology and be inspired by the pioneers who worked, created, and invented despite the challenges of time and numerous obstacles," commented Oleksandr Kosovan, founder and CEO of MacPaw, "History has helped us not only find answers but also form a vision of the future where technology improves people's lives."
We started this project to explore our past and understand how Ukraine became a powerful tech hub.
About the project
The book was published by the Ukrainian independent publishing house ist publishing and has its own website in English, where you can order the book. Work on the book began before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The authors intended it to be a popular science publication with a strong emphasis on design and visuals (the book contains many archival photos). All profits from the sale will be donated to the MacPaw Foundation, established in 2016 for the company's social projects. Since February 2022, the foundation has been helping to save the lives of Ukrainian defenders and providing assistance to Ukrainians affected by Russian aggression. The official presentation of the book will take place on 30 May at 19:00 at the Book Arsenal.
