Microserfs

A novel by Douglas Coupland, Microserfs is told in the first person through a PowerBook entry by Dan Underwood, a programmer at Microsoft. The novel tracks six 21st-century computer whizzes as they try to make their way in the world. Microserfs have little life outside of work, as they spend 16 hours a day coding and then eating flat foods (e. g. , Kraft singles) so they can pass food under closed doors undetected to eat at their desks. They live fearing receiving an email from Bill Gates or other senior executives, and scan the company network anxiously for evidence of their digital greatness. The intrepid microserf programmers quit Microsoft to form their software company, Oop! In Silicon Valley, where they attempt to cultivate well-rounded lives and find love amid the dislocation and subhuman whir and buzz of computers.