The Top 5 Documentaries that Programmers Should Watch

Watching documentaries for programmers is a great way to gain inspiration, learn, and grow. Documentaries present the stories of important figures in the technology world and interesting developments in the industry.

From the successes of technology entrepreneurs, software development processes, software engineering concepts, to the impact of technology on society, many different topics can be featured in documentaries.

In this article, we have listed technology-focused documentaries that you might watch over a weekend or in your spare time. If you're ready, let's quickly dive into the list of documentaries that programmers can watch. Enjoy your reading and watching! 🎬🎫

1. Vue.js: The Documentary

“Vue.js: The Documentary” is a documentary that tells the development story of Vue.js, one of the most popular JavaScript frameworks. It covers the development process of Vue.js and how its community has grown. The documentary is narrated from the perspectives of some of the names involved in the Vue.js development phase. You will see Vue.js creator Evan You and founding members Sarah Drasner, Taylor Otwell, and Thorsten Lünborg in this documentary.

It highlights the factors behind Vue.js's rapid rise in popularity, user experiences, and how the framework was adopted. This documentary can be an inspiring resource for developers interested in Vue.js.

The documentary was produced by film makerJosiah McGarvie and has been viewed over 1 million times on YouTube. Even if you use React or Angular , we recommend watching it.

📺 Where can you watch it? - YouTube

🔎 Trailer

2. Indie Game: The Movie (2012)

Video games continue to be a major area of interest for programmers. “Indie Game: The Movie” is an impressive film documentary that offers a journey into the world of independent game developers.

This film documentary focuses on the challenges, success stories, struggles, and creative processes. Directed by Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky, this film immerses viewers into the world of game development.

Jonathan Blow and his game Braid, Edmund McMillen and Tommy Refenne's Super Meat Boy, Phil Fish and Renaud Bédard's Fez are portrayed in the film. The film not only showcases the technical challenges of developing a video game but also reveals the emotional trials that independent developers face during this process.

As a result, the film is more about the people who make the games than the games themselves in some respects, and it ultimately becomes a more emotional journey than many viewers might expect. "Indie Game: The Movie" also paints a realistic portrait of independent game development. The 96-minute film documentary won the Best Editing Award at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival.

📺 Where can you watch it? - Google Play Movies

🔎 Trailer

⭐ IMDB 7.6/10

3. Silicon Cowboys (2016)

"Silicon Cowboys" is an impressive documentary that focuses on an important period in the computer industry. Directed by Jason Cohan, this 77-minute documentary is based on the story of the three founders who launched Compaq Computer onto the market and took over IBM, one of the world's largest software companies.

Compaq Computer and its three founders Jim Harris, Bill Murto and Rod Canion are the main focus of the documentary. The documentary focuses on the story of three young entrepreneurs who founded Compaq Computer Corporation in the early 1980s. These young entrepreneurs set out to create a portable computer that would make a significant impact in the personal computer world. Challenging IBM's dominance in the personal computer market, these entrepreneurs established a company named Compaq and decided to develop the world's first portable computer.

The documentary vividly portrays the decline of IBM, which was at the peak of the computer technology sector, and the founding of Compaq Computer. Technology enthusiasts and anyone who loves entrepreneurship will likely enjoy this documentary that challenges IBM's dominance with a revolutionary portable computer concept in the 1980s.

📺 Where can you watch it? - Amazon, Google Play, Apple TV

🔎 Trailer 

⭐ IMDB 6.9/10

4. Pirates of Silicon Valley

"Pirates of Silicon Valley" is a documentary that narrates the rise of computers through the competition between Apple Computer and Microsoft . The documentary covers the rise and competition of Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Apple founder Steve Jobs, focusing on their rise in the computer industry.

Anthony Michael Hall, plays Bill Gates and Noah Wyle portrays Steve Jobs. The parallel stories of the two companies are narrated by Steve Woznia and Steve Ballmer.

Although the documentary is based on historical facts, it also has a dramatic aspect. It covers the early years of Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, how their interest in computers and technology began, and delves into their passionate and visionary personalities. A deep look into the characters helps us realize that they saw the world very differently from the start.

📺 Where can you watch it? - Apple TV, Amazon Prime

🔎 Trailer

⭐ IMDB 7.2/10

5. AlphaGo

AlphaGo, directed by Greg Kohs, is a documentary that portrays the struggle of artificial intelligence against humans. In this documentary, it narrates how the artificial intelligence company DeepMind's AlphaGo has developed through artificial intelligence to evolve in the game of Go.

In the documentary, we watch the battle between South Korean world champion Lee Sedol and AlphaGo. Let's not forget to mention that Lee Sedol is an 18-time world champion.

If you are curious about how AlphaGo defeated even the highest-level players in the world in the game of Go, how AlphaGo was developed, how it learned, and the details of the historic match it had with Lee Sedol, this documentary is perfect for you.

As we progress through the documentary, more questions arise in our minds: What can artificial intelligence uncover about a 3000-year-old game? What can it teach us about humanity? What kind of strategies does AlphaGo use to defeat human players?

By watching this documentary, you can gain a better understanding of the potential of artificial intelligence and deep learning technologies, contemplate the development and impacts of AI, and enrich your perspective on future technologies.

📺 Where can you watch it? - Youtube

🔎 Trailer 

⭐ IMDB 7.8/10

Conclusion

In conclusion, the software world is a rapidly changing and evolving field, and these documentaries provide an in-depth look into this area. These documentaries, which can be useful and inspiring for both novice and experienced developers, allow you to gain new perspectives on technology and programming.

If you have documentaries you have watched and would like to recommend, you can share them with us through our social media accounts or our Slack channel.