"Open: How Compaq Ended IBM's PC Domination and Helped Invent Modern Computing" – by Rod Canion.

Covers Compaq history through 1991 from the viewpoint of the original CEO. BenBella Books, Dallas (October 15, 2013) ASIN: 1937856992 

"...a series of risky and daring decisions – often facing criticism and incredulity – that allowed the open PC standard marketplace to thrive and the incredible benefits of open computing to be realized."

"In late 1983... we licensed our version of MS-DOS to Microsoft... There was a significant delay between the time we sent Microsoft a new version of our DOS and when our competitors received it and integrated it into their products... It would take months before that version of MS-DOS found its way into a competitor's computer... The fact that we licensed our software to Microsoft has remained a secret until now."

"The established computer companies were led in the wrong direction by the proprietary model that had made them successful in the past... every brand of computer required a different, specially adapted software package... Compaq was the only company with the technology to make its new products fully backward compatible."

"From the beginning, the  company's founders were absolutely certain that we  had to be able to run IBM PC software straight out of the shrink-wrapped box; otherwise, we would have no software at all for our portable PC. ...we had to find and fix every single incompatibility -- one at a time."

1987: Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA.) Visited Microsoft and Intel. "The first [PC] company we visited was HP. HP was very important because of its market position and technical capabilities."

"October 25, 1991: The Day Everything Changed at Compaq" LinkedIn article by former Compaq VP.

"Compaq had become a huge company with an immense engineering organization that was capable of creating amazing products, but did so in an inflexible manner. Much of the engineering management had an NIH (Not Invented Here) mindset which always pushed them to develop everything themselves which guaranteed that it would take a long time and be high cost."

In 1991, Compaq had its first quarterly loss and was preparing for the first-ever layoff. Founding venture capitalist and board chairman Ben Rosen asked a product manager and an engineering manager to secretly explore creating a low-cost product line. They took vacation time and were flown to Comdex on Rosen's private jet.

"We created a story to tell these suppliers that we were going to leave Compaq and start our own PC Company. It was amazing how many suppliers approached us and offered help... The extent of the ideas and the pricing they offered us was even more amazing. These were prices that were lower than what Compaq was paying... All that we were told, saw, and learned would have been impossible if we were wearing our Compaq badges."

Rod Canion was fired by the Compaq board, replaced by Eckhard Pfeiffer.

Documentary "Silicon Cowboys" based on Rod Canion's book. Also covers subsequent events. Interviews with many participants, archive videos, and stills.  "Silicon Cowboys" Trailer  Clip #1   Full program free with ads on Amazon Prime (77min)

Compaq company history (via the Internet Archive)

Gordon Bell's Compaq/DEC timeline

Compaq Wikipedia article – with references and links. Note: Wikipedia articles change over time, may not cover all aspects of the topic consistently, and may not be written from a neutral point of view.