Paul E. Ceruzzi is Curator of Aerospace Electronics and Computing at the National Air and Space Museum.
Summary
This engaging history covers modern computing from the development of the first electronic digital computer
through the dot-com crash. The author concentrates on five key moments of transition: the transformation of the
computer in the late 1940s from a specialized scientific instrument to a commercial product; the emergence of small
systems in the late 1960s; the beginning of personal computing in the 1970s; the spread of networking after 1985;
and, in a chapter written for this edition, the period 1995-2001. The new material focuses on the Microsoft antitrust
suit, the rise and fall of the dot-coms, and the advent of open source software, particularly Linux.
Within the chronological narrative, the book traces several overlapping threads: the evolution of the computer's
internal design; the effect of economic trends and the Cold War; the long-term role of IBM as a player and as a
target for upstart entrepreneurs; the growth of software from a hidden element to a major character in the story
of computing; and the recurring issue of the place of information and computing in a democratic society. The focus
is on the United States (though Europe and Japan enter the story at crucial points), on computing per se rather
than on applications such as artificial intelligence, and on systems that were sold commercially and installed
in quantities.
This engaging history covers modern computing from the development of the first electronic digital computer through
the dot-com crash. The author concentrates on five key moments of transition: the transformation of the computer
in the late 1940s from a specialized scientific instrument to a commercial product; the emergence of small systems
in the late 1960s; the beginning of personal computing in the 1970s; the spread of networking after 1985; and,
in a chapter written for this edition, the period 1995-2001. The new material focuses on the Microsoft antitrust
suit, the rise and fall of the dot-coms, and the advent of open source software, particularly Linux.
Within the chronological narrative, the book traces several overlapping threads: the evolution of the computer's
internal design; the effect of economic trends and the Cold War; the long-term role of IBM as a player and as a
target for upstart entrepreneurs; the growth of software from a hidden element to a major character in the story
of computing; and the recurring issue of the place of information and computing in a democratic society. The focus
is on the United States (though Europe and Japan enter the story at crucial points), on computing per se rather
than on applications such as artificial intelligence, and on systems that were sold commercially and installed
in quantities.
Table of Contents
Dedication
Preface to the Second Edition
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Defining "Computer"
p. 1
The Advent of Commercial Computing, 1945-1956
p. 13
Computing Comes of Age, 1956-1964
p. 47
The Early History of Software, 1952-1968
p. 79
From Mainframe to Minicomputer, 1959-1969
p. 109
The "Go-Go" Years and the System/360, 1961-1975
p. 143
The Chip and Its Impact, 1965-1975
p. 177
The Personal Computer, 1972-1977
p. 207
Augmenting Human Intellect, 1975-1985
p. 243
Workstations, UNIX, and the Net, 1981-1995
p. 281
"Internet Time," 1995-2001
p. 307
Conclusion: The Digitization of the World Picture
p. 345
Notes
p. 351
Bibliography
p. 415
Index
p. 431
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.