Giants of Computing: A Compendium of Select, Pivotal Pioneers

by Gerard O'Regan

Overview

It has been upon the shoulders of giants that the modern world has been forged. This accessible compendium presents an insight into the great minds responsible for the technology which has transformed our lives. Each pioneer is introduced with a brief biography, followed by a concise account of their key contributions to their discipline. The selection covers a broad spread of historical and contemporary figures from theoreticians to entrepreneurs, highlighting the richness of the field of computing. Suitable for the general reader, this concise and easy-to-read reference will be of interest to anyone curious about the inspiring men and women who have shaped the field of computer science.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781447153405
Publisher:	Springer-Verlag New York, LLC
Publication date:	08/19/2013
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Dr. Gerard O'Regan is a CMMI software process improvement consultant with research interests including software quality and software process improvement; mathematical approaches to software quality; and the history of computing. He is the author of the Springer titles "Mathematics in Computing", "A Brief History of Computing", "Introduction to Software Process Improvement", "Mathematical Approaches to Software Quality" and "A Practical Approach to Software Quality".

Table of Contents

Background.- Howard Aiken.- Gene Amdahl.- Archimedes.- John Atanasoff.- Charles Babbage.- John Backus.- Gordon Bell.- Tim Berners-Lee.- Dines Bjørner.- George Boole.- Fred Brooks.- Vannevar Bush.- Vint Cerf.- Alonzo Church.- Noam Chomsky.- Edgar Codd.- René Descartes.- Tom DeMarco.- Edsger Dijkstra.- George Devol.- Larry Ellison.- Don Estridge.- Michael Fagan.- Tommy Flowers.- Robert Floyd.- Bill Gates.- James Gosling.- C.A.R Hoare.- Heman Hollerith.- Watts Humphrey.- Kenneth Iverson.- Ivar Jacobson.- Steve Jobs.- Gary Kildall.- Donald Knuth.- Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz.- Ada Lovelace.- John McCarthy.- John Mauchly.- Marvin Minsky.- Gordon Moore.- Grace Murray Hopper.- Ken Olsen.- David Parnas.- Dennis Ritchie.- Dana Scott.- John Searle.- Claude Shannon.- William Shockley.- Richard Stallman.- Bjarne Stroustrup.- Alan Turing.- John von Neumann.- Thomas Watson Sr. and Jr..- Joseph Weizenbaum.- Frederick Williams.- Niklaus Wirth.- Ed Yourdon.- Konrad Zuse.- Epilogue.- Test Yourself Quizzes.- Glossary.

Editorial Reviews

From the reviews:

“Giants of Computing is most useful as a reference work, but it could also serve as a supplemental course resource or possibly a core text in a class on the history of computing. … the author provides selected examples of pivotal contributions, such as mathematical formula or code samples. Summing Up: Recommended. All levels/libraries.” (S. A. Patton, Choice, Vol. 51 (7), March, 2014)

“The author has given us a mini-biography of 59 ‘giants’ of computing, with a brief account of their major achievements. … the book is absolutely delightful and will provide the reader with many interesting and enjoyable evenings. There are even two quizzes for readers who wish to test their knowledge of people and events in computing.” (James Van Speybroeck, Computing Reviews, October, 2013)

From the Publisher