Introduction to the History of Computing: A Computing History Primer

by Gerard O'Regan

Overview

Tracing the story of computing from Babylonian counting boards to smartphones, this inspiring textbook provides a concise overview of the key events in the history of computing, together with discussion exercises to stimulate deeper investigation into this fascinating area. Features: provides chapter introductions, summaries, key topics, and review questions; includes an introduction to analogue and digital computers, and to the foundations of computing; examines the contributions of ancient civilisations to the field of computing; covers the first digital computers, and the earliest commercial computers, mainframes and minicomputers; describes the early development of the integrated circuit and the microprocessor; reviews the emergence of home computers; discusses the creation of the Internet, the invention of the smartphone, and the rise of social media; presents a short history of telecommunications, programming languages, operating systems, software engineering, artificial intelligence, and databases.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783319331379
Publisher:	Springer International Publishing
Publication date:	06/22/2016
Series:	Undergraduate Topics in Computer Science
Edition description:	1st ed. 2016
Pages:	296
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.25(h) x (d)

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 such Springer titles as A Brief History of Computing, Pillars of Computing, Giants of Computing, Mathematics in Computing, Introduction to Software Quality, Introduction to Software Process Improvement, and Mathematical Approaches to Software Quality.

Table of Contents

What is a Computer?.- Computing in Early Civilizations.- Foundations of Computing.- The First Digital Computers.- The First Commercial Computers.- Early Commercial Computers and the Invention of the Transistor.- The Invention of the Integrated Circuit and the Birth of Silicon Valley.- The IBM System/360.- Minicomputers and Later Mainframes.- The Microprocessor Revolution.- Home Computers.- The IBM Personal Computer.- A Short History of Telecommunications.- The Internet Revolution.- The Smartphone and Social Media.- History of Programming Languages.- History of Operating Systems.- History of Software Engineering.- History of Artificial Intelligence.- History of Databases.

Editorial Reviews

The work is conceived of as a text for an undergraduate computer science class. Basic definitions are covered, and the book is more comprehensive than other standard history of computing works because it covers analog and pre-digital computing innovations. The text then is written for a basic student introduction, which includes an abstract, key topics, review questions, and summary for each chapter. Also included are abundant pictures, illustrations, graphics, and references for each topic reviewed.” (G. Mick Smith, Computing Reviews, November, 2016)

From the Publisher