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.

Provides a broad introduction to the History of Computing Discusses the foundations of the field of computing, and the earliest computers developed in the United States, England and Germany Includes pedagogical features such as key topics, chapter summaries, and exercises at the end of each chapter Reviews the history of programming languages, operating systems and software engineering

Autorentext

Dr. Gerard O'Regan is an international lecturer in Maths/Computing with research interests in software quality, software process improvement, mathematical approaches to software quality, and the history of computing. He is the author of several books with Springer, including Concise Guide to Software Engineering, Ethical and Legal Aspects of Computing, and A Brief History of Computing.

Inhalt

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. <p