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A Brief History of Computing

A Brief History of Computing This comprehensive book provides an introduction into the key topics in the history of computing in an easy-to-follow and concise manner. It does not require studies in computer science in order to be understood and appreciated. The book covers significant areas and events in the field from the beginnings of computation in 3000B.C. through to the present day. Helpful pedagogical elements such as exercises and chapter summaries are included. Focusing on the fundamental areas in the computing field, this clearly written and broad-ranging text will catch the attention and greatly benefit computer science students. ; This comprehensive book provides an introduction into the key topics in the history of computing in an easy-to-follow and concise manner. The book covers significant areas and events in the field from the beginnings of computation in 3000B.C. through to the present day. ; Overview The objective of this book is to provide an introduction into some of the key topics in the history of computing. The computing eld is a vast area and a truly comp- hensive account of its history would require several volumes. The aims of this book are more modest, and its goals are to give the reader a avour of some of the key topics and events in the history of computing. It is hoped that this will stimulate the interested reader to study the more advanced books and articles available. The history of computing has its origins in the dawn of civilization. Early hunter gatherer societies needed to be able to perform elementary calculations such as counting and arithmetic. As societies evolved into towns and communities there was a need for more sophisticated calculations. This included primitive accounting to determine the appropriate taxation to be levied as well as the development of geometry to enable buildings, templates and bridges to be constructed. Our account commences with the contributions of the Egyptians, and Babylonians. It moves on to the foundationalwork done by Boole and Babbage in the nineteenth century, and to the importantwork on Boolean Logicand circuit design doneby Claude Shannon in the 1930s. The theoretical work done by Turing on computability is considered as well as work done by von Neumann and others on the fundamental architecture for computers.; Early Civilisations.- Foundations.- Computer Programming Languages.- Software Engineering.- Artificial Intelligence and Expert Systems.- The Internet Revolution.- Famous Technology Companies.; From the reviews: "The history of computing is finding its way into the college curricula more often, and therefore the need for an accessible text on the subject is becoming greater. O’Regan’s book certainly merits careful consideration as an undergraduate text, as it has much to offer… Many books on computer science history emphasize only one or two areas – usually hardware development and the commercial history. This book is much broader in scope… it is more suitable for an undergraduate course than most other books… The book is a good size; it is not too big physically, and not too detailed for an undergraduate treatment or for a general reader who wants an overview that can be easily digested over a rainy weekend… O’Regan’s work manages to be both brief and broad in scope – a difficult task. This makes the book a valuable read and a good textbook." (M.D. Derk, ACM Computing Reviews) "In summary, I believe this text delivers on its aim of being an introduction to the topic for a technical audience. The book’s main strength is the inclusion of software engineering approaches such as CMMI. This helps communicate a message that ‘computing’ is not just about calculation or data processing, but a complex topic that intersects with the history of business delivery, quality standards, and process governance." (Charles Care, BSHM Bulletin, Vol. 24, 2009) ; The history of computing has its origins at the outset of civilization. As towns and communities evolved there was a need for increasingly sophisticated calculations. This book traces the evolution of computation, from early civilisations 3000 B.C. to the latest key developments in modern times. This useful and lively text provides a comprehensive introduction to the key topics in the history of computing, in an easy-to-follow and concise manner. It covers the significant areas and events in the field - from the ancient Egyptians through to the present day - and both gives the reader a flavour of the history and stimulates further study in the subject. Features: • Ideal for undergraduate courses, it offers many pedagogical features such as chapter-opening key topics, chapter introductions, exercises, chapter summaries, glossary, etc. • Offers detailed information on major figures in computing, such as Boole, Babbage, Shannon , Turing and Von Neumann • Includes a history of programming languages, including syntax and semantics • Presents an overview of the history of software engineering • Discusses the progress of artificial intelligence, with extension to such key disciplines as philosophy, psychology, linguistics, neural networks and cybernetics • Examines the history of the Internet revolution, World Wide Web and Dot-Com Bubble • Follows the evolution of a number of major technology companies such as IBM, Motorola and Microsoft Focusing on the fundamental areas in the computing field, this clearly written and broad-ranging text will capture the attention of the reader and greatly benefit computer science students. In addition, it is suitable for self-study, and will also be of interest to the more casual reader. 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 has published A Practical Approach to Software Quality and Mathematical Approaches to Software Quality . ; Offers a comprehensive, concise and user-friendly account of the history of computing Traces the beginnings of computation 3000 B.C. through to modern times Includes helpful pedagogical elements such as exercises and chapter summaries Does not require studies in computer science in order to be understood and appreciated Excellent 'general read' about computing's dynamic history ; This comprehensive book provides an introduction into the key topics in the history of computing in an easy-to-follow and concise manner. It does not require studies in computer science in order to be understood and appreciated. The book covers significant areas and events in the field from the beginnings of computation in 3000B.C. through to the present day. The author offers detailed information on major figures in computing, such as Boole, Babbage, Shannon, Turing and Von Neumann, and it includes a history of programming languages, including syntax and semantics. Helpful pedagogical elements such as exercises and chapter summaries are included. Focusing on the fundamental areas in the computing field, this clearly written and broad-ranging text will catch the attention and greatly benefit computer science students. ; GB http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png

A Brief History of Computing

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Springer London
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Copyright � Springer Basel AG
DOI
10.1007/978-1-84800-084-1
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Abstract

This comprehensive book provides an introduction into the key topics in the history of computing in an easy-to-follow and concise manner. It does not require studies in computer science in order to be understood and appreciated. The book covers significant areas and events in the field from the beginnings of computation in 3000B.C. through to the present day. Helpful pedagogical elements such as exercises and chapter summaries are included. Focusing on the fundamental areas in the computing field, this clearly written and broad-ranging text will catch the attention and greatly benefit computer science students. ; This comprehensive book provides an introduction into the key topics in the history of computing in an easy-to-follow and concise manner. The book covers significant areas and events in the field from the beginnings of computation in 3000B.C. through to the present day. ; Overview The objective of this book is to provide an introduction into some of the key topics in the history of computing. The computing eld is a vast area and a truly comp- hensive account of its history would require several volumes. The aims of this book are more modest, and its goals are to give the reader a avour of some of the key topics and events in the history of computing. It is hoped that this will stimulate the interested reader to study the more advanced books and articles available. The history of computing has its origins in the dawn of civilization. Early hunter gatherer societies needed to be able to perform elementary calculations such as counting and arithmetic. As societies evolved into towns and communities there was a need for more sophisticated calculations. This included primitive accounting to determine the appropriate taxation to be levied as well as the development of geometry to enable buildings, templates and bridges to be constructed. Our account commences with the contributions of the Egyptians, and Babylonians. It moves on to the foundationalwork done by Boole and Babbage in the nineteenth century, and to the importantwork on Boolean Logicand circuit design doneby Claude Shannon in the 1930s. The theoretical work done by Turing on computability is considered as well as work done by von Neumann and others on the fundamental architecture for computers.; Early Civilisations.- Foundations.- Computer Programming Languages.- Software Engineering.- Artificial Intelligence and Expert Systems.- The Internet Revolution.- Famous Technology Companies.; From the reviews: "The history of computing is finding its way into the college curricula more often, and therefore the need for an accessible text on the subject is becoming greater. O’Regan’s book certainly merits careful consideration as an undergraduate text, as it has much to offer… Many books on computer science history emphasize only one or two areas – usually hardware development and the commercial history. This book is much broader in scope… it is more suitable for an undergraduate course than most other books… The book is a good size; it is not too big physically, and not too detailed for an undergraduate treatment or for a general reader who wants an overview that can be easily digested over a rainy weekend… O’Regan’s work manages to be both brief and broad in scope – a difficult task. This makes the book a valuable read and a good textbook." (M.D. Derk, ACM Computing Reviews) "In summary, I believe this text delivers on its aim of being an introduction to the topic for a technical audience. The book’s main strength is the inclusion of software engineering approaches such as CMMI. This helps communicate a message that ‘computing’ is not just about calculation or data processing, but a complex topic that intersects with the history of business delivery, quality standards, and process governance." (Charles Care, BSHM Bulletin, Vol. 24, 2009) ; The history of computing has its origins at the outset of civilization. As towns and communities evolved there was a need for increasingly sophisticated calculations. This book traces the evolution of computation, from early civilisations 3000 B.C. to the latest key developments in modern times. This useful and lively text provides a comprehensive introduction to the key topics in the history of computing, in an easy-to-follow and concise manner. It covers the significant areas and events in the field - from the ancient Egyptians through to the present day - and both gives the reader a flavour of the history and stimulates further study in the subject. Features: • Ideal for undergraduate courses, it offers many pedagogical features such as chapter-opening key topics, chapter introductions, exercises, chapter summaries, glossary, etc. • Offers detailed information on major figures in computing, such as Boole, Babbage, Shannon , Turing and Von Neumann • Includes a history of programming languages, including syntax and semantics • Presents an overview of the history of software engineering • Discusses the progress of artificial intelligence, with extension to such key disciplines as philosophy, psychology, linguistics, neural networks and cybernetics • Examines the history of the Internet revolution, World Wide Web and Dot-Com Bubble • Follows the evolution of a number of major technology companies such as IBM, Motorola and Microsoft Focusing on the fundamental areas in the computing field, this clearly written and broad-ranging text will capture the attention of the reader and greatly benefit computer science students. In addition, it is suitable for self-study, and will also be of interest to the more casual reader. 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 has published A Practical Approach to Software Quality and Mathematical Approaches to Software Quality . ; Offers a comprehensive, concise and user-friendly account of the history of computing Traces the beginnings of computation 3000 B.C. through to modern times Includes helpful pedagogical elements such as exercises and chapter summaries Does not require studies in computer science in order to be understood and appreciated Excellent 'general read' about computing's dynamic history ; This comprehensive book provides an introduction into the key topics in the history of computing in an easy-to-follow and concise manner. It does not require studies in computer science in order to be understood and appreciated. The book covers significant areas and events in the field from the beginnings of computation in 3000B.C. through to the present day. The author offers detailed information on major figures in computing, such as Boole, Babbage, Shannon, Turing and Von Neumann, and it includes a history of programming languages, including syntax and semantics. Helpful pedagogical elements such as exercises and chapter summaries are included. Focusing on the fundamental areas in the computing field, this clearly written and broad-ranging text will catch the attention and greatly benefit computer science students. ; GB

Published: Feb 1, 2008

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