- Paperback: 459 pages
- Publisher: The MIT Press; second edition edition (April 8 2003)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0262532034
- ISBN-13: 978-0262532037
- Product Dimensions: 22.6 x 15 x 3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 717 g
- Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #276,353 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
This book delivers exactly what its title promises: a straightforward and comprehensive account of the electronic digital computer's first five decades. Starting with the historic ENIAC of 1945, Ceruzzi moves nimbly through one epochal generation of computing technology after another: the gargantuan, vacuum-tube-filled mainframes of the early '50s; the sleeker, transistorized minicomputers of the '60s; the personal computers conjured up by hobbyists in the '70s; and the computer networks that have come to span offices and the globe in the last 10 years.
Ceruzzi places all of these developments in the context of the social phenomena that shaped them: the imperatives of Cold War research, the evolving needs of information-swamped businesses, and the quirks and dreams of counter-cultural computer hackers. But unlike some popular books about computing history, this one refuses to acknowledge any particular individual, group, or institution as its protagonist. The tale it tells is complex: a weave of high-level projects, lowbrow tinkerings, and sweeping socioeconomic transformations, with a crash course in the basics of computer architecture tossed in for good measure. The mix doesn't make for great drama, but it does offer something perhaps more valuable--the sober, subtle feel of real history unfolding. --Julian Dibbell --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Publishers Weekly
A curator at the National Air and Space Museum (Smithsonian) and historian of technology (Beyond the Limits: Flight Enters the Computer Age) offers a coherent yet thorough history of the computer. Ceruzzi begins in 1945 and ends in 1995, concentrating on commercial systems in the U.S. The story proceeds chronologically, tracing the evolution and repeated redefinition of what we understand by the word "computer." Starting with background to the UNIVAC (Universal Automatic Computer, an early stored-program device introduced in 1951), Ceruzzi tracks developments in substantial detail, from early commercial computing to mainframes, the growing role of software, minicomputers, the subsequent movement to personal computing and, finally, the emergence of networking. The account does not require a background in computer science and is loaded with explanations about the origins of particular devices and functions (e.g., disk drives, RAM) as well as famous machines, internal architectures and histories of momentous companies (e.g., IBM, DEC). Ceruzzi sustains an interesting and manageable level of complexity, but his book is somewhat hobbled by a dry style and occasionally turgid elaborations that might better have been relegated to the extensive annotations. 51 illustrations.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
4 STARS for Ceruzzi,
By A Customer
This review is from: A History of Modern Computing (Paperback)
Very informative and exciting.Ceruzzi made it simple for all to understand how computers came about from 1940s untill today.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Insightful!,
By
This review is from: A History of Modern Computing (Hardcover)
Paul E. Ceruzzi, curator of the National Air and Space Museum, describes the development of computing, starting with its earliest history. He examines the beginnings of commercial computing from 1945 to 1956 and traces the history of computer hardware and software, dividing these developments into five- to 10-year time periods. His book emphasizes technical development, rather than personalities or business dynamics, a focus that contributes to its fairly dry, academic style. With this caveat, we [...] recommend the book primarily to those with a technological bent, such as professionals in operations and computer sciences, and academics in the field. However, if you are interested in the subject, you'll love this. Ceruzzi provides an informative and comprehensive saga including extensive footnotes and a bibliography that runs about 80 pages.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good history, but buy Rheingold's book,
By A Customer
This review is from: A History of Modern Computing (Paperback)
This book makes a nice thorough reference of the history of computing post 1945, and is great for use on a course. However it is a little dry and unanalytical. Buy Howard Rheingold's "Tools for thought" if you want a generally more human, enjoyable read which provides almost as good a technical account.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Want to see more reviews on this item?
|
Most recent customer reviews |
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Computers & Internet > Business & Culture > Culture
- Books > Computers & Internet > Business & Culture > History
- Books > Computers & Internet > Computer Science > Software Engineering > Information Systems
- Books > New & Used Textbooks > Computer Science & Information Systems > Computer Science
- Books > Nonfiction > Social Sciences > Sociology > Culture
- Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Mathematics
- Books > Science > History & Philosophy > History of Technology
- Books > Science > Mathematics
- Books > Science > Technology > Social Aspects
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
