ABSTRACT

Computer: A History of the Information Machine traces the history of the computer and shows how business and government were the first to explore its unlimited, information-processing potential. Old-fashioned entrepreneurship combined with scientific know-how inspired now famous computer engineers to create the technology that became IBM. Wartime needs drove the giant ENIAC, the first fully electronic computer. Later, the PC enabled modes of computing that liberated people from room-sized, mainframe computers.

This third edition provides updated analysis on software and computer networking, including new material on the programming profession, social networking, and mobile computing. It expands its focus on the IT industry with fresh discussion on the rise of Google and Facebook as well as how powerful applications are changing the way we work, consume, learn, and socialize. Computer is an insightful look at the pace of technological advancement and the seamless way computers are integrated into the modern world. Through comprehensive history and accessible writing, Computer is perfect for courses on computer history, technology history, and information and society, as well as a range of courses in the fields of computer science, communications, sociology, and management.

chapter

Introduction

part 1|311 pages

Before the Computer

chapter 1|307 pages

When Computers were People

chapter 2|290 pages

The Mechanical Office

chapter 3|272 pages

Babbage’S Dream Comes True

part 2|255 pages

Creating the Computer

chapter 4|250 pages

Inventing the Computer

chapter 5|219 pages

The Computer Becomes a Business Machine

part 3|181 pages

Innovation and Expansion

chapter 1|176 pages

Real Time: Reaping The Whirlwind

chapter 8|154 pages

Software

chapter 9|119 pages

New Modes of Computing

part 4|100 pages

Getting Personal

chapter 10|95 pages

The Shaping of The Personal Computer

chapter 11|72 pages

Broadening the Appeal

chapter 12|52 pages

The Internet