[accesscomp] computing
- From: "Bob Acosta" <boacosta@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "tektalk discussion" <tektalkdiscussion@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 16 Nov 2012 12:20:17 -0800
Computing: A Concise History
Ceruzzi, Paul E. Read by Mark Delgado. Reading time 4 hours 25 minutes.
Computers
Smithsonian Institution curator details the invention and development of
computing, from punch cards to smartphones. Focuses on four themes: the
coding of information in binary form, the convergence of different
technologies, advances in solid-state electronics, and the interaction
between people and machines. 2012.
Download Computing: A Concise History, DB75267
One of the words you can use to describe this book is "brief!" The
other, as given in the title, is "Concise!" You could easily expand each
of its chapters into a book.
The book starts with a description of the MIT Press Essential Knowledge
Series, which is a series of short books covering a specific topic.
Then, the introduction tells you what the book covers, and why the
author chose to discuss some topics, and leave others out.
The history begins after that; the beginnings of computing are traced
back to the late 18th century and onward up to the first computers in
the 1930s and 1940s. Then there's the mainframe era, from the 1950s to
the 1970s; interestingly enough, the author mentions JCL (Job Control
Language) as one of the first operating systems; I never thought of it
that way when I learned it in computer school. He also mentions some
languages that haven't been forgotten: COBOL and FORTRAN. It's hard to
believe COBOL is still being used. There's a chapter on the evolution of
the microprocessor; it mentions the invention of the Ethernet at Xerox
Park, in Palo Alto, California. The next chapter discusses the Web,
smartphones, Google, and social networking, including Facebook and
Twitter. A final chapter, with a conclusion and a very quick summary of
the book, plus reference material, rounds out the book.
Aside from hearing a lot of "buzz words" that bring back memories, I was
interested to see how numerous companies, government agencies, and
individuals created this incredible, fast-moving technology. Nobody
thought the ArpaNet, the predecessor to the Internet, would become the
amazing Web it is today; and nobody dreamed, back in the day of IBM/360
and 370 mainframes, that people would be able to purchase and use such
powerful technology. Most of us use technology every day that is far
more powerful than what the Apollo astronauts had on all their spacecraft.
The author has covered a lot of material in a very short book; if you've
always wanted a history of computers without a lot of detail, this is
the book to download.
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Robert Acosta, President
Helping Hands for the Blind
Email: boacosta@xxxxxxxxxxx
Web Site: www.helpinghands4theblind.org
You can assist Helping Hands for the Blind by donating your used computers to
us. If you have a blind friend in need of a computer, please mail us at the
above address.
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