
How the World got into the Computer
The Emergence of Digital Reality
David Gugerli(Author)
Chronos (Publisher)
1st Edition
Published on 22. February 2022
Book
Hardback
208 pages
978-3-0340-1671-1 (ISBN)
Description
Around 1950, computers learned how to sort numbers and words. Immediately, many questions arose. What could be done with such a machine? How should its space be set up and governed?
Moving the world into the computer meant rethinking many things. Bank transactions, spa guests, and terrorists, to name but a few, had to be "formatted" so that they could be dealt with in the machine. In doing so, managers, programmers, and users created a digital world that offered new ways of classifying things and organizing complex relations. Some people even linked machines, combined data, and shared programs. And computers designed to sort personnel unexpectedly became personal computers. This elegant essay explores how and why.
Moving the world into the computer meant rethinking many things. Bank transactions, spa guests, and terrorists, to name but a few, had to be "formatted" so that they could be dealt with in the machine. In doing so, managers, programmers, and users created a digital world that offered new ways of classifying things and organizing complex relations. Some people even linked machines, combined data, and shared programs. And computers designed to sort personnel unexpectedly became personal computers. This elegant essay explores how and why.
More details
Edition
Übersetzung der deutschsprachigen Originalausgabe
Language
English
Place of publication
Zürich
Switzerland
Edition type
New edition
Product notice
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Illustrations
4
18 s/w Abbildungen, 4 farbige Abbildungen
Dimensions
Height: 12.5 cm
Width: 21 cm
Weight
408 gr
ISBN-13
978-3-0340-1671-1 (9783034016711)
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Author
David Gugerli is professor of the history of technology at ETH Zurich. He has made many contributions to the history of computing including, most recently, "Simulation for All: The Politics of Supercomputing in Stuttgart", published with Ricky Wichum.
ISNI: 0000 0003 8474 253X GND: 124524044
ISNI: 0000 0003 8474 253X GND: 124524044
Content
1 Switching on
2 Computing, programming, and formatting
3 Sharing and operating
4 Synchronizing
5 Production and setting up
6 Connecting, differentiating, and storing
7 Switching off
Acknowledgments
Postscript
Photo credits
Notes
Bibliography
2 Computing, programming, and formatting
3 Sharing and operating
4 Synchronizing
5 Production and setting up
6 Connecting, differentiating, and storing
7 Switching off
Acknowledgments
Postscript
Photo credits
Notes
Bibliography