Transforming Computer Technology

This text examines the influence of the US Department of Defence, and in particular the Pentagon's Information Processing Techniques Office (IPTO), on computer research and development. It looks at developments at the Defence Department's Advanced Research Projects Agency between 1962 and 1986, showing how Pentagon programmes brought about significant developments in both computer science and engineering. Topics covered include: the management of the IPTO; the origins and growth of important IPTO programmes; the interaction of the staff with the research and development community; the IPTO's role in executing research at the leading edge of computing and networking; and the assimilation of research results into systems both for the military and for civilian society.