Computing
From the Abacus to the Ipad
1st Edition
Published on 1. January 2012
166 pages
978-1-61530-707-4 (ISBN)
Description
Humans have long attempted to mechanize calculations-mathematical and otherwise-and build problem-solving machines. Yet it was not until the 20th century, with the advent of the computer, that such technology truly hit its stride. Indispensable to nearly all industry and increasingly vital to individuals around the globe, the computer has come to be an icon of the modern age. This insightful volume chronicles the history of computing devices, from simple tabulators such as the abacus and the earliest analog calculators to the tablet computer. Also adroitly covered is how the Internet has spurred computing innovation.
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Content
- Cover
- Half Title
- Title
- Copyright
- Contents
- Introduction
- Chapter 1 Early History
- Computer Precurosors
- The Abacus
- Analog Calculators: From Napier's Logarithms to the Slide Rule
- The Slide Rule
- Digital Calculators: From the Calculating Clock to the Arithmometer
- The Jacquard Loom
- The First Computer
- The Difference Engine
- The Analytical Engine
- Lady Lovelace: The First Programmer
- Early Business Machines
- Herman Hollerith's Census Tabulator
- Other Early Business Machine Companies
- Chapter 2 Invention of the Modern Computer
- Early Experiments
- Vannevar Bush's Differential Analyzer
- Howard Aiken's Digital Calculators
- The Turing Machine
- The Turing Test
- Pioneering Work
- The Atanasoff-Berry Computer
- The First Computer Network
- Konrad Zuse
- Developments During World War II
- Colossus
- The Z4
- Eniac
- Toward the Classical Computer
- EDVAC's Bigger Brains
- Von Neumann's "Preliminary Discussion"
- The First Stored-Program Machines
- Whirlwind
- Univac
- Chapter 3 The Age of Big Iron
- The Need For Programming Languages
- Machine Language
- Zuse's Plankalkül
- Interpreters
- Compilers
- Grace Murray Hopper
- IBM Develops FORTRAN
- COBOL
- ALGOL
- Operating Systems
- Control Programs
- The IBM 360
- Big Blue: IBM rules
- Time-Sharing From ProJect MAC To UNIX
- Minicomputers
- Chapter 4 The Personal Computer Revolution
- The Microprocessor
- Integrated Circuits
- The Intel 4004
- The Microcomputer
- Early Computer Enthusiasts
- The Altair
- The Hobby Market Expands
- Early Microcomputer Software: From Star Trek to Microsoft
- Application Software
- The Personal Computer
- Commodore and Tandy Enter the Field
- Apple Inc.
- Insanely Great: The Macintosh
- The Graphical User Interface
- The IBM Personal Computer
- PC Clones
- Microsoft's Windows Operating System
- Workstation Computers
- Chapter 5 One Interconnected World
- Handheld Devices
- PDAs
- Portable Media Players
- Smartphones
- Tablet Computers
- The Internet
- Browser Wars
- Living in Cyberspace
- Internet Service Providers
- Search Engines
- Social Networking
- Social Networking Sites
- Conclusion
- Glossary
- Bibliography
- Index
- Back Cover
