A history of modern computing

What Hacker News says

1. agomez314Jan 2023
   I find that the practice of "software engineering" has a fuzzy distinction to "computer science." I highly recommend the following books that helped me out on that journey:

   - Continuous Delivery by Jez Humble and Dave Farley

   - The Pragmatic Programmer by Andy Hunt and Dave Thomas

   - A History of Modern Computing by Paul E. Ceruzzi

   - Version Control with Git by Prem Ponuthorai and Jon Loeliger

   - and SICP. Understanding it is like accessing a new dimension of power.

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2. Doctor-RDec 2022
   The Innovators by Walter Issacson

   A History of Modern Computing 2ed by Paul Ceruzzi

   The Innovator's Dilemma by Clayton Christensen

   Connections by James Burke (also a PBS series)

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3. srvmshrApr 2022
   I think the way to go about it is read some books gradually on history of computing & the various designs and rationale that evolved over time. Consider these sources:

   1. The Annotated Turing.

   2. A History of Modern Computing 3ed

   3. The ACM Turing award lectures

   4. Theory of computation - Dexter Kozen

   5. Coders at Work

   6. Hackers: Heroes of the computer revolution

   Additionally, you could subscribe to Communications of ACM, which is a computing oriented monthly magazine.

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4. omezeApr 2022
   A History of Modern Computing is great

   Would add:

   - How The Internet Happened (history of the internet)

   - To The Digital Age (transistor history)

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5. jonjackyJan 2022
   The standard textbooks by historians are:

   A History of Modern Computing by Paul Ceruzzi

   Computer: A History of the Information Machine by Martin Campbell-Kelly and William Aspray

   There are good books by journalists and popular writers. Favorites on HN are:

   The Dream Machine: J.C.R. Licklider and the Revolution That Made Computing Personal by W. Mitchell Waldrop

   Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution by Steven Levy

   Where Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins Of The Internet by Katie Hafner and Matthey Lyon

   These and many many other books are recomended and described in this HN thread from two years ago:

   Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books? https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22692281

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6. MongooseMar 2020
   Highly recommend A History of Modern Computing [1]. Starting with the ENIAC in the '40s through the successive generations of computing technology in the 20th century, it gives a fantastic overview of the field's history.

   Sadly, now that I look into it, it looks like it's out of print. There are a few copies available on Amazon, so act now!

   [1] https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/history-modern-computing

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