A history of computing technology
This second edition of the popular reference and textbook outlines the historical developments in computing technology. It describes historical aspects of calculation and concentrates on the physical devices used to aid people in their attempts at automating the process of arithmetic.
Stats for nerds
2recommend
3mentions
3people
2014–2022years
67% recommend33% neutral
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
- Michael R. Williams' "A History of Computing Technology" ( ISBN-13: 978-0818677397 ) talks a lot about pre-electronic-computer technologies and techniques for calculation and information management.
It's a solid suggestion for history of computing books in general. I like it better in several ways than the more common Ceruzzi book (especially because it starts much earlier and situates better), but it hasn't been updated since 1997 and some things, especially in the more recent history, are understood differently now than at the time it was written.
- Another vote that both of these are great books - richly informative, classics of history of computing/technology. I own hardcover 1st editions of both.
- A few books on computer / computing / internet history:
1953, Faster Than Thought, B.V. Bowden (British 1940s & 50s) https://archive.org/details/FasterThanThought
1984, The Home Computer Wars (Commodore, Atari, Apple) https://archive.org/details/The_Home_Computer_Wars http://www.amazon.com/The-Home-Computer-Wars-Commodore/dp/09...
1985, History of Computing Technology, Michael Williams (Abacus to IBM360) http://www.amazon.com/History-Computing-Technology-2nd-Editi...
1985, The Great Telecom Meltdown, Fred Goldstein (USA deregulation) http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/TELECOM_Digest_On...
2001, The Universal History of Computing, Georges Ifrah (Egypt to 1970s) http://www.amazon.com/The-Universal-History-Computing-Comput...
2002, Electronic Brains (UK, US & Ukraine soon after WWII) http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/electronicbrains.shtml http://www.amazon.com/Electronic-Brains-Stories-Dawn-Compute...
2008, Geeks Bearing Gifts, Ted Nelson (rants & factoids) http://www.amazon.com/Geeks-Bearing-Gifts-Ted-Nelson/dp/0578...
2010, Commodore, A Company on the Edge, Brian Bagnall (war stories from 6502 through C64, no Amiga) http://retroasylum.com/commodore-a-company-on-the-edge-revie... http://www.amazon.com/Commodore-Company-Edge-Brian-Bagnall/d...
2011, The Interface: IBM and the Transformation of Corporate Design, 1945–1976, John Harwood http://www.west86th.bgc.bard.edu/book-reviews/interface-ibm....
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