This lively and fascinating text traces the key developments in computation - from 3000 B.C. to the present day - in an easy-to-follow and concise manner. Topics and features: ideal for self-study, offering many pedagogical features such as chapter-opening key topics, chapter introductions and summaries, exercises, and a glossary; presents detailed information on major figures in computing, such as Boole, Babbage, Shannon, Turing, Zuse and Von Neumann; reviews the history of software engineering and of programming languages, including syntax and semantics; discusses the progress of artificial intelligence, with extension to such key disciplines as philosophy, psychology, linguistics, neural networks and cybernetics; examines the impact on society of the introduction of the personal computer, the World Wide Web, and the development of mobile phone technology; follows the evolution of a number of major technology companies, including IBM, Microsoft and Apple.

InhaltsangabeComputing in Early CivilisationsWhat is a Computer?Early ComputersDevelopments in the 1950s to 1970sRevolutions in the 1980s and 1990sIBMTechnology CompaniesThe Internet RevolutionHistory of Programming LanguagesHistory of Software EngineeringPeople in ComputingFoundations (Boole and Babbage)Claude ShannonAlan TuringArtificial Intelligence>

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