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The history of computing could be told as the story of hardware and software, or the story of the Internet, or the story of "smart" hand-held devices, with subplots involving IBM, Microsoft, Apple, Facebook, and Twitter. In this concise and accessible account of the invention and development of digital technology, computer historian Paul Ceruzzi offers a broader and more useful perspective. He identifies four major threads that run throughout all of computing''s technological development: digitization--the coding of information, computation, and control in binary form, ones and zeros; the convergence of multiple streams of techniques, devices, and machines, yielding more than the sum of their parts; the steady advance of electronic technology, as characterized famously by "Moore''s Law"; and the human-machine interface.

Ceruzzi guides us through computing history, telling how a Bell Labs mathematician coined the word "digital" in 1942 (to describe a high-speed method of calculating used in anti-aircraft devices), and recounting the development of the punch card (for use in the 1890 U.S. Census). He describes the ENIAC, built for scientific and military applications; the UNIVAC, the first general purpose computer; and ARPANET, the Internet''s precursor. Ceruzzi''s account traces the world-changing evolution of the computer from a room-size ensemble of machinery to a "minicomputer" to a desktop computer to a pocket-sized smart phone. He describes the development of the silicon chip, which could store ever-increasing amounts of data and enabled ever-decreasing device size. He visits that hotbed of innovation, Silicon Valley, and brings the story up to the present with the Internet, the World Wide Web, and social networking.

ft devices), and recounting the development of the punch card (for use in the 1890 U.S. Census). He describes the ENIAC, built for scientific and military applications; the UNIVAC, the first general purpose computer; and ARPANET, the Internet''s precursor. Ceruzzi''s account traces the world-changing evolution of the computer from a room-size ensemble of machinery to a "minicomputer" to a desktop computer to a pocket-sized smart phone. He describes the development of the silicon chip, which could store ever-increasing amounts of data and enabled ever-decreasing device size. He visits that hotbed of innovation, Silicon Valley, and brings the story up to the present with the Internet, the World Wide Web, and social networking.ft devices), and recounting the development of the punch card (for use in the 1890 U.S. Census). He describes the ENIAC, built for scientific and military applications; the UNIVAC, the first general purpose computer; and ARPANET, the Internet''s precursor. Ceruzzi''s account traces the world-changing evolution of the computer from a room-size ensemble of machinery to a "minicomputer" to a desktop computer to a pocket-sized smart phone. He describes the development of the silicon chip, which could store ever-increasing amounts of data and enabled ever-decreasing device size. He visits that hotbed of innovation, Silicon Valley, and brings the story up to the present with the Internet, the World Wide Web, and social networking.ft devices), and recounting the development of the punch card (for use in the 1890 U.S. Census). He describes the ENIAC, built for scientific and military applications; the UNIVAC, the first general purpose computer; and ARPANET, the Internet''s precursor. Ceruzzi''s account traces the world-changing evolution of the computer from a room-size ensemble of machinery to a "minicomputer" to a desktop computer to a pocket-sized smart phone. He describes the development of the silicon chip, which could store ever-increasing amounts of data and enabled ever-decreasing device size. He visits that hotbed of innovation, Silicon Valley, and brings the story up to the present with the Internet, the World Wide Web, and social networking.ld-changing evolution of the computer from a room-size ensemble of machinery to a "minicomputer" to a desktop computer to a pocket-sized smart phone. He describes the development of the silicon chip, which could store ever-increasing amounts of data and enabled ever-decreasing device size. He visits that hotbed of innovation, Silicon Valley, and brings the story up to the present with the Internet, the World Wide Web, and social networking.

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Library Journal Review

Ceruzzi (curator, National Air & Space Museum; A History of Modern Computing, Internet Alley: High Technology in Tyson's Corner, 1945-2005) has compiled a brief and readable history of computing and emerging technology. His emphasis is on transformative breakthroughs, beginning with the creation of the first electronic computing devices and continuing with stored programs, integrated circuits, microprocessors, the Internet, and social networking. Throughout his historical narrative, he highlights four themes: the digital paradigm, convergence, solid-state electronics, and the human-machine interface. This combination of approaches makes for a thoughtful, reflective study of the subject and helps to sweep away unnecessary detail and enable broad thinking on the subject. Similar recent, complementary historical overviews include Gerard O'Regan's A Brief History of Computing and Georges Ifrah's more comprehensive The Universal History of Computing: From the Abacus to the Quantum Computer. VERDICT Recommended for both the practicing and the casual computer scientist, as well as anyone interested in technology and the evolution of ideas.-Elizabeth Brown, Binghamton Univ. Libs., NY (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

CHOICE Review

Ceruzzi (Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum; A History of Modern Computing; 2nd ed., CH, Nov'03, 41-1596; Internet Alley: High Technology in Tyson's Corner, 1945-2005, 2008) abridges the history of computing in an easy-to-digest, pleasant sketch. The book is part of the "MIT Press Essential Knowledge" series, which aims to "deliver concise, expert overviews" on "need-to-know subjects." Ceruzzi uses four themes to lay the landscape of computing: the digital paradigm, convergence, solid-state electronics, and the human-machine interface. The digital paradigm covers how binary logic and arithmetic came to control machines and how digital methods supplanted analog procedures. Convergence examines the multiple technologies and systems that coalesced to produce modern computing. Solid-state electronics and its progression following Moore's law bring focus to the tension between technological determinism and social and political influences on innovation. The human-machine interface summarizes the ascension of the personal computer, the Web, and social media. The book includes a helpful glossary and "Further Reading" section. More careful editing would have been helpful. In addition, some illustrations do not work well in the book's small physical design. A similar work is Gerard O'Regan's Brief History of Computing (2nd ed., 2012). Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates, two-year technical program students, and general readers. M. Mounts Dartmouth College

Notas de autor provistas por Syndetics

Paul E. Ceruzzi is Curator Emeritus at the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum and the author of Internet Alley: High Technology in Tysons Corner 1945-2005 , Computing: A Concise History (both published by the MIT Press), and other books.