Introduction to the History of Computing: A Computing History Primer

Tracing the story of computing from Babylonian counting boards to smartphones, this inspiring textbook provides a concise overview of the key events in the history of computing, together with discussion exercises to stimulate deeper investigation into this fascinating area. Features: provides chapter introductions, summaries, key topics, and review questions; includes an introduction to analogue and digital computers, and to the foundations of computing; examines the contributions of ancient civilisations to the field of computing; covers the first digital computers, and the earliest commercial computers, mainframes and minicomputers; describes the early development of the integrated circuit and the microprocessor; reviews the emergence of home computers; discusses the creation of the Internet, the invention of the smartphone, and the rise of social media; presents a short history of telecommunications, programming languages, operating systems, software engineering, artificial intelligence, and databases.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: What Is a Computer?
Chapter 2: Computing in Early Civilizations
Chapter 3: Foundations of Computing
Chapter 4: The First Digital Computers
Chapter 5: The First Commercial Computers
Chapter 6: Early Commercial Computers and the Invention of the Transistor
Chapter 7: The Invention of the Integrated Circuit and the Birth of Silicon Valley
Chapter 8: The IBM System/360
Chapter 9: Minicomputers and Later Mainframes
Chapter 10: The Microprocessor Revolution
Chapter 11: Home Computers
Chapter 12: The IBM Personal Computer
Chapter 13: A Short History of Telecommunications
Chapter 14: The Internet Revolution
Chapter 15: The Smartphone and Social Media
Chapter 16: History of Programming Languages
Chapter 17: History of Operating Systems
Chapter 18: History of Software Engineering
Chapter 19: History of Artificial Intelligence
Chapter 20: History of Databases