Introduction to the History of Computing, 1st ed. 2016 A Computing History Primer Undergraduate Topics in Computer Science Series

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.

What is a Computer?.- Computing in Early Civilizations.- Foundations of Computing.- The First Digital Computers.- The First Commercial Computers.- Early Commercial Computers and the Invention of the Transistor.- The Invention of the Integrated Circuit and the Birth of Silicon Valley.- The IBM System/360.- Minicomputers and Later Mainframes.- The Microprocessor Revolution.- Home Computers.- The IBM Personal Computer.- A Short History of Telecommunications.- The Internet Revolution.- The Smartphone and Social Media.- History of Programming Languages.- History of Operating Systems.- History of Software Engineering.- History of Artificial Intelligence.- History of Databases.