A History of Modern Computing

By Paul E. Ceruzzi

Book Overview

From the first digital computer to the dot-com crash--a story of individuals, institutions, and the forces that led to a series of dramatic transformations.

This engaging history covers modern computing from the development of the first electronic digital computer through the dot-com crash. The author concentrates on five key moments of transition: the transformation of the computer in the late 1940s from a specialized scientific instrument to a commercial product; the emergence of small systems in the late 1960s; the beginning of personal computing in the 1970s; the spread of networking after 1985; and, in a chapter written for this edition, the period 1995-2001. The new material focuses on the Microsoft antitrust suit, the rise and fall of the dot-coms, and the advent of open source software, particularly Linux. Within the chronological narrative, the book traces several overlapping threads: the evolution of the computer's internal design; the effect of economic trends and the Cold War; the long-term role of IBM as a player and as a target for upstart entrepreneurs; the growth of software from a hidden element to a major character in the story of computing; and the recurring issue of the place of information and computing in a democratic society. The focus is on the United States (though Europe and Japan enter the story at crucial points), on computing per se rather than on applications such as artificial intelligence, and on systems that were sold commercially and installed in quantities.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0262532034
• ISBN13: 9780262532037
• Release Date: April 2003
• Publisher: MIT Press
• Length: 460 Pages
• Weight: 1.54 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 5.9" x 8.9"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

A History of Modern Computing

This review is of the 1st edition, published in 1998. Ceruzzi's A History of Modern Computing is an academic book, not a popularization of the history of computers. It is not a chatty book. There are no personalities in it. There is no journalistic reporting of conversations, nor of the progression of various difficulties and triumphs during the design and development of the computer systems discussed. This is not a comprehensive...

An excellent history

Ceruzzi provides a history of the central developments in computer history since the 1940's. No, it doesn't fully cover software and doesn't cover every computer made everywhere in the world, so it shouldn't be the only computer book you read. This book is simply the best, single volume history of the development of the electronic computer (hardware), from the 1940s to modern times. The biggest gap, as a previous reviewer...

Technical details

This book is a history of computing technology since 1945. Ceruzzi focuses mostly on hardware, giving very detailed descriptions of how the great mainframes were built and by whom. He also discusses how transistors and microchips were developed and came into use in computers, although his descriptions of the development of computer languages, operating systems, or other software are much briefer than those he provides for...

Methodical & articulate but never dull

Very well researched (the bibliography alone is worth the price of the book) history of computing from ENIAC to the day Netscape's stock went public. Focuses less on personalities and more on technological development and the social forces at work driving it. Ceruzzi also dispels a number of tired myths and cliches. He also rightfully places Ken Olsen of DEC as the true father and hero of modern networked personal...

OUTSTANDING! Wonderful book

Well, as I did with the ENIAC book, I disagree completely with the reader from Switzerland. I wonder if they even read the book, considering it mentions the Z3 as well as many other early computers and calculating devices.This book is a fast-paced can't-put-it-down read -- assuming of course that you're interested in the history of computing from about the 40's through the early 90's.Very well organized. Very well written...