A Brief History of Computing

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xxv

   PDF

2. What Is a Computer?

   • Gerard O’Regan

   Pages 1-10

3. Computing in Early Civilizations

   • Gerard O’Regan

   Pages 11-33

4. Foundations of Computing

   • Gerard O’Regan

   Pages 35-51

5. The First Digital Computers

   • Gerard O’Regan

   Pages 53-70

6. The First Commercial Computers

   • Gerard O’Regan

   Pages 71-79

7. Early Commercial Computers and the Invention of the Transistor

   • Gerard O’Regan

   Pages 81-88

8. Integrated Circuit and Silicon Valley

   • Gerard O’Regan

   Pages 89-96

9. The IBM System/360

   • Gerard O’Regan

   Pages 97-102

10. Minicomputers and Later Mainframes

    • Gerard O’Regan

    Pages 103-111

11. The Microprocessor Revolution

    • Gerard O’Regan

    Pages 113-118

12. Home Computers

    • Gerard O’Regan

    Pages 119-136

13. The IBM Personal Computer

    • Gerard O’Regan

    Pages 137-142

14. History of Operating Systems

    • Gerard O’Regan

    Pages 143-154

15. Birth of Software Industry and Human Computer Interaction

    • Gerard O’Regan

    Pages 155-175

16. History of Programming Languages

    • Gerard O’Regan

    Pages 177-200

17. History of Software Engineering

    • Gerard O’Regan

    Pages 201-225

18. A Short History of Telecommunications

    • Gerard O’Regan

    Pages 227-236

19. The Internet Revolution

    • Gerard O’Regan

    Pages 237-255

20. The Smartphone and Social Media

    • Gerard O’Regan

    Pages 257-265

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; discusses the earliest computers developed in the United States, Germany and Britain; discusses the development of the IBM 360 family of computers and its importance; discusses the invention of the transistor and integrated circuit; discusses the birth of the software industry and the evolution of human-computer interaction; reviews the history of programming languages, operating systems and software engineering; discusses the progress of artificial intelligence; discusses the invention of the microprocessor and the development of home and personal computers; examines the impact on society of the introduction of the personal computer, the World Wide Web, and the development of mobile phone technology; discusses smart phones and social media and the challenge of fake news; reviews a miscellany of innovations in the computing field such as cloud computing, the Internet of Things, and Quantum Computing; discusses legal aspects of computing and the professional responsibilities of computer professionals.
 

• Early Computers
• ENIAC
• EDVAC
• Transistors
• Semiconductors
• Mainframes
• Minicomputers
• Microprocessor
• Home Computers
• IBM Personal Computer
• IBM 360
• Birth of Software Industry
• Human Computer Interaction
• Internet Revolution
• World Wide Web
• Internet of Things
• Internet of Money
• Databases
• Telecommunications
• Software Engineering

“It is indeed a perfect source of information for this audience. The book will also be interesting to nonprofessionals enthused about the history of computing … overall, they will enjoy this book.” (V. Kreinovich, Computing Reviews, December 28, 2021)

• Mallow, Co. Cork, Ireland

  Gerard O'Regan

Dr. Gerard O'Regan is a CMMI software process improvement consultant with research interests including software quality and software process improvement, mathematical approaches to software quality, and the history of computing. He is the author of such Springer textbooks as Concise Guide to Formal Methods, Concise Guide to Software Engineering, Guide to Discrete Mathematics, and Introduction to Software Quality