The First Computers--History and Architectures (History of Computing) [Hardcover]

Raúl Rojas (Editor), Ulf Hashagen (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 7, 2000 | Series: History of Computing

This history of computing focuses not on chronology (what came first and who deserves credit for it) but on the actual architectures of the first machines that made electronic computing a practical reality. The book covers computers built in the United States, Germany, England, and Japan. It makes clear that similar concepts were often pursued simultaneously and that the early researchers explored many architectures beyond the von Neumann architecture that eventually became canonical. The contributors include not only historians but also engineers and computer pioneers.

An introductory chapter describes the elements of computer architecture and explains why "being first" is even less interesting for computers than for other areas of technology. The essays contain a remarkable amount of new material, even on well-known machines, and several describe reconstructions of the historic machines. These investigations are of more than simply historical interest, for architectures designed to solve specific problems in the past may suggest new approaches to similar problems in today's machines.

Contributors: Titiimaea F. Ala'ilima, Lin Ping Ang, William Aspray, Friedrich L. Bauer, Andreas Brennecke, Chris P. Burton, Martin Campbell-Kelly, Paul Ceruzzi, I. Bernard Cohen, John Gustafson, Wilhelm Hopmann, Harry D. Huskey, Friedrich W. Kistermann, Thomas Lange, Michael S. Mahoney, R. B. E. Napper, Seiichi Okoma, Hartmut Petzold, Raúl Rojas, Anthony E. Sale, Robert W. Seidel, Ambros P. Speiser, Frank H. Sumner, James F. Tau, Jan Van der Spiegel, Eiiti Wada, Michael R. Williams.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A cohesive, well-defined discussion of the architecture of early computers."
— Mary Croarken, Business History

"A well-balanced and fascinating perspective on a wide range of early computing devices."
— Nathan Ensmenger, IEEE Spectrum

About the Author

Raúl Rojas is Professor of Computer Science at the Free University of Berlin.

Ulf Hashagen is affiliated with the Munich Center for the History and Science and Technology, Deutsches Museum.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 471 pages
• Publisher: The MIT Press; 1st edition (July 7, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0262181975
• ISBN-13: 978-0262181976
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,822,950 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars very technical, August 29, 2003

By 

Jeremy Kuris (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The First Computers--History and Architectures (History of Computing) (Paperback)

This book is very technical, which is exactly what I was looking for. It is filled with architectual diagrams, opcodes, and even code fragments from the earliest computers. Some of these machines even predate World War 2.

The book opens with discussions on the taxonomy of these primordial computers. This section is the weakest part of the book. External references are mentioned, when they should have been described in detail. Another typical problem is on page 8, where a family tree is printed in a micro-fiche font.

The remainder of the book is divided into sections for the US, UK, Germany, and Japan. This is the bulk of the text, and the reason why you would want to buy it. I must stress again, that the articles are extremely technical. They will be hard to follow without a background in digital design, some knowledge of system architecture, and maybe some assembly. But for those who can appreciate it, it is absolutely fascinating.

This is my favorite book that none of my friends would appreciate!

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely excellent, December 31, 2005

By 

S. Moon - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The First Computers--History and Architectures (History of Computing) (Hardcover)

This is a series of papers stitched into a book, and without exception they are all well written, provide lots of technical detail, and are a joy to read. I highly recommend this book if you have any interest in the history of computing machinery and electronics. The only thing lacking is a story line or a plot - many books will detail the genius of a specific person or technical team (e.g. Seymour Cray, or the Macintosh developers), then take you through each phase of the development and success (or failure) of one or more products. This book, by contrast, is focused on the technical nitty-gritty, and the personalities and financial success/failure of the business is generally ignored.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Book with a Slow Start, March 5, 2009

By 

T. J. Sawyer - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The First Computers--History and Architectures (History of Computing) (Paperback)

This book resulted from papers presented at the International Conference on the History of Computing in Paderborn, Germany, in August 1998. It is notable for containing first-hand or nearly first-hand accounts of developments in America, England and Germany in the 1930s, 40s and 50s.

The first part of the book, unfortunately, could put the reader to sleep and result in even a serious student of the subject never reaching "the good stuff." But once I hit Harry Huskey's paper on page 69, I realized that I was seeing first hand reports with details not previously published. Details on both the Eniac and the IAS computer at Princeton filled a lot of gaps in my knowledge.

The parts of the book dealing with both British and German development shed a lot of light on important developments that are frequently omitted or only superficially covered in many works.

If you have some knowledge of vacuum tube electronics and early computer technology, most of the book will be easily understood. In other words, it's good for old-timers.

Highly recommended!