Customer Reviews

A History of Modern Computing (History of Computing)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

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. Very well researched. Doesn't get too caught up in who made millions and when, nor does it get caught up in the various academic and business computer debates that have come and gone over the years. A perfect balance of noting the history without taking sides.

Overall an excellent read. I'd give it six stars out of five if I could.

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 hardware. The book has a number of illustrations of people and the machines they made famous. The author seems very careful to give an accurate account of events and the book is very well footnoted. It also includes an excellent index and bibliography. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the technical aspects of the history of computers.

This book makes a nice thorough reference of the history of computing post 1945, and is great for use on a course. However it is a little dry and unanalytical. Buy Howard Rheingold's "Tools for thought" if you want a generally more human, enjoyable read which provides almost as good a technical account.

Paul E. Ceruzzi, curator of the National Air and Space Museum, describes the development of computing, starting with its earliest history. He examines the beginnings of commercial computing from 1945 to 1956 and traces the history of computer hardware and software, dividing these developments into five- to 10-year time periods. His book emphasizes technical development, rather than personalities or business dynamics, a focus that contributes to its fairly dry, academic style. With this caveat, we [...] recommend the book primarily to those with a technological bent, such as professionals in operations and computer sciences, and academics in the field. However, if you are interested in the subject, you'll love this. Ceruzzi provides an informative and comprehensive saga including extensive footnotes and a bibliography that runs about 80 pages.

Though (as in everything) there are lacunae, Ceruzzi has put together a singularly good book which should be a must for anyone interested in the history of computing. While the author does not seem to be interested in software nor in operating systems, his recounting of the machine developments is excellent.

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 computing.

Ceruzzi defines the modern computing era as post World War 2. His narrative shows a twist perhaps unappreciated by current readers. Nowadays, all computers use semiconductor chips. Mostly made of silicon. But the use of such chips did not become widespread till the 1960s. For the first 20 years, computers used tubes. (Yuk.)

He explains why tubes were eventually abandoned, as being too bulky and slow compared to silicon based integrated circuits. There are several crucial landmarks scattered throughout the text. Like the invention of the integrated circuit by Kilby and Noyce, and that of the microprocessor by Hoff and Faggin. Curiously, the invention of the transistor in 1947-8 goes unremarked. With no mention at all of one of its inventors, Shockley. A grievous oversight, since he started a group, with members like Noyce and Moore, that would later prove crucial in developing the industry.

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 history of computers. ENIAC is mentioned, but this book begins its history, post-WWII, with UNIVAC. The focus is upon US developments. It was not written to inform computer scientists and engineers of detailed design elements of past computer systems, although design elements of both hardware and software are discussed. It is the story of the rise and fall of the mainframe and the rise of the personal desktop computer; but it does not provide a history of Apple or Microsoft or of the development of the Internet.

It is more satisfying as a history than the the 1st edition of the book Computer: A History Of The Information Machine by Martin Campbell-Kelly and William Aspray (which I read after reading this book), because there is more detail. It complements their book very well and would be a good choice to read if you read that and wish for more. But this is still within the realm of what I consider first looks.

Contents -

Introduction: Defining "Computer"
1. The Advent of Commercial Computing, 1945-1956
2. Computing Comes of Age, 1956-1964
3. The Early History of Software, 1952-1968
4. From Mainframe to Minicomputer, 1959-1969
5. The Go-Go Years and the System/360. 1961-1975
6. The Chip and Its Impact, 1965-1975
7. The Personal Computer, 1972-1977
8. Augmenting Human Intellect, 1975-1985
9. Workstations, UNIX, and the Net, 1981-1995
Conclusion: The Digitization of the World Picture

I can't believe a book titled "A History of Modern Computing" does not mention the impact home computers such as the Sinclair, the various Ataris, the VIC-20, the C64 and others had in making computing accessible for the masses, or the impact that cheap home computers had in shaping a whole generation of programmers and engineers. The book totally ignores the revolutionary Amiga, LOGO language, and videogames which have been instrumental in driving technical improvements and driving computer market penetration. In short, this "history of modern computing" ignores some of the most important aspects of the computer revolution of the 80's and 90's which could have been well covered in a chapter or two.

This book is essentially a compilation and review of the current literature on the history of computing. As near as I can tell, there is no original research (e.g., interviews with actual participants in the events). This has led to a book that's off the mark in some ways:

* Ceruzzi accepts uncritically the statements of other authors.

* He also arrives at some odd conclusions - for example, his notion that the success of the Windows operating system is somehow due to the use of hungarian notation.

* He fails to give credit to the right people. He claims for example that DEC's TOPS-10 operating system was the result of work done by MIT. In fact, some of the key features of that OS were developed by students at Stevens Tech in New Jersey. Those students then went on to join the engineering staff at DEC.

So, for anyone with real background in computers - and especially for anyone who lived through the period Ceruzzi is describing - this book is a little bit like reading something written by an anthropologist from another planet. It's just "off".

On the positive side, the bibliography and reference notes in this book will give you an excellent starting point for your own research.