John von Neumann and the Origins of Modern Computing (History of Computing) (Hardcover)

by William Aspray (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
In the mid 1940s, John von Neumann revolutionized the nascent field of computing by showing that program instructions could be stored in a computer's memory instead of on external panels or punch cards. In John von Neumann and the Origins of Modern Computing, William Aspray details the design and construction of von Neumann's computer systems and explains the broader implications of von Neumann's contributions. Aspray discusses von Neumann's fame in the realms of mathematics, physics, and economics and his remarkable career, which included work as an atomic energy commissioner and as principal scientific adviser to the U.S. Air Force on ballistic missile development. By examining the interplay of science, military, and business, which formed the background for von Neumann's work, Aspray does an excellent job of placing von Neumann's accomplishments in computer science into the context of his other achievements.

Product Description
John von Neumann (1903-1957) was unquestionably one of the most brilliant scientists of the twentieth century. He made major contributions to quantum mechanics and mathematical physics and in 1943 began a new and all-too-short career in computer science. William Aspray provides the first broad and detailed account of von Neumann's many different contributions to computing. These, Aspray reveals, extended far beyond his well-known work in the design and construction of computer systems to include important scientific applications, the revival of numerical analysis, and the creation of a theory of computing. Aspray points out that from the beginning von Neumann took a wider and more theoretical view than other computer pioneers. In the now famous EDVAC report of 1945, von Neumann clearly stated the idea of a stored program that resides in the computer's memory along with the data it was to operate on. This stored program computer was described in terms of idealized neurons, highlighting the analogy between the digital computer and the human brain. Aspray describes von Neumann's development during the next decade, and almost entirely alone, of a theory of complicated information processing systems, or automata, and the introduction of themes such as learning, reliability of systems with unreliable components, self-replication, and the importance of memory and storage capacity in biological nervous systems; many of these themes remain at the heart of current investigations in parallel or neurocomputing. Aspray allows the record to speak for itself. He unravels an intricate sequence of stories generated by von Neumann's work and brings into focus the interplay of personalities centered about von Neumann. He documents the complex interactions of science, the military, and business and shows how progress in applied mathematics was intertwined with that in computers. William Aspray is Director of the Center for the History of Electrical Engineering at The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 394 pages
• Publisher: The MIT Press (December 7, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0262011212
• ISBN-13: 978-0262011211
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,225,149 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Overview of Von Neumann's Contributions to Computing, October 28, 1998

By	D. W. Casey (Sturbridge, MA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

No one has yet written a biography of John von Neumann that sums up both his intellectual achievements and his curious personality. William Aspray's book, John von Neumann and the Origins of Modern Computing, at least makes a good effort at explaining von Neumann's intellectual accomplishments, although it is not a complete biography in explaining the man. Granted, such a biography might be impossible, given the breadth and profundity of von Neumann's contributions to thought. It is hard to conceive of another person who left more of a mark on the twentieth century world of science, with the exception of Einstein himself. For a look at von Neumann the personality, one can find good character sketches of him in Ed Regis's "Who Got Einstein's Office?" and in Joel Shurkin's "Engines of the Mind", but neither of these works presents a complete view of von Neumann's intellectual achivements. Aspray's book does a thorough job of covering von Neumann's thoughts on computing.. It is thorough in dealing with von Neumann's contributions to mathematics, to the building of the IAS computer, to problems in information theory, and outlines more of von Neumann's thought on the analogy between computer processing and the human mind than most writers ever notice. Additionally, von Neumann made contributions to meteorology that are usually overlooked, which Aspray outlines more thoroughly than other writers. The book does not address much about Game Theory (William Poundstone's book, Prisoner's Dilemma, outlines von Neumann's contributions in that field of study), which is another huge area of study that von Neumann pioneered. Aspray's book is required reading for anyone wrestling with John von Neumann's ideas, he outlines perhaps 60% of von Neumann's career better than any other writer, but one wonders when the truly comprehensive biography of von Neumann will be written.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A superb book on John von Neumann's many contributions to computer science, June 12, 2006

By	lector avidus (USA) - See all my reviews

John von Neumann was one of the greatest prodigies of the last century. His right-wing politics and the fact that he made seminal contributions to many fields of science account for his not having won a Nobel prize. Nevertheless many Nobel laureates considered his intellect far superior to theirs.

v.N's many talents account for nobody having yet written a biography that does him justice, as it's very unlikely that anyone with the mind to understand his seminal contributions to many branches of science would have the spare time to write such a book.

Aspray has done an superb job of describing von Neumann's contributions to computer science. By referencing many details in the exhaustive references he enables his readers to quickly find von Neumann's original work if they want to get to the nitty gritty of his contributions and spares the average reader details that would have made the book tedious and unreadable.

I strongly suspect that this will remain the reference book on J. v. N's contributions to computer science; his daughter was quite pleased with it.

2 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars superb, scholarly book, June 16, 1999

By A Customer

Unsurpassed quality is the hallmark of this fine book