San Antonio College Library

Given the proliferation of computers and computer-related products, it is difficult to realize that the computer's history is, in fact, a very short one. René Moreau, Director of Scientific Development, IBM France, traces the evolution of the computer from its earliest stored-program stages in the 1940s to the introduction of the IBM 360 Series in 1963. Written for the nonspecialist, his book defines, explains, and dates those first formulations...

"The computer is the great technological and scientific innovation of the last half of the twentieth century. It has revolutionized how we organize information, how we communicate with each other, and even the way that we think about the human mind. Computers have eased the drudgery of such tasks as calculating sums and clerical work, making them both more bearable and more efficient. The computer has become ubiquitous in many aspects of business,...

The primary purpose of this book is to serve as a reference for an overall view of higher level languages. The book brings together in one place, and in a consistent fashion, fundamental information on programming languages, including history, general characteristics, similarities, and differences. A second purpose of the book is to provide specific basic information on all the significant, and most of the minor, higher level languages developed in...

This program traces the development of the electronic computer, from the valve-based devices of the mid-20th century to the invention of silicon-based technology and through to the manufacture of the first personal computers. The constant phenomenal growth in computing power and speed and the resulting reduction in costs are central themes. The video ends by examining what the future might hold in relation to computing technologies.

Core Memory is a guided tour through some of the most notable and curious devices in the history of computing. Featuring important and eccentric machines spanning more than five decades, this book brings the inspired design of pioneering computer scientists into sharp focus. Mark Richards' lovingly detailed images reveal the sometimes surprising marks of human effort (such as a console equipped with its own ashtray) in a technology that is often thought...

Why a history of computing, considering how recent the past? Are there any lessons to be learned from retelling and rereading the story of the computer and the rise of computer science? First, these articles give accounts not found elsewhere. Tales of British top-secret COLOSSUS, glimpses beyond the Iron Curtain, and accounts of corporations everywhere jumping on the bandwagon--private enterprise contributing to scientific research?--kindling admiration...

The breathtakingly rapid pace of change in computing makes it easy to overlook the pioneers who began it all. Written by Martin Davis, respected logician and researcher in the theory of computation, The Universal Computer: The Road from Leibniz to Turingexplores the fascinating lives, ideas, and discoveries of seven remarkable mathematicians. It tells the stories of the unsung heroes of the computer age {u2013} the logicians.

Thirteen of Mahoney's essays and papers covering historiography, software engineering, and theoretical computer science.