Tracing the story of computing from Babylonian counting boards to
smartphones, this inspiring textbook provides a concise overview of the
key events in the history of computing, together with discussion
exercises to stimulate deeper investigation into this fascinating area.
Features: provides chapter introductions, summaries, key topics, and
review questions; includes an introduction to analogue and digital
computers, and to the foundations of computing; examines the
contributions of ancient civilisations to the field of computing; covers
the first digital computers, and the earliest commercial computers,
mainframes and minicomputers; describes the early development of the
integrated circuit and the microprocessor; reviews the emergence of home
computers; discusses the creation of the Internet, the invention of the
smartphone, and the rise of social media; presents a short history of
telecommunications, programming languages, operating systems, software
engineering, artificial intelligence, and databases.