Introduction to the History of Computing: A Computing History Primer (Undergraduate Topics in Computer Science)

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.