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Elsevier

History of Computing in the Twentieth Century

  • 1st Edition - September 28, 1980
  • Latest edition
  • Editor: Nicholas Metropolis
  • Language: English

A History of Computing in the Twentieth Century focuses on the advancements in the processes, methodologies, programs, and techniques in computing. The selection first elaborates… Read more

Description

A History of Computing in the Twentieth Century focuses on the advancements in the processes, methodologies, programs, and techniques in computing. The selection first elaborates on computing developments in Cambridge, U.S.A., pioneering work on computers at Bletchley, and the COLOSSUS. Discussions focus on secrecy and priority, the first COLOSSUS, MARK II COLOSSUS, postwar developments in computing, and the HEATH ROBINSON project. The text then ponders on Turing's work at the National Physical Laboratory and the construction of Pilot ACE, DEUCE, and ACE, the Smithsonian Computer History Project, and programming in America. Topics include origins of FORTRAN, optimization techniques in FORTRAN, DEUCE computer, and the Pilot ACE. The book takes a look at the development of programming in the USSR, advancement of programming languages, and reflections on the evolution of algorithmic language. The book also examines the computer development at Manchester University, the sieve process, MANIAC project, and the ENIAC project. The selection is a valuable reference for computer science experts and researchers interested in the development of computing.

Table of contents


List of Contributors

Preface

Acknowledgments

Introductory Essay

Part I Introduction

We Would Know What They Thought When They Did It

Historiography: A Perspective for Computer Scientists

Part II The Human Side

Computer Developments 1935-1955, as Seen from Cambridge, U.S.A.

Pioneering Work on Computers at Bletchley

The COLOSSUS

Von Neumann: The Interaction of Mathematics and Computing

Turing's Work at the National Physical Laboratory and the Construction of Pilot ACE, DEUCE, and ACE

The Smithsonian Computer History Project and Some Personal Recollections

Part III The Languages

Programming in America in the 1950s—Some Personal Impressions

The Early Development of Programming in the USSR

The Early Development of Programming Languages

Reflections on the Evolution of Algorithmic Language

Part IV The Machines

Computer Development at the Institute for Advanced Study

From ENIAC to the Stored-Program Computer: Two Revolutions in Computers

Computer Development at Argonne National Laboratory

The ORDVAC and the ILLIAC

WHIRLWIND

Reminiscences of Oak Ridge

Computer Development at IBM

The SWAC: The National Bureau of Standards Western Automatic Computer

Computer Development at Manchester University

A History of the Sieve Process

The MANIAC

Early Research on Computers at RCA

Memories of the Bureau of Standards' SEAC

Early Computers

The Start of an ERA: Engineering Research Associates, Inc., 1946-1955

Early Programming Developments in Cambridge

Part V The Places

Between Zuse and Rutishauser—The Early Development of Digital Computing in Central Europe

The ENIAC

The ENIAC

Computers in the University of London, 1945-1962

A Programmer's Early Memories

Early History of Computing in Japan

From Mechanical Linkages to Electronic Computers: Recollections from Czechoslovakia

Central European Prehistory of Computing

Some Remarks on the History of Computing in Germany

The Origins of Digital Computers: Supplementary Bibliography

General Index

Index of Claimed Firsts and Inventions

Index of Names

Product details

  • Edition: 1
  • Latest edition
  • Published: September 28, 1980
  • Language: English

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