Customers say
Customers find the book provides an excellent account of computing history, with one noting it serves as a good starting point for understanding computing technologies. The book is concise and easy to read, with one customer mentioning it can be completed in a couple of hours.
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A quick rundown of this product’s key features:
Discover the history of computing through 4 major threads of development in this compact, accessible history covering punch cards, Silicon Valley, smartphones, and much more.
In an accessible style, computer historian Paul Ceruzzi offers a broad though detailed history of computing, from the first use of the word “digital” in 1942 to the development of punch cards and the first general purpose computer, to the internet, Silicon Valley, and smartphones and social networking.
Ceruzzi identifies 4 major threads that run throughout all of computing’s technological development:
• Digitization: the coding of information, computation, and control in binary form
• The convergence of multiple streams of techniques, devices, and machines
• The steady advance of electronic technology, as characterized famously by “Moore’s Law”
• Human-machine interface
The history of computing could be told as the story of hardware and software, or the story of the Internet, or the story of “smart” hand-held devices. In this concise and accessible account of the invention and development of digital technology, Ceruzzi offers a general and more useful perspective for students of computer science and history.
Our Top Reviews
Reviewer: Amazon Customer
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: it was full of very good, detailed information about the history of computing
Review: This eBook was required for a computer class, and although it is a little bit of a dry read, it was full of very good, detailed information about the history of computing. Was useful in giving me a handle on how everything started.
Reviewer: Gordon Silverman
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: excellent compilation
Review: Very successful discussion of the digital evolution. As with every history a reader may take issue with some emphasis. In my own case I think Ada was given short shrift and there is much debate as to who is entitled to “inventor” of the ‘digital computer’
Reviewer: anonymous reader
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Great Book
Review: It is as the title says, concise history with main events and interesting tad bits. Including mention of early internet forums such as Unix forums than later geocities and goes all the way back to the ENIAC.
Reviewer: MiroMuse
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Historical bullets, poorly written
Review: Good at being concise about major bullet points in computer history. However it’s poorly written and leaves me wanting to pick up another book that does a better job of connecting the story between milestones.
Reviewer: Patricia Gibson, Ed.D.
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Use as a textbook.
Review: I use this for my computer literacy class as a short text with a good history of the machine. There are more complete but longer histories but for a survey, this one is great.
Reviewer: Edward Meade
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Reader’s Digest History of Computing
Review: There may be some quibbling with terms and exactly who did what when, but if you want to get the broad outline of how we got to where we are (and you don’t want to spend an entire semester doing it) this is the book for you. Its a one-day, couple-of-hours read that covers most of the big points.
Reviewer: Darwin Santos
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Superb
Review: I feel that this book needs more than five stars. After reading it, I feel a much more complete software professional.I’m going to read again. Keyword: Convergence!
Reviewer: Jake
Rating: 2.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Networks- not computing
Review: The title is computing but the content is mostly networking. Very dry reading and not concise. Foggy. Snippits from research abound. Leaves out the dynamic minicomputer and workstation era with very lttle reported about significant companies like Sun and DEC.Starts with tube computers an IBM and then jumps to the internet. A mish mash of information, bits and pieces of information thrown in without continuity and not well written. This is not a book that covers the true history of computers.Go read something interesting like “Accidental Empires” by Robert X Cringely or Canion’s “Open”about PCs. for a good story.I worked in the computer industry from 1962 to the present day and this book does not do that timeframe justice.
Reviewer: Mauricio E Gleizer
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: História concisa mas com todos os fatos relevantes da computação, tanto na área de hardware como de software. Em inglês.
Reviewer: Sidhav
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Loved reading it. Only thing delivery duration was too long.
Reviewer: Ian Hunneybell
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: An easy book to pick up and read, covering all the main events in the short history of computing. Aesthetically, a little too much black ink which makes it feel like a “dark” book.Well worth reading if you like learning about how computing has developed over recent decades.
Reviewer: Warren P.
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: There are larger and longer books on the history of computing, but this lovely concise work is well researched, well written, and enjoyable to read. A great addition to any history-of-computing reader’s bookshelf.
Reviewer: Jessica B.M.
Rating: 2.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: The way is organized makes it hard to read. I just finished and I don’t remember anything or I already knew everything and this book does not bring a new thing.
Price effective as of Jun 19, 2025 02:39:01 UTC
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