This encyclopedic reference provides a concise and engaging overview of the groundbreaking
inventions and conceptual innovations that have shaped the field of computing and the
technology that runs the modern world. Each alphabetically-ordered entry presents a brief
account of a pivotal innovation and the great minds behind it selected from a wide range of
diverse topics. Topics and features: Describes the development of Babbage's computing machines
Leibniz's binary arithmetic Boole's symbolic logic and Von Neumann architecture Reviews a
range of historical analog and digital computers significant mainframes and minicomputers and
pioneering home and personal computers Discusses a selection of programming languages and
operating systems along with key concepts in software engineering and commercial computing
Examines the invention of the transistor the integrated circuit and the microprocessor
Relates the history of such developments in personal computing as the mouse the GUI Atari
video games and Microsoft Office Surveys innovations in communications covering mobile phones
WiFi the Internet and World Wide Web e-commerce smartphones social media and GPS Presents
coverage of topics on artificial intelligence the ATM digital photography and digital music
robotics and Wikipedia Contains self-test quizzes and a helpful glossary This enjoyable
compendium will appeal to the general reader curious about the intellectual milestones that led
to the digital age as well as to the student of computer science seeking a primer on the
history of their field. Dr. Gerard O'Regan is a CMMI software process improvement consultant
with research interests including software quality and software process improvement
mathematical approaches to software quality and the history of computing. He is the author of
such Springer titles as World of Computing Concise Guide to Formal Methods Concise Guide to
Software Engineering and Guide to Discrete Mathematics .
