A History of Modern Computing

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Jiven

A History of Modern Computing presents a chronological account of how computing evolved from commercial systems after 1945 through the rise of software, minicomputers, mainframes, chips, personal computers, and networked workstations to the era of the Internet. Drawing on major developments and industry and policy shifts, it connects technical change with the people and institutions shaping it, including reflections on narrative challenges posed by late-1990s events and “Internet Time.”

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages452

Reading Time18 h 59 min

AccessFree to download

Contents

Dedication

Preface to the Second Edition

Introduction: Defining "Computer"

The Advent of Commercial Computing, 1945–1956

Computing Comes of Age, 1956–1964

The Early History of Software, 1952–1968

From Mainframe to Minicomputer, 1959–1969

The "Go-Go" Years and the System/360, 1961–1975

The Chip and Its Impact, 1965–1975

The Personal Computer, 1972–1977

Augmenting Human Intellect, 1975–1985

Workstations, UNIX, and the Net, 1981–1995

"Internet Time," 1995–2001

Conclusion: The Digitization of the World Picture

Notes

Bibliography

Index

A History of Modern Computing History of Computing I. Bernard Cohen and William Aspray, editors William Aspray, John von Neumann and the Origins of Modern Computing Charles J. Bashe, Lyle R. Johnson, John H. Palmer, and Emerson W. Pugh, IBM’s Early Computers Martin Campbell-Kelly, A History of the Software Industry: From Airline Reservations to Sonic the Hedgehog1 Paul E. Ceruzzi, A History of Modern Computing I. Bernard Cohen, Howard Aiken: Portrait of a Computer Pioneer I. Bernard Cohen and Gregory W. Welch, editors, Makin’Numbers: Howard Aiken and the Computer John Hendry, Innovating for Failure: Government Policy and the Early British Computer Industry Michael Lindgren, Glory and Failure: The Difference Engines of Johann Mu¨ ller, Charles Babbage, and Georg and Edvard Scheutz David E. Lundstrom, A Few Good Men from Univac R. Moreau, The Computer Comes of Age: The People, the Hardware, and the Software Emerson W. Pugh, Building IBM: Shaping an Industry and Its Technology Emerson W. Pugh, Memories That Shaped an Industry Emerson W. Pugh, Lyle R. Johnson, and John H. Palmer, IBM’s 360 and Early 370 Systems Kent C. Redmond and Thomas M. Smith, From Whirlwind to MITRE: The R&D Story of the SAGE Air Defense Computer Rau´l Rojas and Ulf Hashagen, editors, The First Computers—History and Architectures Dorothy Stein, Ada: A Life and a Legacy John Vardalas, The Computer Revolution in Canada: Building National Technological Competence, 1945–1980 Maurice V. Wilkes, Memoirs of a Computer Pioneer A History of Modern Computing Second edition Paul E. Ceruzzi The MIT Press Cambridge, Massachusetts London, England \# 1998, 2003 Massachusetts Institute of Technology All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means (including photocopying, recording, or information storage and retrieval) without permission in writing from the publisher. This book was set in New Baskerville by Techset Composition Ltd., Salisbury, UK, and was printed and bound in the United States of America. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Ceruzzi, Paul E. A history of modern computing / Paul E. Ceruzzi.—2nd ed. [p. cm](p. cm). Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-262-53203-4 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Computers—History. 2. Electronic data processing—History. I. Title. QA76.17 .C47 2003 0040.090049—dc21 2002040799 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Dedication I wrote this book in an ofﬁce at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum, one of the busiest public spaces in the world. On a typical summer day there may be upwards of 50,000 visitors to the museum—the population of a small city. These visitors—with their desire to know something of modern technology—were a great inspiration to me. Their presence was a constant reminder that technology isnot just about machines but about people: the people who design and build machines and, more importantly, the people whose lives are profoundly affected by them. It is to these visitors that I respectfully dedicate this book. This page intentionally left blank Contents Dedication v Preface to the Second Edition ix Acknowledgments xiii Introduction: Deﬁning ‘‘Computer’’ 1 1 The Advent of Commercial Computing, 1945–1956 13 2 Computing Comes of Age, 1956–1964 47 3 The Early History of Software, 1952–1968 79 4 From Mainframe to Minicomputer, 1959–1969 109 5 The ‘‘Go-Go’’ Years and the System/360, 1961–1975 143 6 The Chip and Its Impact, 1965–1975 177 7 The Personal Computer, 1972–1977 207 viii Contents 8 Augmenting Human Intellect, 1975–1985 243 9 Workstations, UNIX, and the Net, 1981–1995 281 10 ‘‘Internet Time,’’ 1995–2001 307 Conclusion: The Digitization of the World Picture 345 Notes 351 Bibliography 415 Index 431 Preface to the Second Edition As I was completing the manuscript for the ﬁrst edition of A Hist

FAQs

What time period does the book cover?

It spans from the advent of commercial computing in 1945 to developments leading into 1995–2001 and the conclusion on world digitization.

How is the book structured?

Chapters follow a broadly chronological progression, moving through hardware and systems, software history, and networking toward the Internet era.

Why does the second edition emphasize developments around Internet Explorer and antitrust action?

The author describes these late-1990s events as major computing developments that threaten to make earlier writing obsolete, and the edition examines them in depth.

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Jiven

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