Computer: A History of the Information Machine

by Martin Campbell-Kelly, William Aspray

A History of the Information Machine, Second Edition traces the story of the computer, and shows how business and government were the first to explore its unlimited, information-processing potential. Old-fashioned entrepreneurship combined with scientific know-how inspired now famous computer engineers to create the technology that became IBM. Wartime needs drove the giant ENIAC, the first fully electronic computer. Later, the PC enabled modes of computing that liberated people from room-sized, mainframe computers. This second edition now extends beyond the development of Microsoft Windows and the Internet, to include open source operating systems like Linux, and the rise again and fall and potential rise of the dot.com industries.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Computer Science, Computers, Technology, Science, Stem

360 pages, Paperback

First published July 11, 1996

About the author

A specialist in the history of computing, Martin Campbell-Kelly is an Emeritus Professor at the University of Warwick.

Reviews

[Artur Coelho · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uma história concisa da evolução do computador, que não segue o caminho habitual do foco nalguns projectos icónicos e personalidades influentes. Mostra os enormes esforços de investigação aplicada quer em centros académicos quer empresariais que, de forma algo imprevista, deram origem ao mundo da computação como hoje o conhecemos. O ser conciso torna-o algo superficial, algo especialmente notório nos capítulos dedicados aos momentos mais recentes da evolução do computador - a massificação do software, o desenvolvimento do computador pessoal e a internet. É muito interessante quando aborda toda a história (apesar de centrada na experiência americana) de calculadoras mecânicas, computadores electromecânicos de uso específico, computadores como pessoas empregadas em tarefas de cálculo rotineiro, de todo um movimento de automação do escritório iniciado em finais do século XIX que preparou o terreno (e criou algumas das principais empresas, ainda hoje gigantes da informática) para a burótica contemporânea.

[Aaron Wolfson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice overview. The detail on pre-digital computing methods distinguishes this history, as does its impartiality and its focus on business developments. Lots of information on Charles Babbage, punched-card systems, electromechanical and analog systems, and IBM,.

Not very technical. It will explain very precisely how the computer came to be, not so much how it works.

Stops about 1997. The Internet is covered, but it's described as primarily an e-mail system. Obviously things have developed a bit since then. The result is that the Internet and the Web are woefully underrepresented, but there's no fault in that.

[Lars Jørgensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The history part is great and full of interesting facts. The writing is scholarly and the book will be a bore unless you're interested in the subject beforehand. If you are, though, you will really enjoy it.

The final part (of four, if I remember correctly) of the book deals with the rise of the Internet and that is clearly not of the same quality as the rest. The direction is haphazard and the objective is unclear.

[Ilyes · Rating 3 out of 5]

came in expecting a technical view of the evolution of computing, but it was more of an economic and cultural exploration of the subject, which was unexpected but not unwelcome.
i feel like it glosses over a few details but it does offer a thorough bibliography to further explore the subjects tackled in each chapter. the last few chapters are the most enjoyable and in my opinion a very good exploration of computing and the internet's sociological and environmental effects.

[Dainius Prakapavičius · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good stuff and should be read by every software engineer or computer enthusiast. It's a bit technical, but still very accessible. One can definitely feel how the author tried to keep the balance between those two poles. As a highlight, I really liked how the author touched on the business side, lucky counter-intuitive accidents, and pitfalls that drove the innovation.
The section about the internet (and networking in general) is pretty outdated though, but I guess that's the intention. The history and evolution of computer networks demand a book of their own anyways.

Not a single mention of the Commodore 64 though!

[Jose Dominguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

solo es interesante si el tema te llama la atencion, parece bastante completo.
lo que si, demasiado centrado en eeuu. no creo que haya sido el unico pais haciendo avances tecnologicos en todo el mundo. solo se mencionan otros a la pasada

[Ry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perfectly serviceable overview history of 19th - 20th century computer development, the latter chapters on the internet and software development from the 80s-2010s are a bit lean, but as a whole the book is a nice introduction to the field.

[Jonathan Torrens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brisk but fascinating review of how concepts of modern computer science evolved from simple 18th century mechanical calculators into the devices we possess today. Presents the major intellectual, technical, commercial, and political - interests and personalities - that drove the evolution of modern computer technology. Should be required reading in schools. Evokes a sense of awe and endless possibility. As with most topics of historical import, it is best to understand where we came from in order to safely and successfully chart where we will go next.

[Ida Krajcik · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book Computer: A History of the Information Machine offers a fascinating deep dive into the evolution of computing technology, tracing its journey from mechanical calculators to modern supercomputers. As technology has advanced, so has the need for tools that help us manage and recover the immense amount of data generated daily. However, for users who have experienced data loss, trying free file recovery app for Mac or Windows is a useful option.

[Matt Pisini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Compared to other computer books I’ve read, I found this the best and most concise overview of how the industry came to be. I particularly enjoyed the first 1/3 of the book where the authors link the business machines of the time—typewriters, tabulating machines, office files, etc—with the development and ultimate acceptance of the computer as a business machine. Would recommend as a good introduction to computer history for those interested in business side.

[scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some really interesting stuff but also lots of drawn out parts. I felt like the ‘intro’ went forever and the really exciting stuff like the internet, IBM, Microsoft etc only got a short amount of time

[Manolo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un librito a medio camino entre el ensayo y la divulgación que se centra demasiado en las idas y venidas de las empresas involucradas. Interesante, pero con capítulos muy densos y enfocados en cosas que no tienen mucho que ver con la computación.

[Zhenia Vasiliev · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book provides a comprehensive history of computing, describing not only the grand figures but the "mundane" tasks of handling information, data-processing and accounting, that computers performed throughout history. A lively written book that does not require any background knowledge. It takes the reader from computing tasks before electronics came about (Babbage and Lovelace), to evolution of IBM mainframe computers between 1945 and 1980, and closes with a discussion of personal computing and the internet. Campbell-Kelly tracs the two key themes throughout these phases. First, "improvement of components", processing speeds and increased storage -- somrhitng that manufacture is responsible for. Second, "the mode of operation" are the "soft" practices and concepts, such as high-level programming languages, real-time computing, time-sharing, networking, and graphically oriented human-computer interfaces. This part is contributed to by the academia.

[Ju Hong Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excerpt from my Amazon Review on the book for the 3rd Edition (July 30th 2013) of this book:

The book is structured and organized and I like how the book is not too technical for the average reader. The author does not go too technical into the technology and also covers the importance of each major decision not only on the technology aspect but also the social and economic impact it had onto the society and to the company or invention. Furthermore the book covers a wide range of computer advancement in various fields reminding us the impact computers had on various fields. The book constantly reminds me that it is not the engineering/technical aspect that was needed for the advancement of the computer but also a social and economical aspect. I would recommend it for people who are interested in technology and to students as well. Although not critical, most students (especially those in Computer Science) do not know much about the advancements been made to Computers. Learning about how much different technology was before I started studying about Computers has made me appreciate the subject a lot more and gives me insight on concepts I learn in school or from textbooks that I read time to time when I am bored. Not a long book to read but I find myself reading the book at a very slow pace. Maybe it's just that I am a slow reader. Would be nice if the author provided pictures of the computer/calculator the author is talking about to help readers visualize instead of just describing the machine. This would be especially helpful for devices that are very old such as the mechanical devices since I have a hard time visualizing them. I did notice the author did provide some images later on but would have been helpful if they were provided when the device was discussed in the book.

[Timothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This clear and engaging book traces the history of the computer as far back as its 19th-century conceptual origins. By devoting so much space to the connections between digital computers and related technology, the authors manage to situate the computer within a clearly defined social and scientific context. The book loses some of its focus as it reaches the Internet era, which is probably harder to examine from a historical perspective. But overall, it is an excellent introduction to the subject by two scholars who successfully cater to the general reader.

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book gives a decent overview of the history of computing. The authors have found room to illustrate important turns in history with amusing anecdotes. It does not deliver on its promises though, skimming over the importance of the early hypertext pioneers (Ted Nelson and Doug Engelbart) for personal computing, and omitting the development of open-source software altogether.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating history of the development of computer technology. The only downside is that it was published in the mid-90s, so the story stops before so many of the amazing technologies of the last 15 years came about.

[Jonathan Deschaines · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think the book was good and helped me a lot through my senior project. I don't usually read historical books but this was the exception. The book was very informative but not enough to base my whole project on.

[Rod Zemke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed as I am very interested in the evolution of the computer.

[Kevin Furr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhat dry but broad history of computers.

[Brendan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't read much of this , all stuff you've hear before

[Cameron Sung · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very informative, but boring at times.

[Mike Kokko · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was probably the first "tech history" book I read - required reading as a freshman engineer at RPI in 2001 - and it got me hooked.

[Alain van Hoof · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good overview with facts that add to the understanding of the history of computing.

[Mills College Library]

004 C1888 2014

[Sridhar Jammalamadaka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliantly narrated history of the Computer.

[Readerrunner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book. I feel that I have a much better understanding of the computers.

[Onedio]

I'm writing my thesis about software piracy and security so i really need to read a lot of books... A lot... Thanks for sharing those tons of books... Certainly you are helping a tons os people...

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good overview of the history of computing, though necessarily not a very thorough one

[Yibin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book changes my life and my perception of my subject.