Lawrence H. Hardy

The Ordinary Man's Guide to the History of Information Technology: Computer History Lawrence H. Hardy

This book chronicles the history of digital computing from its humble beginnings as an art form of the primitives. It then concludes with a discussion of microprocessors and limitations imposed by quantum mechanics. The journey takes the reader from the primitives through the ancient societies of Mesopotamia, Greece, and Rome to capture the raw essence of computing. Eventually the study reaches the dawn of the mechanical calculator that evolves into the modern computer. Subjects covered in this book in addition to computer history are electricity, mechanical calculators, difference engines, integrated circuits, microprocessors, and IBM. Some of the inventors discussed are Radia Perlman, William Gates, Steve Jobs, Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla, Charles Babbage, Vannevar Bush, Mark E. Dean, William Seward Burroughs, Herman Hollerith, and Douglas C. Engelbart. It is an insightful journey through time. The amateur historians will covet this book as a starting point of exploration. It is the perfect companion for those interested in computer science and its history. Other prominent personalities mentioned herein that influenced technological trends: James Patterson, Grace Hopper, and Lewis Latimer.