Milestones in Analog and Digital Computing

ISBN-13: 9783030409753 / Angielski / Miękka / 2023

Herbert Bruderer

Opis

This Third Edition is the first English-language edition of the award-winning Meilensteine der Rechentechnik; illustrated in full color throughout in two volumes. The Third Edition is devoted to both analog and digital computing devices, as well as the world's most magnificient historical automatons and select scientific instruments (employed in astronomy, surveying, time measurement, etc.). It also features detailed instructions for analog and digital mechanical calculating machines and instruments, and is the only such historical book with comprehensive technical glossaries of terms not found in print or in online dictionaries. The book also includes a very extensive bibliography based on the literature of numerous countries around the world.

Meticulously researched, the author conducted a worldwide survey of science, technology and art museums with their main holdings of analog and digital calculating and computing machines and devices, historical automatons and selected scientific instruments in order to describe a broad range of masterful technical achievements. Also covering the history of mathematics and computer science, this work documents the cultural heritage of technology as well.

Recenzje

"This voluminous work presents the fruits of extensive archival and historical research. ... the book discusses many groundbreaking analog devices ... . The reader finds a very expansive list of achievements here ... . A main strength of Bruderer's work are archival Insights ... . The book is itself a milestone in computer history, and a much needed corrective to the tendency, both in industry and in academia, to see computing almost exclusively in terms of the near future." (IEEE Annals of the History of Computing, Vol. 5, April-June, 2022)

"A more interesting presentation ... . The translator can be credited with rendering a smooth-reading text. ... Multiple types of cross references are offered ... . this addition with its more global coverage is welcome." (Albert C. Lewis, zbMATH 1477.68003, 2022)

Spis treści

Volume 1: 1. Introduction.- 2. Basic Principles.- 3. The Coming of Age of Arithmetic.- 4. Classification of Calculating Aids and Related Instruments.- 5. Chronology .- 6. Pioneers in Calculating and Computing Technology.- 7. Conferences and Institutes.- 8. Global Overview of Early Digital Computers.- 9. Museums and Collections.- 10. The Antikythera Mechanism.- 11. Schwilgués Calculating Machines.- 12. The Thomas Arithmometer.- 13. The Curta.- 14. Slide Rules.- 15. Historical Automatons and Robots.- 16. Mechanical Calculating Aids.- 17. Technological, Economic, Social and Cultural History.- 18. Preserving the Technical Heritage.- 19. Operating Instructions.- Index of Persons, Places and Subjects.- Volume 2: 1. Who Was the Inventor of the Computer?.- 2. Computer Development in Germany.- 3. Computer Development in the United Kingdom.- 4. Computer Development in Switzerland.- 5. Documents Relevant to the Z4 and Ermeth.- 6. The Global Evolution of Computer Technology.- 7. Glossary of the History of Technology: German-English.- 8. Glossary of the History of Technology: English-German.- Bibliography for the History of Science and Technology.- Index of Persons, Places and Subjects.

O autorze

Herbert Bruderer is a lecturer (retired) in the Department of Computer Science of the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) Zurich and a historian of technology. He is the author of numerous books and has been awarded several prizes.