Engines of the Mind: The Evolution of the Computer from the Mainframes to Microprocessors - Paperback

by Joel N. Shurkin (Author)

When John Mauchly and Presper Eckert developed the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC) at the University of Pennsylvania during World War II, their intention was to aid artillerymen in aiming their guns. Since then, in the past fifty years, ENIAC and its offspring have changed the way we go about both business and science. Along with the transistor, the computer has brought about transformation on a scale unmatched since the industrial revolution.

Now, in a lively and evenhanded account, Joel Shurkin introduces us to the often-feuding players and the discoveries that made the computer possible-from the first models to the creation of the chip and beyond. Here is the first full account of an invention that changed the world.

For this new paperback edition, Shurkin has added an epilogue and a new chapter on the latest milestones in the ongoing computer revolution.

Back Jacket

When John Mauchly and Presper Eckert developed the Electronic Numerical Integrator and computer (ENIAC) at the University of Pennsylvania during World War II, their intention was simply to aid artillerymen in aiming their guns. Since then, in the past fifty years, ENIAC and its offspring have utterly changed the way we go about both business and science. Along with the transistor, the computer has brought about transformation on a scale unmatched since the industrial revolution. In a lively and informative account, Joel Shurkin introduces us to the people and discoveries that made the computer possible - from the first models to the creation of the chip and beyond. Here is the first full story of an invention that changed the world.