Author(s): Mark Frauenfelder

Computer

How many of us can remember life without computers? The answer is an ever-decreasing number of people. Today's young adults will never have known a time when computers were not an essential and integral part of everyday life - their mind-set is entirely different from those who grew up with logarithms, slide-rules and ledger books. The Computer: A History traces the evolution of this vital machine from its earliest roots through its exciting application in code-breaking during the Second World War, and from its initial use in the workplace and home to its current status as a totally indispensable part of twenty-first century life. Along the way the author examines some colourful moments in the computer's development, from the key battle between Apple and IBM in the 1980s, to the use of computers in film and television such as the 1950s film 'The Forbidden Planet', '2001: A Space Odyssey' and 'Terminator 2'. The speed at which computer technology is progressing is staggering, and the final chapter looks forward to a time when computers will be on our wrists, in our cars - and possibly in our bodies. With superb illustrations throughout, The Computer is much more than a collection of different makes and models through the decades. It examines the computer in the context of social history, and reveals the extent to which this invention has come to pervade every area of our modern world.