Computers - The Machines We Think With (Revised Edition)

The electronic computer has just recently come of age, having reached its twenty-first birthday in 1967. Yet in this short span of years the computer age has become a reality whose significance may be appreciated by imagining a world from which all computers were suddenly eliminated. The resulting chaos would demonstrate the depth of what has been termed the "second industrial revolution", fostered by the electronic brain. Without the computer we simply could not live as we have become accustomed to live.
Here is the full story of the fantastic machines that have taen over innumerable tasks in the modern world. Mr. Halacy covers the history of computers - from the discovery of the abacus, through Jacquard and his use of punched cards in weaving, to the latest developments and the enormous potential for the future. He discusses in somple terms the basic theories and operation of digital and analog computers and shows them at work in business, industry and education. Here indeed is a readable, eye-widening book on a vast subject of importance in our lives, and our childrens' lives. Eighty photographs, drawings and diagrams enliven the text.