Includes bibliographical references (p. [351]-430) and index.

Introduction: Defining "Computer" -- The Advent of Commercial Computing, 1945-1956 -- Computing Comes of Age, 1956-1964 -- The Early History of Software, 1952-1968 -- From Mainframe to Minicomputer, 1959-1969 -- The "Go-Go" Years and the System/360, 1961-1975 -- The Chip and Its Impact, 1965-1975 -- The Personal Computer, 1972-1977 -- Augmenting Human Intellect, 1975-1985 -- Workstations, UNIX, and the Net, 1981-1995 -- "Internet Time," 1995-2001 -- Conclusion: The Digitization of the World Picture.

This engaging history covers modern computing from the development of the first electronic digital computer through the dot-com crash. The author concentrates on five key moments of transition: the transformation of the computer in the late 1940s from a specialized scientific instrument to a commercial product; the emergence of small systems in the late 1960s; the beginning of personal computing in the 1970s; the spread of networking after 1985; and, in a chapter written for this edition, the period 1995-2001. The new material focuses on the Microsoft antitrust suit, the rise and fall of the dot-coms, and the advent of open source software, particularly Linux. Within the chronological narrative, the book traces several overlapping threads: the evolution of the computer's internal design; the effect of economic trends and the Cold War; the long-term role of IBM as a player and as a target for upstart entrepreneurs; the growth of software from a hidden element to a major character in the story of computing; and the recurring issue of the place of information and computing in a democratic society. The focus is on the United States [though Europe and Japan enter the story at crucial points], on computing per se rather than on applications such as artificial intelligence, and on systems that were sold commercially and installed in quantities.