Ebook: Giants of Computing: A Compendium of Select, Pivotal Pioneers

It has been upon the shoulders of giants that the modern world has been forged. This accessible compendium presents an insight into the great minds responsible for the technology which has transformed our lives. Each pioneer is introduced with a brief biography, followed by a concise account of their key contributions to their discipline. The selection covers a broad spread of historical and contemporary figures from theoreticians to entrepreneurs, highlighting the richness of the field of computing. Suitable for the general reader, this concise and easy-to-read reference will be of interest to anyone curious about the inspiring men and women who have shaped the field of computer science.

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It has been upon the shoulders of giants that the modern world has been forged.

This accessible compendium presents an insight into the great minds responsible for the technology which has transformed our lives. Each pioneer is introduced with a brief biography, followed by a concise account of their key contributions to their discipline. The selection covers a broad spread of historical and contemporary figures from theoreticians to entrepreneurs, highlighting the richness of the field of computing.

Topics and features:

• Describes the lives and machines built by Hermann Hollerith, Vannevar Bush, Howard Aiken, John Atanasoff, Tommy Flowers, John Mauchly, and Konrad Zuse
• Examines the contributions made by Claude Shannon, John Von Neumann, Alan Turing, and Sir Frederick Williams
• Reviews such pioneers of commercial computing as John Backus, Fred Brooks, Gordon Moore, William Shockley, Vint Cerf, Don Estridge, Gary Kildall, and Tim Berners-Lee
• Surveys pivotal software engineers, including Robert Floyd, C.A.R Hoare, Dines Bjorner, Edger Dijkstra, Tom DeMarco, Michael Fagan, Watt Humphries, Ivor Jacobson, David Parnas, and Ed Yourdan
• Discusses important characters in theoretical computing, such as James Gosling, Grace Murray Hopper, Kenneth Iverson, Donald Knuth, Dennis Ritchie, Ken Thompson, Dana Scott, Christopher Strachey, Bjarne Stroustroup, and Niklaus Wirth
• Includes significant contributors to the field of artificial intelligence, including John McCarthy, Marvin Minsky, John Searle, and Joseph Weizenbaum
• Presents a selection of computer entrepreneurs, including Larry Ellison, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Ken Olsen, and Thomas Watson Sr. and Jr.

Suitable for the general reader, this concise and easy-to-read reference will be of interest to anyone curious about the inspiring men and women who have shaped the field of computer science.

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It has been upon the shoulders of giants that the modern world has been forged.

This accessible compendium presents an insight into the great minds responsible for the technology which has transformed our lives. Each pioneer is introduced with a brief biography, followed by a concise account of their key contributions to their discipline. The selection covers a broad spread of historical and contemporary figures from theoreticians to entrepreneurs, highlighting the richness of the field of computing.

Topics and features:

• Describes the lives and machines built by Hermann Hollerith, Vannevar Bush, Howard Aiken, John Atanasoff, Tommy Flowers, John Mauchly, and Konrad Zuse
• Examines the contributions made by Claude Shannon, John Von Neumann, Alan Turing, and Sir Frederick Williams
• Reviews such pioneers of commercial computing as John Backus, Fred Brooks, Gordon Moore, William Shockley, Vint Cerf, Don Estridge, Gary Kildall, and Tim Berners-Lee
• Surveys pivotal software engineers, including Robert Floyd, C.A.R Hoare, Dines Bjorner, Edger Dijkstra, Tom DeMarco, Michael Fagan, Watt Humphries, Ivor Jacobson, David Parnas, and Ed Yourdan
• Discusses important characters in theoretical computing, such as James Gosling, Grace Murray Hopper, Kenneth Iverson, Donald Knuth, Dennis Ritchie, Ken Thompson, Dana Scott, Christopher Strachey, Bjarne Stroustroup, and Niklaus Wirth
• Includes significant contributors to the field of artificial intelligence, including John McCarthy, Marvin Minsky, John Searle, and Joseph Weizenbaum
• Presents a selection of computer entrepreneurs, including Larry Ellison, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Ken Olsen, and Thomas Watson Sr. and Jr.

Suitable for the general reader, this concise and easy-to-read reference will be of interest to anyone curious about the inspiring men and women who have shaped the field of computer science.
Content:
Front Matter....Pages i-xxi
Background....Pages 1-7
Howard Aiken....Pages 9-11
Gene Amdahl....Pages 13-16
Archimedes....Pages 17-19
John Atanasoff....Pages 21-23
Charles Babbage....Pages 25-30
John Backus....Pages 31-34
Gordon Bell....Pages 35-38
Tim Berners-Lee....Pages 39-42
Dines Bjørner....Pages 43-46
George Boole....Pages 47-52
Fred Brooks....Pages 53-57
Vannevar Bush....Pages 59-62
Vint Cerf....Pages 63-65
Alonzo Church....Pages 67-70
Noam Chomsky....Pages 71-74
Edgar Codd....Pages 75-79
René Descartes....Pages 81-85
Tom DeMarco....Pages 87-90
Edsger Dijkstra....Pages 91-97
George Devol....Pages 99-101
Larry Ellison....Pages 103-105
Don Estridge....Pages 107-109
Michael Fagan....Pages 111-113
Tommy Flowers....Pages 115-118
Robert Floyd....Pages 119-121
Bill Gates....Pages 123-127
James Gosling....Pages 129-132
C.A.R. Hoare....Pages 133-138
Herman Hollerith....Pages 139-141
Watts Humphrey....Pages 143-148
Kenneth Iverson....Pages 149-152
Ivar Jacobson....Pages 153-158
Steve Jobs....Pages 159-164
Gary Kildall....Pages 165-168
Donald Knuth....Pages 169-171
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz....Pages 173-178
Ada Lovelace....Pages 179-181
John McCarthy....Pages 183-185
John Mauchly....Pages 187-191
Marvin Minsky....Pages 193-195
Gordon Moore....Pages 197-200
Grace Murray Hopper....Pages 201-204
John von Neumann....Pages 205-208
Ken Olsen....Pages 209-212
David Parnas....Pages 213-218
Dennis Ritchie....Pages 219-222
Dana Scott....Pages 223-227
John Searle....Pages 229-231
Claude Shannon....Pages 233-238
William Shockley....Pages 239-241
Richard Stallman....Pages 243-245
Bjarne Stroustrup....Pages 247-250
Alan Turing....Pages 251-257
Thomas Watson Sr. and Jr.....Pages 259-261
Joseph Weizenbaum....Pages 263-266
Frederick Williams....Pages 267-271
Niklaus Wirth....Pages 273-276
Ed Yourdon....Pages 277-279
Konrad Zuse....Pages 281-284
Back Matter....Pages 289-306
Epilogue....Pages 285-287