History of Computing

The textbook will be A History of Computing Technology by Michael Williams.

• Prehistory of computation
• Graphical computing
• Early computation devices and techniques
• Charles babbage's "Analytical Engine"
• Mathematical tables
• Mechanical and analog computers
• Early electronic computers
• Important people in the history of computers
• Early computer languages
• Early computer architectures
• Early operating systems
• Early user interfaces
• Timesharing
• The rise of networks and networking

• Writing a paper on pioneers, computer architectures, computer languages, computer companies etc.
• Writing a simulator of an early computer architecture or artifact

The syllabus is here Syllabus.doc Syllabus.pdf Syllabus.ps and SyllabusNotes.doc SyllabusNotes.pdf SyllabusNotes.ps
I would like to thank Professor Tim Bergin for letting me use his slides at http://www.computinghistorymuseum.org/teaching/lectures/lectures.htm

A good reference book available on the web is Computing before Computers

A good early computer architecture book is Computer Structures: Readings and Examples by C. Gordon Bell and Allen Newell

Roman Koshykar, CS/IT Librarian's handout
Roman Koshykar, CS/IT Librarian's old handout
 
 

Homework

Homework1.doc Homework1.pdf Homework1.ps - due Tuesday, March 28
Homework2.doc Homework2.pdf Homework2.ps - due Tuesday, April 4
Homework3.doc Homework3.pdf Homework3.ps - due Thursday, April 27
Homework4.doc Homework4.pdf Homework4.ps - due Tuesday, May 9