Computer: A History of the Information Machine

The Computer: A History of the Information Machine is a comprehensive and accessibly written book that traces the history of the computer and its unlimited, information-processing potential.

This fully updated fourth edition includes new chapters on the globalization of information technology, the rise of social media, fake news, and the gig economy, as well as regulatory frameworks being put in place to tame the ubiquitous computer.

With an emphasis on the pace of technological advancement and the seamless integration of computers into modern life, this book examines the history of the computer from Charles Babbage's nineteenth-century efforts to the development of electronics and the giant ENIAC, as well as IBM's dominance in the industry.

The book also covers the rise of laptops and smartphones, leading to the rise of Google and Facebook, and powerful apps that have changed the way we work, consume, learn, and socialize.

This essential resource for scholars and students of computer history, technology history, and information and society is also a valuable read for those in computer science, communications, sociology, and management courses.