Ask HN: Good books on the history of computer science?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4586510

by ninetax • 14 years ago

7 8 14 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

I like computer science, but I would like to know more about it's history. Any good book recommendations? Maybe a good book on the overview and then some good ones on specific aspects (business, technical, biographies, etc.)

iamdann• 14 years ago

Hackers by Steven Levy, if you haven't read that yet

ninetax2• 14 years ago

Thanks, I'll check it out!

jrmenon• 14 years ago

While not a complete history, the following book, 'Design and Evolution of C++', does go into some history of other languages that influenced C++:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Design-Evolution-Bjarne-Stroustrup...

If you happen to be in bay area, visiting the 'Computer History Museum' is a good start too:

http://www.computerhistory.org/

RNeff• 14 years ago

Computing: A Concise History by Paul E. Ceruzzi

From Airline Reservations to Sonic the Hedgehog: A History of the Software Industry by Martin Campbell-Kelly/

The Computer History Museum is in Mountain View, CA, part of Silicon Valley, close to the Googleplex and Microsoft SV. It has the second, working Babbage Difference Engine. Also a youtube channel of lectures.

ninetax2• 14 years ago

Cool, I'll take a look that those. I didn't get around to seeing the computer history museum this summer, maybe another time. It sounds awesome!

seltzered_• 14 years ago

CODE by Charles Petzold might be worth it.

turbojerry• 14 years ago

Turing's Cathedral

Darwin Among the Machines

Technomanifestos

Possiplex

What Technology Wants

A couple of not computer related, but quite interesting books-

The Structure of Scientific Revolutions

A Thousand Years of Nonlinear History

ronyeh• 14 years ago

I enjoyed this one: http://www.codersatwork.com/ A bunch of interviews with famous coders.

Ask HN: Good books on the history of computer science?

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