Colossus: The First Electronic Computer (Popular Science)

ISBN 10: 019284055X / ISBN 13: 9780192840554

Editore: Oxford University Press, 2006

Codice articolo 019284055X-VB

Riassunto:

At last - the secrets of Bletchley Park's powerful codebreaking computers. This is a history of Colossus, the world's first fully-functioning electronic digital computer. Colossus was used during the Second World War at the Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park, where it played an invaluable role cracking enemy codes. Until very recently, much about the Colossus machine was shrouded in secrecy, largely because the codes that were employed remained in use by the British security services until a short time ago. This book has only become possible due to the recent declassification in the US of wartime documents. With an introductory essay on cryptography and the history of code-breaking by Simon Singh, this book reveals the workings of Colossus and the extraordinary staff at Bletchley Park through personal accounts by those who lived and worked with the computer. Among them is the testimony of Thomas Flowers, who was the architect of Colossus and whose personal account, written shortly before he died, is published here for the first time. Other essays consider the historical importance of this remarkable machine, and its impact on the generations of computing technology that followed.

Informazioni sull'autore:
Jack Copeland is a Reader in Philosophy and Director of the Turing Project at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand. A contributor toScientific American, his books include Turing's Machines, Artificial Intelligence, andThe Essential Turing.

Dati bibliografici

Titolo: Colossus: The First Electronic Computer (...
Casa editrice: Oxford University Press
Data di pubblicazione: 2006
Legatura: hardcover
Condizione: As New