부산대학교 도서관

The conference upon which this book is based marked the 25th anniversary of the operation of the first U.S. electronic computer. It came just in time: John Mauchly, of UNIVAC fame, and Antonin Svoboda, whose work on linkages was seminal, are dead. \par This gloomy remark is prompted by a reading of this quite fascinating history, which shows the difficulty of attaining historical accuracy even when the participants are still alive. One of the most interesting historical questions in the computer field now is: What, if any, was the influence of the Bletchley COLOSSUS on computer development in the '40s? In fact, was it really the first electronic stored-program computer? \par Thus, Jack Good, in his paper on pioneering work at Bletchley, says of the COLOSSUS (p. 41): ``The flexibility of COLOSSUS was such that in principle one could almost do ordinary radix 10 multiplication on it.'' However, Randell (p. 74) quotes Good as saying: ``COLOSSUS could be plugged up to do multiplication.'' What the true situation was still remains to be seen. \par Of more interest is the claim that the electronic know-how acquired by the Bletchley group became available to other postwar workers in the field. From personal recollection and knowledge of the people involved at the time, the reviewer would dispute this claim. Certainly Alan Turing did not display circuit knowledge of a practical kind: he espoused the super-regenerative amplifier as a valid element in a machine which must contain multitudes of such devices. Any experienced electronic engineer then, or now, would raise his eyebrows. Yet again, Flowers, at the G.P.O. was consulted by the reviewer in the late '40s but showed no particular knowledge of the emerging technologies. \par These remarks are made to show the difficulty of obtaining true historical facts even when the subjects are still living, and to point up the importance of a book such as this. It is not an exaggeration to say that the reviewer read it from cover to cover at one sitting. It is well edited and all of the papers are worth reading. \par As a tailpiece, the reviewer must remark on his own sloppy proofreading: Fig. 8, p. 560, should be captioned M2 and not M3!. \par Contents: List of contributors (pp. xi-xiii); N. Metropolis and Gian-Carlo Rota, Preface (pp. xv-xvii); Acknowledgements (p. xix). \par Part I. Introduction: R. W. Hamming, We would know what they thought when they did it (pp. 3--9); Kenneth O. May, Historiography: a perspective for computer scientists (pp. 11--18). \par Part II. The human side: Garrett Birkhoff, Computing developments 1935--1955, as seen from Cambridge, U.S.A. (pp. 21--30); I. J. Good, Pioneering work on computers at Bletchley (pp. 31--45); B. Randell, the COLOSSUS (pp. 47--92); S. M. Ulam, von Neumann: the interaction of mathematics and computing (pp. 93--99); J. H. Wilkinson, Turing's work at the National Physical Laboratory and the construction of pilot ACE, DEUCE, and ACE (pp. 101--114); Henry S. Tropp, The Smithsonian computer history project and some personal recollections (pp. 115--122). \par Part III. The languages: John Backus, Programming in America in the 1950s---some personal impressions (pp. 125--135); Andrei P. Ershov [A. P. Eršov] and Mikhail R. Shura-Bura [M. R. Šura-Bura], The early development of programming in the USSR (pp. 137--196); Donald E. Knuth and Luis Trabb Pardo, The early development of programming languages (pp. 197--273); Mark B. Wells, Reflections on the evolution of algorithmic language (pp. 275--287). \par Part IV. The machines: Julian Bigelow, Computer development at the Institute for Advanced Study (pp. 291--310); Arthur W. Burks, From ENIAC to the stored-program computer: two revolutions in computers (pp. 311--344); J. C. Chu, Computer development at Argonne National Laboratory (pp. 345--346); James E. Robertson, The ORDVAC and the ILLIAC (pp. 347--364); Robert R. Everett, WHIRLWIND (pp. 365--384); A. S. Householder, Reminiscences of Oak Ridge (pp. 385--388); Cuthbert C. Hurd, Computer development at IBM (pp. 389--418); Harry D. Huskey, The SWAC: the National Bureau of Standards Western Automatic Computer (pp. 419--431); S. H. Lavington, Computer development at Manchester University (pp. 433--443); D. H. Lehmer, A history of the sieve process (pp. 445--456); N. Metropolis, The MANIAC (pp. 457--464); Jan Rajchman, Early research on computers at RCA (pp. 465--469); Ralph J. Slutz, Memories of the Bureau of Standards' SEAC (pp. 471--477); George R. Stibitz, Early computers (pp. 479--483); Erwin Tomash, The start of an ERA: Engineering Research Associates, Inc., 1946--1955 (pp. 485--495); M. V. Wilkes, Early programming developments in Cambridge (pp. 497--501). \par Part V. The places: Friedrich L. Bauer, Between Zuse and Rutishauser---the early development of digital computing in Central Europe (pp. 505--524); J. Presper Eckert, Jr., The ENIAC (pp. 525--539); John W. Mauchly, The ENIAC (pp. 541--550); Andrew D. Booth, Computers in the University of London, 1945--1962 (pp. 551--561); Edsger W. Dijkstra, A programmer's early memories (pp. 563--573); Ryota Suekane, Early history of computing in Japan (pp. 575--578); Antonin Svoboda, From mechanical linkages to electronic computers: recollections from Czechoslovakia (pp. 579--586); H. Zemanek, Central European prehistory of computing (pp. 587--609); Konrad Zuse, Some remarks on the history of computing in Germany (pp. 611--627); B. Randell, The origins of digital computers: supplementary bibliography (pp. 629--659).