John von Neumann and the Origins of Modern Computing (History of Computing)
Author | : | |
Rating | : | 4.69 (861 Votes) |
Asin | : | 0262518856 |
Format Type | : | paperback |
Number of Pages | : | 396 Pages |
Publish Date | : | 2013-07-16 |
Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Aspray describes von Neumann's development during the next decade, and almost entirely alone, of a theory of complicated information processing systems, or automata, and the introduction of themes such as learning, reliability of systems with unreliable components, self-replication, and the importance of memory and storage capacity in biological nervous systems; many of these themes remain at the heart of current investigations in parallel or neurocomputing.Aspray allows the record to speak for itself. In the now famous EDVAC report of 1945, von Neumann clearly stated the idea of a stored program that resides in the computer's memory along with the data it was to operate on. William Aspray provides the first broad and detailed account of von Neumann's many different contributions to computing. He unravels an intricate sequence of stories generated by von Neumann's work and brings into focus the interplay of personalities centered about von Neumann. He documents the complex interactions of sc
"An Overview of Von Neumann's Contributions to Computing" according to D. W. Casey. No one has yet written a biography of John von Neumann that sums up both his intellectual achievements and his curious personality. William Aspray's book, John von Neumann and the Origins of Modern Computing, at least makes a good effort at explaining von Neumann's intellectual accomplishments, although it is not a complete biography in explaining the man. Granted, such a biography might be impossible, given the breadth and profundity of von Neumann's contributions to thought. It is hard to conceive of another person who left more of a mark on the twentieth century world of . A superb book on John von Neumann's many contributions to computer science John von Neumann was one of the greatest prodigies of the last century. His right-wing politics and the fact that he made seminal contributions to many fields of science account for his not having won a Nobel prize. Nevertheless many Nobel laureates considered his intellect far superior to theirs.v.N's many talents account for nobody having yet written a biography that does him justice, as it's very unlikely that anyone with the mind to understand his seminal contributions to many branches of science would have the spare time to write such a book.Aspray has done an superb jo. superb, scholarly book A Customer Unsurpassed quality is the hallmark of this fine book
Air Force on ballistic missile development. By examining the interplay of science, military, and business, which formed the background for von Neumann's work, Aspray does an excellent job of placing von Neumann's accomplishments in computer science into the context of his other achievements. Aspray discusses von Neumann's fame in the realms of mathematics, physics, and economics and his remarkable career, which included work as an atomic energy commissioner and as principal scientific adviser to the U.S. In the mid 1940s, John von Neumann revolutionized the nascent field of computing by showing that program instructions could be stored in a computer's memory instead of on external panels or punch cards. In John von Neumann and the Origins of Modern Computing, William Aspray details the design and construction of von Neumann's computer systems and explains the broader implications of von Neumann's contributions.
William Aspray is Bill and Lewis Suit Professor of Information Technologies in the School of Information at the University of Texas at Austin. He is the coeditor of Women and Information Technology: Research on Underrepresentation (2006) and The Internet and American Business (2008), both published by the MIT Press.