This book describes the historical development of the architectures of
the first computers built by the German inventor Konrad Zuse in Berlin
between 1936 and 1945. Zuse's machines are historically important
because they anticipated many features of modern computers.
Specifically, these include the separation of processor and memory,
the ability to compute with floating-point numbers, a hardware
architecture based on microprogramming of the instruction set, and a
layered design with a high-level programming language on top. In
fact, Zuse's early computers are closer to modern computers than the
Harvard Mark I or ENIAC, two other contenders for the title of
"world's first computer." The theoretical program first conceived by
Zuse in 1936/37 was fulfilled with a series of machines built before
and during World War II: the Z1, Z2, Z3, and Z4. Separate chapters
deal with the architecture of each computer, culminating in the
description of Plankalkül, the first proposal for a high-level
programming language. Students of the sciences and practitioners of
computer science should have no trouble following the material. The
concise introductory summary sets the reader on the historical path to
retrace this remarkable intellectual adventure.
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The Quest for the Computer in Germany
Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9783031398766
Publisert
2024
Utgiver
Springer Nature
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter