The Man Who Invented the Computer

The Biography of John Atanasoff, Digital Pioneer

De: Jane Smiley

Narrado por: Kathe Mazur

From one of our most acclaimed novelists, a David-and-Goliath biography for the digital age.

One night in the late 1930s, in a bar on the Illinois–Iowa border, John Vincent Atanasoff, a professor of physics at Iowa State University, after a frustrating day performing tedious mathematical calculations in his lab, hit on the idea that the binary number system and electronic switches, com­bined with an array of capacitors on a moving drum to serve as memory, could yield a computing machine that would make his life and the lives of other similarly burdened scientists easier. Then he went back and built the machine. It worked. The whole world changed.

Why don’t we know the name of John Atanasoff as well as we know those of Alan Turing and John von Neumann? Because he never patented the device, and because the developers of the far-better-known ENIAC almost certainly stole critical ideas from him. But in 1973 a court declared that the patent on that Sperry Rand device was invalid, opening the intellectual property gates to the computer revolution.

Jane Smiley tells the quintessentially American story of the child of immigrants John Atanasoff with technical clarity and narrative drive, making the race to develop digital computing as gripping as a real-life techno-thriller.

Reseñas de la Crítica

PRAISE FOR THE MAN WHO INVENTED THE COMPUTER:

"Engrossing. Smiley takes science history and injects it with a touch of noir and an exciting clash of vanities."--Kirkus Reviews

“Novelist Jane Smiley shines her talent on the underappreciated career of John Atansanoff, the man recognized as creating the first computer… . It's a rare treat to read a book about digital science in the language of an acclaimed prose stylist.”—Bloomberg Businessweek

“[Jane Smiley] follows the John McPhee-perfected recipe for historical journalism nicely and with élan: take an abstruse subject, research it deeply, then humanize it tenderly, adding off-kilter insights and sharp portraits of the curious folks involved.... Smiley blends all these convergent and parallel narratives into a superb whole, as fetching and gripping as any novel. She displays an unwavering, cogent grasp of all the technical details, a keen eye for historical forces, and much psychological insight; her prose is a model of smooth transparency. Anyone who wants to understand the roots of our twenty-first century digital culture needs to read this book.”—Paul Di Filippo, Barnes & Noble Review

Half Atanasoff biography, half biograph of others

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Overall, I enjoyed the book but the focus was more on the era and the cast of characters involved and less about Atanasoff than I had expected. Still very interesting and, I think, worth while.

What was most disappointing about Jane Smiley???s story?

I was hoping for more information about the actual process of invention undertaken by Atanasoff and Berry and perhaps some technical detail. The book was completely non-technical. A LOT of time was spent on biographies of the other people involved in the birth of the computer, which was interesting, just not what I expected in this book.

What else would you have wanted to know about Jane Smiley???s life?

I didn't and don't want to know anything about Jane Smiley's life. It wasn't her biography. I would have enjoyed a bit more about Atanasoff''s professional life during the time he spent at Iowa State College (now University). The period in which he was actually creating his invention is, perhaps, the least well covered period of his life.

Thank you for Computer History books

Im glad to buy audible computer history books, i hope audible offer more about this computer field, with the better quality voice and the best choice books

Not what I learned in school

I'm so glad I found this book to read. Throughout my studies on computers during the late 1960s and early 1970s I never encountered the name John Atanasoff. All credit was given to many of the other illuminaries identified in this book. The story of John Atanasoff is full of drama, intrigue and deception.

A illogical History of Logic

For years, I thought ENIAC was the first electronic computer. A friend (an ISU Alum) put me straight. But this books puts all the bits and bytes together. Fascinating tale of genius and gumption.