Cambridge Computing The First 75 Years

Cambridge Computing: The First 75 Years marks the 75th anniversary of the Computer Laboratory and the centenary of Professor Sir Maurice Wilkes who directed the laboratory for 35 years. It covers the 'halcyon' years of Roger Needham's reign and the expansionist eras of his successors, Robin Milner, Ian Leslie and Andy Hopper. The story begins with Charles Babbage and his 'magical machines' and includes Alan Turing, whose 'Universal Turing Machine' defined the theoretical basis of computability. The central theme of the book is the 75-year history of the Computer Laboratory. The 21st-century Computer Laboratory, housed in the striking William Gates Building, is internationally recognised today as a leading school of computer science, engaged in teaching and ground-breaking research and as a nursery for computer entrepreneurs. Groups of academics work on a wide diversity of topics: artificial intelligence, computer architecture, digital technology, graphics and interaction, natural language and information processing, programming, logic, and semantics, security and systems. "Cambridge Computing is designed to be an extensively illustrated, readable and informative account of computing in Cambridge from Babbage to the present day. I am confident that this book will appeal to a wide readership, well beyond Cambridge to everyone interested in the history of computing and the University of Cambridge." Andy Hopper, Professor of Computer Technology, Head of Department