Pillars of Computing : A Compendium of Select, Pivotal Technology Firms

This accessible compendium serves as a companion to the title Giants of Computing, examining a collection of significant technology firms that have helped to shape the field of computing and its impact on society. Each company is introduced with a brief account of its history, followed by a concise account of its key contributions. The selection covers a diverse range of historical and contemporary organizations from pioneers of e-commerce to influential social media companies.

Topics and features: presents information on early computer manufacturers, such as EMCC / Sperry / Unisys, Leo Computers, and Zuse KG; reviews important mainframe and minicomputer companies, including IBM, Amdahl, and DEC; examines the contributions to the field of semiconductors made by Intel, Texas Instruments, and Motorola; describes companies that have been active in developing home and personal computers, such as Sinclair Research, Commodore, Apple, Atari, and Dell; surveys the notable research centers Bell Labs, Xerox PARC, and the Software Engineering Institute; discusses the impact of Ericsson and Motorola in the field of telecommunications, and of SAP and Oracle in the area of enterprise software and business computing; considers the achievements of the e-commerce companies Amazon and eBay, as well as the browser wars between Microsoft and Netscape; provides a review of the social media companies Facebook and Twitter; includes coverage of such prominent companies as Adobe, Cisco, Google, HP, and Unimation.

Suitable for the general reader, this concise and easy-to-read reference will be of interest to anyone curious about the important role played by different technology firms in forming today's digital world.