Computer Chronicles was a PBS series that ran for 20 years and captured a lot of computer history as it happened, it's a great watch on YouTube: https://youtube.com/user/ComputerChroniclesYT
Ask HN: Best way to learn about computing history?
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Re: Ask HN: Best way to learn about computing history?
#12Computer Chronicles was a PBS series that ran for 20 years and captured a lot of computer history as it happened, it's a great watch on YouTube: https://youtube.com/user/ComputerChroniclesYT
thanks will take a look!
Re: Ask HN: Best way to learn about computing history?
#13Good: split your time between activities and reading something as satisfying as the things you “devour”. To that end, I would plus one Hackers (Levy) and Code (Petzold). Also, the Cathedral and the Bazaar by esr http://www.catb.org/~esr/writings/cathedral-bazaar/ and other things from esr at http://www.catb.org/~esr/ including the aforementioned jargon file. Here’s one I hadn’t stumbled on before, ‘Things Every Hacke…
these resources look great, thanks. also yeah great suggestion for buying a cheap vintange microcomputer!
Re: Ask HN: Best way to learn about computing history?
#14Ben Eater's Youtube series "Building an 8-bit Breadboard Computer" is a really good introduction to the lowest levels of how a computer works: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLowKtXNTBypGqImE405J2... I recommended it to my daughter when she was taking a class in R and asked "But how does the COMPUTER know what to do?"
this looks extremely interesting and may be just what I'm after. I have some basic electronics experience so I could build on that too. Thanks!
Re: Ask HN: Best way to learn about computing history?
#15So your title and comment suggest two slightly different things. For "how computers work?" I recommend Code by Petzold (higher level, good book) and The Elements of Computing Systems by Nisan and Schocken (also available here: https://www.nand2tetris.org/ ). The latter is project based and has you develop a computer starting at NAND gates and working up. It can be run through at a good clip while still learning a lot…
yeah I'm not entirely sure what I want. Thanks for these suggestions, will take a look. nand2tetris looks cool!
Re: Ask HN: Best way to learn about computing history?
#16There are also several good museums dedicated to the subject. I used to work for the national museum of computing at bletchley park in the UK, and there they have a lot of good exhibits that teach basics of how computers and networking works and has evolved over the years. Another good approach one can take to learn is starting with a simple system with well-defined rules, and making a simple computer out of it. Many…
I've been meaning to visit Bletchley! thanks, these suggestions are helpful
Re: Ask HN: Best way to learn about computing history?
#17I think the way to go about it is read some books gradually on history of computing & the various designs and rationale that evolved over time. Consider these sources: 1. The Annotated Turing. 2. A History of Modern Computing 3ed 3. The ACM Turing award lectures 4. Theory of computation - Dexter Kozen 5. Coders at Work 6. Hackers: Heroes of the computer revolution Additionally, you could subscribe to Communications o…
these look good, thanks!
Re: Ask HN: Best way to learn about computing history?
#18Maybe buy a raspberry pi pico and code it in assembly? Or try to find a retro computer, e.g. a BBC micro and start programming it for fun?
I was looking at a vintage computer, so yeah that's a possible route. Been using emulators so far but it's not the real thing. Thanks.
Re: Ask HN: Best way to learn about computing history?
#19A long while ago I found the Jargon File, it's a "dictionary" of terms used by hackers as the culture was budding at the universities in the 70's. Reading the entries you get a glimpse of the technology and culture of those places at that time. Young me found it really cool in a nerdy way, and read all the entries from front to back. Since this was before the always online times, I was just reading the TXT file from…
that's great, will take a look. thanks
Re: Ask HN: Best way to learn about computing history?
#20From a NAND gate to Tetris was excellent. Informative and obvious