The Microprocessor : A Biography - Softcover

Malone, Michael S.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0387943420 ISBN 13: 9780387943428

Publisher: Springer-Verlag New York Inc., 1995

Synopsis

The microprocessor, the "computer on a chip", is one of the most influential products of the century. Without it, there would be no personal computers, no communications revolution and few of the daily miracles in medical care, industry, transportation and homelife we've come to expect from high technology.
Now, to celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of its invention, The Microprocessor: A Biography tells the complete story of this amazing invention for the first time.
Technology neophytes will find in this book the most understandable explanation ever written about how microprocessors are made and how they work. Students will find an entertaining and readable text. And industry veterans will find they have a new reference source for their careers.
But The Microprocessor: A Biography is much more than a book about electronics. It is, in fact, an exciting, and incisive, adventure story about extraordinary people and the legendary companies they built. The names come from today's newspapers: Andy Grove, Jerry Sanders, Robert Galvin, Motorola, Intel, AMD, IBM. It is a story of huge successes and devastating failures, bitter rivalries and enduring partnerships, hubris, genius and staggering wealth.
And that story has just begun. The Microprocessor: A Biography closes with a tantalizing look at the future - and the ongoing technology revolution the microprocessor will propel through the rest of our lives.

About this title

Review

"Malone's account of the creation and historical development of the microprocessor is the closest account to the truth that I have seen. This book takes full advantage of a good opportunity to tell the story correctly" --Federico Faggin, President Synaptics, Inc. and co-inventor of the microprocessor

"The story of the microprocessor, like any life story is filled with ironies. But the greatest is that, despite being the most important invention of our lives, and despite setting the pace for transformation of our world, most of us know almost nothing about it. Most of us know more about nuclear fission than solid-state physics-though, with any luck, we will never experience the former, while we enjoy the later a thousand times a day. As a result, we are making critical business, political and personal decisions about the future while standing in a sort of intellectual darkness. Without most of us being aware of it, we are already racing towards the future along the atomic roadways on the surface of silicone chips. If we can understand how the microprocessor came to be, what is it today and where its future lies, we will learn a lot more about who we are now and where we are going. We owe at least that much to ourselves and to those who will follow us".
--from "The Microprocessor-A Biography"

Synopsis

Recounts the origin and history of the microprocessor, discusses its importance, describes how microprocessors are made and how they work, and suggests future developments.

Edition details

• Publisher: Springer-Verlag New York Inc.
• Publication date: 1995
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0387943420
• ISBN 13: 9780387943428
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 348