9780356039855 - Time-sharing Computer Systems Computer Monograph by Wilkes, Maurice Vincent (3 results)

Hardback. Condition: Fair. Ah, Time-Sharing Computer Systems (1972) by M. V. Wilkes ? a title that now sounds faintly quaint, like a pamphlet explaining how to queue politely for the village telephone. Yet in its day it addressed one of the most radical ideas in computing: that a computer might serve more than one person at a time without immediately collapsing into a sulk. Written by the distinguished British computer pioneer Maurice Wilkes , this book comes from an era when computers were not sleek objects on desks but room-filling mechanical monarchs attended by technicians, humming cabinets, and an atmosphere of serious purpose. In the early days, if you wanted to run a program you did not casually open a laptop. You prepared your instructions with great care, submitted them to the machine?s operators, and waited ? sometimes patiently, sometimes less so ? while the computer processed jobs one at a time like a very expensive bureaucrat. Time-sharing changed that. The idea was beautifully simple and mildly revolutionary: instead of running one task to completion before starting another, a computer could rapidly switch between many users? programs, giving each a small slice of processing time in turn. To the human participants it would feel as though the computer were working solely for them. In reality the machine was juggling requests at dazzling speed, quietly distributing its attention across a room full of hopeful programmers. Wilkes? book explores the architecture, theory and practical difficulties of this system ? and difficulties there certainly were. Designing a time-sharing system required balancing processor scheduling, memory allocation, storage management and user interaction in a way that would keep dozens of programs from colliding disastrously. One careless piece of code could still bring the whole enterprise crashing down, which gave early system designers a healthy respect for careful engineering and an enduring distrust of overly enthusiastic graduate students. What makes Time-Sharing Computer Systems so fascinating today is that it documents a turning point. Prior to time-sharing, computing was largely a batch activity : programs submitted, results returned hours later. Time-sharing transformed computers into something more interactive. Suddenly users could type commands and see responses almost immediately. The computer began to feel less like an inscrutable calculating engine and more like a collaborative partner ? albeit one that occupied an entire room and required a cooling system worthy of a small power station. In many ways this book captures the moment when modern computing culture began to emerge. Concepts we now take for granted ? multiple users, interactive terminals, operating systems managing resources behind the scenes ? were once daring innovations requiring meticulous design and bold experimentation. Wilkes writes with the calm authority of someone helping to invent the rules while explaining them. The tone, naturally, is reassuringly serious. This is a book from a time when technical works assumed their readers possessed both patience and a tolerance for diagrams of system architecture. There are discussions of scheduling algorithms, memory management schemes, and the subtle art of ensuring that one user?s program does not accidentally devour the entire machine. It is not flashy, but it is quietly foundational ? the sort of engineering text that helped shape the way computers operate to this day. Seen from the twenty-first century, the irony is delightful. The world described here ? multiple people sharing the power of a single computer ? is precisely the principle behind modern cloud computing. Billions of users now rely on vast networks of machines that divide their processing power among countless tasks at once. The scale has changed, the machines have shrunk, but the essential idea Wilkes describes remains astonishingly relevant. This particular copy is in good condition , its pages still ready to escort the curious reader back to a time when computing was equal parts ambition, mathematics, and cautious optimism about what might happen if we persuaded a machine to serve several people simultaneously. For collectors of vintage computing literature, historians of technology, or anyone who enjoys glimpsing the moment when the digital world began learning how to multitask, Time-Sharing Computer Systems is a quietly important artifact. Available now from Crappy Old Books , where yesterday?s technological revolutions patiently await their next curious reader.

Condition: Good. Former library copy. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. 2nd Revised edition. Gray cloth covered boards with gold spine titles; minimal wear; 8vo - over 7 3/4" to 9 3/4" tall; jacket is worn, lower corner of front flap clipped; previous owner's name on free front endpaper; interior clean and unmarked; 102 pages.