Book details of 'Howard Aiken: Portrait of a Computer Pioneer (History of Computing)'

Title	Howard Aiken: Portrait of a Computer Pioneer (History of Computing)
Author(s)	I. Bernard Cohen
ISBN	0262032627
Language	English
Published	June 1999
Publisher	MIT Press

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The Virtual Bookcase Reviews of 'Howard Aiken: Portrait of a Computer Pioneer (History of Computing)':

Reviewer amazon.com wrote:
Great controversies never die. The brouhaha surrounding the unveiling of the IBM Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator (or Harvard Mark I), the first general-purpose automatic computer, is a perfect example: Who invented it, IBM engineers or Harvard applied mathematician Howard Aiken? Science historian I. Bernard Cohen knew Aiken and tells the whole story in Howard Aiken: Portrait of a Computer Pioneer, both an engaging life story of a unique man and a tale of the rancorous struggle for recognition between strong personalities. Through Cohen's painstaking research, including exhaustive looks into the archives of Harvard and IBM, interviews with Aiken and other principals, and his own reminiscences, the reader gets a glimpse into the partnership between business, academia, and the military, which, like it or not, propelled us headfirst into the Information Age. We catch a glimpse of how Aiken's self-described "laziness" in graduate school led him to dream of a machine that would ease the burden of complex calculations. From this passivity the development of the Mark I followed between 1937 and 1944, and the never-completely-resolved conflict over inventor's credit. Cohen is a mild partisan on Aiken's behalf but argues convincingly that subsequent developments in our understanding of computer design moot or at least temper the problem--acknowledging that crucial contributions were made on both sides, he suggests that the problem never would have arisen today.
Reviewer Rob Slade wrote:
While Aiken's name is known to computer historians, Cohen is concerned that Aiken is not, perhaps, given his due as a pioneer and power in the nascent computer community. Rather than outlining technical innovations, this book concentrates on Aiken's personality, and his interesting life story. The text deals primarily with people, rather than technology, although the author demonstrates a sound grasp of all technology that is discussed. The material shows that if Aiken did not have an impact on computer architecture and design, he definitely did have an influence on computing as it is understood today. As only one example, there is the perception of Charles Babbage, rather than Pascal or some other, as the "grandfather" of the computer. Most modern popular accounts of Babbage's work derive from Aiken's presentation, and even misunderstanding, of Babbage's proposed engines. Significant space is given to the building, and operation, of the Mark I/ASCC computer, but not to the Marks II, III, and IV. A fair amount of material is also devoted to the computer science programs started at Harvard. While activities outside of the computation laboratory are mentioned, I found it disappointing that more attention was not paid to the exchanges of ideas that must have taken place between the various groups that were building computers around the world at the time. The text is readable. A great deal of the material is anecdotal, and the references as to how the information was gathered, and from whom, is worked quite naturally into the narrative without the disruption of constant endnotes and citations. The scarcity of formal references should not be seen as carelessness in research: the author notes conflicting versions of important stories, and the attempts made to determine the correct course of events. Occasionally the book does get ahead of itself and requires fairly careful reading to understand what, at first, appears to be a non-sequitur. However, this kind of problem is quite common in histories and biographies, and Cohen seems to have dealt with it more effectively than most authors. An enjoyable and informative book, illuminating a number of little known areas, and attempting to correct more than a few myths. copyright Robert M. Slade, 1999
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Book description:

"The Aiken Portrait is on a par with Hodge's Turing biography. I found the book thoroughly absorbing--a real page-turner. Not only is it a story of computers, but it is a real slice of American life. It is affectionate and atmospheric, and it carries terrific authority because of Professor Cohen's intimate personal knowledge of Aiken." -- Martin Campbell-Kelly, University of Warwick, UK Howard Hathaway Aiken (1900-1973) was a major figure of the early digital era. He is best known for his first machine, the IBM Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator or Harvard Mark I, conceived in 1937 and put into operation in 1944. But he also made significant contributions to the development of applications for the new machines and to the creation of a university curriculum for computer science. This biography of Aiken, by a major historian of science who was also a colleague of Aiken's at Harvard, offers a clear and often entertaining introduction to Aiken and his times. Aiken's Mark I was the most intensely used of the early large-scale, general-purpose automatic digital computers, and it had a significant impact on the machines that followed. Aiken also proselytized for the computer among scientists, scholars, and businesspeople and explored novel applications in data processing, automatic billing, and production control. But his most lasting contribution may have been the students who received degrees under him and then took prominent positions in academia and industry. I. Bernard Cohen argues convincingly for Aiken's significance as a shaper of the computer world in which we now live.