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OverviewAt last - the secrets of Bletchley Park's powerful codebreaking computers. This is a history of Colossus, the world's first fully-functioning electronic digital computer. Colossus was used during the Second World War at the Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park, where it played an invaluable role cracking enemy codes. Until very recently, much about the Colossus machine was shrouded in secrecy, largely because the codes that were employed remained in use by the British security services until a short time ago. This book has only become possible due to the recent declassification in the US of wartime documents. With an introductory essay on cryptography and the history of code-breaking by Simon Singh, this book reveals the workings of Colossus and the extraordinary staff at Bletchley Park through personal accounts by those who lived and worked with the computer. Among them is the testimony of Thomas Flowers, who was the architect of Colossus and whose personal account, written shortly before he died, is published here for the first time. Other essays consider the historical importance of this remarkable machine, and its impact on the generations of computing technology that followed. Full Product DetailsAuthor: B. Jack Copeland (Professor of Philosophy at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, and Director of the Turing Archive for the History of Computing)Publisher: Oxford University Press Imprint: Oxford University Press Dimensions: Width: 16.20cm , Height: 4.30cm , Length: 24.20cm Weight: 0.901kg ISBN: 9780192840554ISBN 10: 019284055 Pages: 480 Publication Date: 15 April 2003 Audience: General/trade , General Format: Hardback Publisher's Status: Active Availability: Out of stock The supplier is temporarily out of stock of this item. It will be ordered for you on backorder and shipped when it becomes available. Table of ContentsReviewsAn engaging book that will be essential reading for historians of twentieth-century technology and warfare. Nature formidably detailed Guardian compelling compilation New Scientist Author InformationJack Copeland is a Reader in Philosophy and Director of the Turing Project at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand. A contributor to Scientific American, his books include Turing's Machines, Artificial Intelligence, and The Essential Turing. Tab Content 6Author Website:Countries AvailableAll regions |