In the Beginning

This book captures where we are today through a tour of yesterday's achievements to help us better understand the evolution of computing technology. This book recounts the experiences of those who formed and functioned in the "Pioneering Era" of software. In the Beginning: Recollections of Software Pioneers records the stories of computing's past, enabling today's professionals to improve on the realities of yesterday. The stories in this book clearly show modern concepts, such as data abstraction, modularity, and structured approaches, date much earlier in the field than their appearance in academic literature. These stories help capture the true evolution. - Back cover.