Scott McCartney

Inventions are invariably a tricky business. With very few exceptions, not many things sprang forth fully-formed from the minds of one (or two, or whatever) people. Even Isaac Newton reminded people of the ideas of those who came before him, when discussing his genius. This is not to diminish those inventors, but to point out that Ford didn't invent the automobile, Edison didn't invent the lightbulb, and if Bell was the first to crank out a telephone, it was by maybe a month. Tops.

The show more computer is no different. A number of different people were working in the space of electronic calculating machines, to various degrees of "electronic" and "actually having it work." The two main inventors of the ENIAC machine, Mauchley and Eckert, have been (in the author's view — I haven't read around enough to make a judgment, though Wikipedia backs him up) relegated both in terms of their invention itself (pre-empted by a "digital computer" called the ABC that could only do one operation and, by the way, never actually worked) as well as their role in it, as various collaborators and hangers-on strove to take the credit.

McCartney goes in for a deep dive, sourcing journals, interviews and various papers to restore the Digital Dyad (terrible name for a superhero team) to their rightful place in history. He traces them from their nerdy, tinkering roots through the creation of the ENIAC (and its voluminous red tape) through to the (understandably slightly bitter) ends of their lives. Eckert, for one, always hoped that history would prove to be a more fair arbiter of their role in computing history; this book is a good step in that direction. show less

Inventions are invariably a tricky business. With very few exceptions, not many things sprang forth fully-formed from the minds of one (or two, or whatever) people. Even Isaac Newton reminded people of the ideas of those who came before him, when discussing his genius. This is not to diminish those inventors, but to point out that Ford didn't invent the automobile, Edison didn't invent the lightbulb, and if Bell was the first to crank out a telephone, it was by maybe a month. Tops.

The show more computer is no different. A number of different people were working in the space of electronic calculating machines, to various degrees of "electronic" and "actually having it work." The two main inventors of the ENIAC machine, Mauchley and Eckert, have been (in the author's view — I haven't read around enough to make a judgment, though Wikipedia backs him up) relegated both in terms of their invention itself (pre-empted by a "digital computer" called the ABC that could only do one operation and, by the way, never actually worked) as well as their role in it, as various collaborators and hangers-on strove to take the credit.

McCartney goes in for a deep dive, sourcing journals, interviews and various papers to restore the Digital Dyad (terrible name for a superhero team) to their rightful place in history. He traces them from their nerdy, tinkering roots through the creation of the ENIAC (and its voluminous red tape) through to the (understandably slightly bitter) ends of their lives. Eckert, for one, always hoped that history would prove to be a more fair arbiter of their role in computing history; this book is a good step in that direction. show less

The computer emerges from the fog of history without an origin. Ask anyone who invented the computer and few could say, and for good reason because it's complicated. Yet there is no doubt that the ENIAC was the first true computer in the sense of what we think a computer is. This is what we learn in Scott McCartney's 1999 book, that John Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert at the University of Pennsylvania invented the first computer. Unfortunately it is not true. There is almost no mention of the show more British computer at Bletchley Park called the Colossus which broke the German encryption machine, Enigma, the first run being in early 1944, more than a year before ENIAC started running..

How did McCartney get it so wrong? Well for one it makes for a good story about overlooked underdogs, and neatly solves the question "Who invented the computer?" with a name and a face. There is no doubt Mauchly and Eckert were pioneers and made major advancements and they deserve every credit given to them. Except inventors of the first computer. There are some other things in the book that seem suspect, like the word "computer" originated with ENIAC.

Scott McCartney is a good writer and tells a complex story but he overreaches in the end. I'm glad I read this as it provides a more intimate understanding of Mauchly and Eckert and what they achieved with ENIAC, but I'm still looking for a more comprehensive history. show less

So many history of computing books focus on colorful long hairs with post-hippie philosophies that this is both refreshing and jarring for the business, patent, and priority squabbles it details. Interestingly, John von Neumann comes across as the most unethical in using his prestige to grab more than his share of the credit.

This audiobook is so unabridged it includes the source notes.