The microprocessor

Description

This book is not what it seems. It appears to be about technology, but it is really about people. It looks like a history book, but it is really an adventure story. Even its title is an oxymoron. The Microprocessor: A Biography was not written for a select audience, but for every audience -- and especially for the general reader. The general reader, with little or no understanding of electronics and computers, will find a complete overview of the microprocessor written in a style that is intentionally non-technical and that takes great pains to explain complicated topics. He or she will also find, I hope, an entertaining story about human ambition, greed, teamwork, feuds, and glory. - Preface.

Description

The microprocessor, the "computer on a chip", is one of the most influential products of the century. Without it, there would be no personal computers, no communications revolution and few of the daily miracles in medical care, industry, transportation and homelife we've come to expect from high technology. Now, to celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of its invention, The Microprocessor: A Biography tells the complete story of this amazing invention for the first time. Technology neophytes will find in this book the most understandable explanation ever written about how microprocessors are made and how they work. Students will find an entertaining and readable text. And industry veterans will find they have a new reference source for their careers. But The Microprocessor: A Biography is much more than a book about electronics. It is, in fact, an exciting, and incisive, adventure story about extraordinary people and the legendary companies they built. The names come from today's newspapers: Andy Grove, Jerry Sanders, Robert Galvin, Motorola, Intel, AMD, IBM. It is a story of huge successes and devastating failures, bitter rivalries and enduring partnerships, hubris, genius and staggering wealth. And that story has just begun. The Microprocessor: A Biography closes with a tantalizing look at the future - and the ongoing technology revolution the microprocessor will propel through the rest of our lives.

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