All topics
Every guide on the site, grouped by topic. 200 articles and counting.
Machines and Interfaces
The hardware that computing runs on and the ways people use it.
Hardware and Systems
- A Brief History of Computer Hardware
- The Development of the First Laptop: A Computing Breakthrough
- The Development of the First Supercomputer: A Computing Breakthrough
- The Evolution of the Microchip: A Brief History
- The History of the Computer Chip: A Computing Milestone
- The History of the Computer Hardware: A Computing Milestone
- The History of the Computer Operating System: A Computing Milestone
Interfaces and Input
- How the Graphical User Interface (GUI) Changed Computing
- How the Introduction of the Mouse Changed Computing Forever
- Stylus and Pen Input on Computers
- The History of the Computer Keyboard Layout: A Computing Milestone
- The History of the Computer Keyboard: A Computing Milestone
- The History of the Computer Mouse: A Computing Milestone
- Touchscreens: How Fingers Became an Input Device
- Trackballs and Touchpads: Pointing Without a Mouse
Early Machines
Personal Computers
Mobile Computing
Storage and Displays
- Storage Media Over Time: From Cards to Flash
- Cathode Ray Tube Displays on Early Computers
- Flash Memory and the Move to Solid-State Storage
- Floppy Disks and Portable Software
- Hard Disk Drives and the Spinning Platter
- Liquid Crystal Displays and Flat Screens
- Magnetic Tape: The Long-Lived Storage Workhorse
- Optical Discs: CD, DVD and Their Relatives
- Punched Cards and Paper Tape as Data Storage
People and Ideas
The thinkers and ideas behind computing.
Early Visions
Computing Overview
- The Evolution of Computing: From Ancient Civilizations to Modern Technology
- The Early Days of Computing: A Look Back
- The First Computers: A Look Back at the Early Years
- The First Software Program: A Look at the Early Days
- The Future of Computing: Emerging Trends and Technologies
- The History of Computer Science
- The Role of Alan Turing in Computing History
People and Teams
- The People and Teams Behind Computing
- Ada Lovelace: Notes, Ideas and Legacy
- Black Mathematicians and Engineers in Computing History
- Computing Beyond the United States and Britain
- Grace Hopper and the Idea of the Compiler
- Hobbyist Clubs and the Communities That Spread Computing
- The Women Programmers of the Early Electronic Era
- Why Computing Was Built by Teams, Not Lone Inventors
- Women Who Shaped Computing
Software and Applications
What computers were taught to do, from design to games to teaching.
Engineering Software
- The History of Computer-Aided Design
- The Development of the First Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM) Software
- The Development of the First Computer-Assisted Design (CAD) Software
- The Early Days of Computer Simulation: A Computing Pioneer
- The Early Days of Computer-Aided Design (CAD) Software
- The Early Days of Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE) Software
- The Early Days of Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE): A Computing Pioneer
- The Early Days of Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM) Software
Graphics and Games
- The Early Days of Computer Gaming
- A Look at the History of Virtual Reality
- The Development of the First Computer-Based Virtual Reality (VR) System
- The Development of the First Virtual Reality (VR) Computer
- The Early Days of Computer Animation: A Computing Pioneer
- The Early Days of Computer Gaming: A Look Back
- The Early Days of Computer Graphics: A Computing Pioneer
- The Early Days of Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI): A Computing Pioneer
- The History of Computer Animation
- The History of Computer Graphics
Business Software
- The Early Days of Computer-Based Customer Relationship Management (CRM) System
- The Development of the First Computer-Based Customer Relationship Management (CRM) System
- The Development of the First Computer-Based Financial Modeling System
- The Development of the First Computer-Based Marketing Automation System
- The Impact of Computing on Business
Learning and Language
- The History of the Computer-Based Education System: A Computing Milestone
- The Development of the First Computer-Based Education System
- The Development of the First Computer-Based Language Translation System
- The History of the Computer-Based Language Translation System: A Computing Milestone
- The Impact of Computing on Education
- The Impact of the Computer on Education and Learning
Sound and Speech
Programming Languages
- A Plain-Language History of Programming Languages
- BASIC and Programming for Beginners
- COBOL and the Language of Business Data
- Compilers and Interpreters: Two Ways to Run Code
- FORTRAN and the Rise of Scientific Programming
- Lisp and the Symbolic Programming Tradition
- Object-Oriented Programming Ideas and Their Origins
- Scripting Languages and Everyday Automation
- The C Language and Portable System Software
Video Game History
- Video Game History: Technology, Business and Play
- Bedroom Programmers and the Home Computer Game Boom
- Computer Role-Playing Games and Their Roots
- Game Consoles and the Cartridge Era
- Game Engines and Reusable Game Software
- Online Multiplayer Games and Shared Worlds
- Pixel Art and Sprites: Making Pictures With Little Memory
- Sound Chips and Game Music
- Text Adventures and Interactive Fiction
Networks and the Web
How computers learned to talk to each other.
Networks and Security
- The History of Computer Networking
- A Brief History of Computer Security
- The Development of the First Computer Virus: A Cautionary Tale
- The Development of the First Computer Viruses
- The Development of the World Wide Web
- The Early Days of Computer Networking and the Internet
- The Early Days of Computer Security: A Computing Challenge
- The Early Days of the Internet: A Computing Revolution
- The History of Computer Networking: A Computing Milestone
- The History of the Computer Network Architecture: A Computing Milestone
- The History of the Computer Network: A Computing Milestone
- The History of the Internet and Computing
- The History of the Internet of Things (IoT): A Computing Revolution
- The History of the World Wide Web: A Computing Milestone
- The Impact of the Computer on Cybersecurity and Data Protection
Web and Search
- The History of the Web and Search
- Bulletin Board Systems and Early Online Communities
- Early Search Engines Before Modern Search
- How HTML and Markup Shaped Web Pages
- How Link-Based Ranking Changed Search
- Hypertext Before the Web
- The History of Electronic Mail
- Web Directories and Human-Curated Lists
- Wikis and Online Encyclopedias
Computers and Society
How computing reached health, nature, transport and everyday life.
Health and Medicine
Earth and Infrastructure
- The Impact of the Computer on Environmental Science and Conservation
- The Development of the First Computer-Based Geographic Information System (GIS)
- The Impact of the Computer on Environmental Monitoring and Conservation
- The Impact of the Computer on Supply Chain Management and Logistics
- The Impact of the Computer on Transportation and Logistics
- The Impact of the Computer on Transportation Systems and Infrastructure
Impact on Society
Schools and Workplaces
- Computers at School and at Work: A Historical Overview
- Computer Literacy Campaigns and Their Lessons
- Email at Work and the Changing Office
- From Typewriters to Word Processors
- How Computer Science Entered the Classroom
- Logo and Teaching Children to Program
- Office Automation and Changing Clerical Jobs
- School Computer Labs and Their Early Days
- The Paperless Office: An Idea That Did Not Quite Happen
Reference Shelf
Plain-language explainers, timelines, glossaries and guides for looking things up.
How Computers Work
- How Computers Work: A Plain-Language Guide Through History
- Analog and Digital Computers Compared
- Binary Numbers and Why Computers Use Them
- Computer Memory Explained: From Delay Lines to Chips
- How Computers Store Text: From Telegraph Codes to Unicode
- Logic Gates: The Building Blocks of Computation
- Relational Databases Explained Historically
- The Stored Program Idea in Plain Terms
- What a Central Processing Unit Does
Computing by Decade
Preserving Computing History
- Preserving Old Computers and Software
- Computer Museums and Collections
- Digital Decay: Why Data Does Not Last Forever
- Emulation: Running Old Software on New Machines
- Manuals and Documentation as Historical Sources
- Reading Old Media: Migrating Data From Obsolete Formats
- Restoring Vintage Computers: What It Involves
- Software Archives and Historical Source Code
Myths and Misconceptions
- Common Myths and Misconceptions in Computing History
- The Computer Bug Story: What the Moth Does and Does Not Prove
- The Internet and the Web Are Not the Same Thing
- The Transistor Doubling Rule Known as Moore's Law
- The Turing Test: What It Is and Is Not
- The Year 2000 Problem: Panic, Preparation and Reality
- Who Invented the Computer? Why There Is No Simple Answer
- Xerox, Apple and the Story of the Graphical Interface