Shifts - by Brian Kernighan (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

An engaging account of some of the most important shifts in computing and how they have changed how we design, build, program, analyze, connect, and use computers.

From a pioneer in computing and programming languages, and a best-selling author.

We live in a world with far more computers than people. Those computers affect every aspect of our lives, sometimes for better and often for worse. In Shifts, Brian Kernighan tells the story of how we got here, by describing nine shifts that dramatically changed computing--from the stored-program computer to high-level programming languages to billions of computers on the Internet to AI and LLMs. Most of these shifts weren't noticed while they were happening, but they are crystal clear in retrospect. For each shift, the author describes the historical context, explains the technology at an accessible level, and presents some of the people who made it happen.

The "shifts" share the common theme of looking at major changes that have affected how people build, program, and use computers. How did we get to where we are now? What can we learn from that? Can we predict where we might be going? Shifts answers all these questions and more.

Review Quotes

ENDORSEMENTS

"This book is notable for clarity and accuracy. It is replete with concrete examples. A very worthwhile read."
--Vint Cerf, Internet Pioneer

"Kernighan gives us a guided tour of the information revolution by explaining how it happened through vivid accounts of nine great conceptual strides. A fun and thought-provoking trip!"
--Harry R. Lewis, Gordon McKay Professor of Computer Science, Emeritus, Harvard University; author of Leibniz on Binary

About the Author

Brian Kernighan is the William O. Baker *39 Professor in Computer Science at Princeton University. He is a cocreator of a number of tools for document preparation and of several programming languages, including AWK and AMPL, and the author of more than a dozen books, including The C Programming Language, The AWK Programming Language, and UNIX: A History. He is also a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.