You can't afford not to understand the information revolution that's sweeping the world-but who's got time for all the acronyms and hype most technology books give you? The Essential Guide to Computing demystifies the digital society we live in with an intelligent, thorough, and up-to-date explanation of computer, networking, and Internet technologies. It's perfect for smart professionals who want to get up to speed, but don't have computer science or engineering degrees! You'll find up-to-the-minute coverage on all of today's hottest technologies including:
-- The evolution of computing: from the room-sized "monoliths" of the 1950s to today's global Internet
-- Preview of the next revolution: "pervasive computing"
-- Computer hardware: microprocessors, memory, storage, I/O, displays, and architecture
-- Windows, Macintosh, UNIX/Linux, DOS, NetWare, Palm: what operating systems do, and how they compare
-- Programming languages: from machine language to advanced object-oriented technologies
-- Key software applications: databases, spreadsheets, word processing, voice recognition, and beyond
-- Microsoft and the software industry: where they stand, where they're headed
-- How networks work: LANs, WANs, packet switching, hardware, media, and more
-- The Internet, e-commerce, and security
-- Enterprise applications: data warehousing, Web-centered development, and groupware

Whether you're a consumer, investor, marketer, or executive, this is your start-to-finish briefing on the information technologies that have changed the world-and the coming technologies that will transform it yet again!