Published to tie in with a BBC2 series starting in September 1991, of which Jon Palfreman is the Executive Producer, this book explores the extraordinary rise of a new technology and the remarkable people behind it. It examines the past, present and future of computers - the machines that have dramatically changed the way in which people live, work, learn, make decisions and spend their leisure time. The first computers were massive and expensive machines that did little more than calculate and record census data. Today, on small desktop computers, it is possible to generate complex graphics, diagnose diseases and tap into libraries of information - all at the push of a button. Here, the authors chronicle the remarkable, and sometimes sinister, advances in computer technology. They also relate the human stories behind the machines - the colourful visionaries, brilliant scientists and engineers, industrial pioneers, college drop-outs and corporate malcontents whose entrepreneurial spirit gave the world a machine that holds infinite possibilities.