The big switch
Subtitle: rewiring the world, from Edison to Google
By: Nicholas Carr
Edition: 1st ed.
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Co.
Published: 2008
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 278
ISBN-13: 9780393062281
Subjects: Cultuurverandering; Aspect social; Economische aspecten; Internet; Technische vernieuwing; Ordinateurs et civilisation; Technological innovations; Computadores; Inovações tecnológicas; Social aspects; Computers and civilization; Innovations; Informatietechnologie; Technologie de l'information; Sociale verandering; Tecnologia da informação; Information technology
Other titles: Rewiring the world, from Edison to Google
Description: A hundred years ago, companies stopped producing their own power with steam engines and plugged into the newly built electric grid. The cheap power pumped out by electric utilities not only changed how businesses operated but also brought the modern world into existence. Today a similar revolution is under way. Companies are dismantling their private computer systems and tapping into rich services delivered over the Internet. This time it's computing that's turning into a utility. The shift is already remaking the computer industry, bringing new competitors like Google to the fore and threatening traditional stalwarts like Microsoft and Dell. But the effects will reach much further. Cheap computing will ultimately change society as profoundly as cheap electricity did. Here, business journalist Carr weaves together history, economics, and technology to explain why computing is changing--and what it means for all of us.--From publisher description.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 235-260) and index.
Table of contents: title: Burden's wheel; title: The inventor and his clerk; title: Digital millwork; title: Goodbye, Bill Gates; title: The White City; title: World Wide Computer; title: From the many to the few; title: The great unbundling; title: Fighting the net; title: A spider's web; title: iGod; title: Flame and filament.