Entering the Computer Age: The Computer Industry in Canada; The First Thirty Years

Margaret Dowling was a Toronto librarian.

The authors were editors of Computer Data magazine and have since collaborated on many articles and reports about Canada’s data processing and telecommunication industry. They wrote this book at the request of Datacrown, Inc., in observance of that company’s tenth anniversary.

This non-technical book traces Canada’s role in the computer field through its 30-year history. The men and women who were visionaries in the ‘50s made an industry come alive that inhabits every area of our lives. At every stage of the development of the computer, from the pioneering research of the University of Toronto group, to the latest minis and micro-computers that have found their way into homes and offices around the world, Canadians have contributed impressively.

The government-appointed task force recommended policies for the computer/communications industry which made Canada the first country to see the computer industry as a social phenomenon worthy of policy.

This book takes a detailed look at the history of companies and people in the industry, not overlooking the reverses, but giving a good account of the progress made. The brief histories and anecdotes keep the history light and informative. The authors are optimistic that the people and the companies look forward to the future of this natural resource as a challenge to their imagination and creativity.