From Airline Reservations to Sonic the Hedgehog: A History of the Software Industry

This historical account traces the evolution of the software industry from its origins in the 1950s to its emergence as a major component of the US economy. Rather than focusing on a single dominant corporation, the narrative explores the diverse ecosystem of firms that developed specialized programs, corporate packages, and mass-market products. It highlights the business models and market strategies that allowed the industry to expand from a handful of contractors to a global infrastructure provider.

The text corrects the common perception that the industry revolves around a single entity by detailing the contributions of various players, including those behind critical but less publicly known systems like IBM's CICS and SAP's R/3. By examining the breadth of the sector, the book provides a comprehensive view of how software became a fundamental element of modern information technology, offering a structured analysis of the economic and technical forces that shaped its development.

Description adapted from Open Library ↗.