According to noted US social commentator, John W Gardner: History never looks like history when you are living through it. It always looks confusing and messy, and it always feels uncomfortable. And so it is proving with the latest computing paradigm, network-centric computing. While the likes of Bill Gates, Larry Ellison et al have dazzled the industry with extravagant rhetoric and futuristic mumbo-jumbo, it remains difficult to understand the realities of the present. For many, questions remain about how the industry arrived at this point, and what may lie ahead. Fortunately, these are questions which David Moschella, former head of research at market analyst firm International Data Corp, and now regular columnist in the US IT trade press, has turned his hand to in his book, Waves of Power: Dynamics of Global Technology Leadership, 1964-2010. While the title may sound less than inspiring, the pages beyond are not. At once a history of the IT industry, and a vision of that industry’s future, Moschella offers a lucid but highly readable account of the past 50 years of computing, from mainframes through to personal computers, on to the evolving global network. The main strength of the book, however, lies not in its capturing of past events – although this is excellent – but in the ability of the author to explain the significance of those events in terms of the present. Equally commendable is his treatment of the future.

Left gasping

Waves of Power explains how the convergence of computers, communications, and consumer electronics will transform these industries, and provides a lucid and realistic vision of the IT landscape of the 21st century. Moschella’s predictions are based on extensive market research, and an in-depth understanding of regional trends and the strengths of individual IT companies. The book will be an equally rewarding read for IT managers and investors alike, and the non-technical reader will find it not only simple to understand, but a useful education. For those who have been left gasping by the explosion on the computing scene of the network-centric era, Waves of Power should enable them to begin to put its significance into perspective.

Reviewed by Jessica Twentyman. Waves of Power: The Dynamics of Global Technology Leadership 1964-2010 By David C. Moschella Publisher: IDG – $29.95 ISBN 0-81440379-4