Acknowledgments

Fortunately, books are not measured by the productivity of their authors in words per hour, for I have spent more time researching, contemplating, writing, and revising the words in this book than I care to admit. I would like to thank my advisers, who guided my initial forays into the transatlantic history of computing at the University of Pennsylvania: Ruth Schwartz Cowan, who nudged me into choosing a topic that took advantage of my German background, always encouraged me to do my best, and generously shared professional advice as well as personal concerns; Nathan Ensmenger, who introduced me to the history of computing and was a steadfast supporter with levelheaded advice; Tom Misa, who readily supported me even before he joined my committee as an external adviser, and who has continued to back my work through helpful comments and advice; and Ron Granieri, who joined my committee late to lend his expertise in German history, and who continues to cheer me on. I would also like to thank the faculty and grad students in the History and Sociology of Science Department who created an always intellectually engaging community in a cooperative environment with teatimes (thanks, Jeremy!), journal clubs, and office conversations in which new ideas could be freely tried, critiqued, improved, and if necessary, discarded. I would particularly like to mention my writing groups with Andi Johnson, Emily Pawley, Divya Roy, Hilary Smith, and Dominique Tobbell. Since then, the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) has become the institutional home for my work, and my thanks go to dear colleagues in the history department and across our college for their unwavering personal and professional support as well as to our college's deans for accommodations to balance work and life.