Capturing where we are today through a tour of yesterday’s achievements and helping us better understand the evolution of computing technology, this book recounts the experiences of those who formed and functioned in the Pioneering Era. In the Beginning: Recollections of Software Pioneers records the stories of computing’s past enabling today’s professionals to improve on the realities of yesterday. The stories in this book clearly show modern concepts such as data abstraction, modularity, and structured approaches date much earlier in the field than their appearance in academic literature. These stories help capture the true evolution. The book illustrates human experiences and industry turning points through personal recollections of the pioneers themselves.