An Atlas of Computing
A map of computing
From Euclid's algorithm in the third century BC to generative models that write code. Not a syllabus — a map you can wander: every node opens onto its history, its people, and the techniques next door.
- Domains
- 13
- Topics
- 75
- Milestones
- 326
- Span
- 2300+ yrs
01 — Domains
Thirteen domains
Computer science is not a tree but an archipelago of cross-references. Each domain has its own language, methods and history, and shares its border problems with its neighbours.
Foundations & Mathematics
. Formal Logic · Probability & Statistics · Boolean Algebra & Switching Circuits…
Enter domain →Theory of Computation
. Turing Machine · Lambda Calculus · Computability & the Halting Problem…
Enter domain →Algorithms & Data Structures
. Graph Algorithms · Sorting & Searching · Dynamic Programming…
Enter domain →Computer Architecture
. Von Neumann Architecture · Transistor & Integrated Circuit · Memory Hierarchy & Caches…
Enter domain →Operating Systems
. Batch & Time-Sharing Systems · Virtual Memory · Processes & Threads…
Enter domain →Computer Networks
. Packet Switching & ARPANET · Wireless & Mobile Networks · Ethernet & LAN…
Enter domain →Programming Languages & Compilers
. Compilers & Optimization · FORTRAN · LISP & Functional Programming…
Enter domain →Software Engineering
. The Software Crisis · Waterfall & the Software Lifecycle · Version Control & Git…
Enter domain →Data & Databases
. The Relational Model · SQL · Transactions & ACID…
Enter domain →Artificial Intelligence
. Dartmouth & Symbolic AI · Perceptron & Connectionism · Expert Systems & AI Winter…
Enter domain →Graphics & Human–Computer Interaction
. Sketchpad & Interactive Graphics · GUIs & Human–Computer Interaction · Virtual & Augmented Reality…
Enter domain →Security & Cryptography
. Public-Key Cryptography · Hashes & Message Authentication · Vulnerabilities & Attacks…
Enter domain →Distributed Systems & Frontiers
. Bioinformatics · Distributed Systems · Quantum Computing…
Enter domain →Open Atlas
A fourteenth domain?
The map keeps growing. Domains and topics live in separate data files — new nodes and edges are welcome. How to extend →02 — Paths
Paths
If this is your first visit, pick one thread and follow it to the end. Each path is a story, not a checklist.
From Logic to Machines
A road from Aristotle to Turing: how people wrote reasoning down as formal rules, and then discovered the limits of those rules.
From Transistor to Cloud
How computing went from vacuum tubes in one room to data centres around the world — hardware, abstraction and scale in three movements.
From ARPANET to the Web
How a group of people trying to connect computers accidentally built the infrastructure modern society runs on.
From Perceptron to LLM
Two winters and three waves: seventy years of machine learning as one long experiment in representation, data and compute.
From Code to Software
When a program grows from one person’s draft into infrastructure for millions, how does engineering answer scale, time and people?
Build your own
Build Your Own
There is no single route. Start anywhere, follow the links, and pick a direction when the path forks.
03 — Timeline
Timeline
04 — Anywhere
Start anywhere.
The map has no single entrance. Enter by domain, browse by year, or let chance pick the next stop.