[SIGCIS-Members] New collection on (IT and other) standardization: History of Technology vol 28

[Andrew Russell]

(I just sent this to the Mercurians list - Andrew Butrica forwarded  
James's SIGCIS post - and thought I would also post it here)

Following James Sumner's lead, I have also posted a 'preprint' of my  
piece at http://arussell.org/papers/Russell_HoT_28_preprint.pdf

I am embarrassed to find that I failed to acknowledge an enlightening  
conversation with Sheldon Hochheiser, who helped me understand the  
evolution of AT&T's coin-operated telephones.

Andy Russell


On May 20, 2009, at 4:09 AM, James Sumner wrote:

> Dear all
>
> Listmembers may be interested in a new collection, edited by myself  
> and Graeme
> Gooday (Leeds), entitled "By whose standards? Standardization,  
> stability and
> uniformity in the history of information and electrical  
> technologies". This is
> Volume 28 of the annual series _History of Technology_ (series  
> editor: Ian
> Inkster), and carries a 2008 date.
>
> Alongside several chapters on electrical engineering and related  
> topics, there
> are pieces by Laura DeNardis (Yale) on the post-IPv4 Internet  
> addressing
> controversy; Frank Veraart (TU Eindhoven) on Basicode, the Dutch- 
> originated
> lingua franca for hobbyist computing, used for radio software  
> transmission in
> 1980s Europe; and myself on the roles of compatibility in the  
> development of
> proprietary and PC-compatible microcomputer formats.
>
> Another contributor who will be familiar to many on this list is  
> Andrew Russell
> (Stevens), who's also worked on IP/OSI issues -- his chapter here  
> is from rather
> earlier in his research period, looking at AT&T's drastic standards- 
> focused
> reaction to the 'telephone slug' racket in the 1920s. Full contents  
> below.
>
> A preprint of the volume introduction, which is also intended as a  
> a survey of
> relevant literature on standards and technological negotiation, is  
> online at
> <http://www.jbsumner.com/offprints/2008-history-of-technology- 
> intro.pdf>
>
> The volume's available now from Continuum. The international  
> standing of the
> pound sterling being what it is, purchasers may be best served by  
> going through
> the UK outlet: order page via <http://www.tinyurl.com/hot28>. The  
> US order page
> is at <http://www.tinyurl.com/hot28us>.
>
> All comments welcome.
> Best regards
> James
>
> ---
> History of Technology Volume 28
> Special Issue: By whose standards? Standardization, stability and  
> uniformity in
> the history of information and electrical technologies
> ISBN: 9780826438751
>
> Table Of Contents
>
> Introduction: does standardization make things standard?
> James Sumner and Graeme Gooday
>
> IPv6: standards controversies around the next-generation Internet
> Laura DeNardis
>
> Standardization across the boundaries of the Bell System, 1920-1938
> Andrew L Russell
>
> Morality, locality and 'standardization' in the work of British  
> consulting
> electrical engineers, 1880-1914
> Stathis Arapostathis
>
> Perceptions, standardization and closure: the case of artificial  
> illumination
> Chris Otter
>
> Standards and compatibility: the rise of the PC computing platform
> James Sumner
>
> Basicode: co-producing a microcomputer Esperanto
> Frank Veraart
>
> Battery birds, 'stimulighting' and 'twilighting': the ecology of  
> standardized
> poultry technology
> Karen Sayer
> ---
>
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