April 2011 - Members - lists.sigcis.org

2010: SIGCIS's Year in Review
by Thomas Haigh 03 Nov '11

03 Nov '11

Dear SIGCIS members, I hope this end of year message finds you all well and in a relaxed holiday mood. SIGCIS has had another good year, reaching new heights on every measurable aspect of our activities. The number of members reached a new high (over 250), the number and quality of contributions to the email list was greater than ever before, we raised more money at our annual lunch with our book auctions and small than ever before ($1,486) and gave out more travel grants (www.sigcis.org/travelaward) to participants than ever before ($2,400). Our second annual workshop received more submissions than the first, and more people attended. The Mahoney Fund (www.sigcis.org/mahoney) holds its highest balance to date (over $8,000) after its best year of donations so far (at least $2,850). So does our operating account (around $3,500). For the most part, then, it was a year of consolidation and incremental growth. If something can be done annually for several years then it becomes a tradition, and perhaps the most crucial stumbling block is doing something twice. SIGCIS made the second Computer History Museum award (http://www.sigcis.org/chmprize) to Atsushi Akera for his book Computing a Natural World. The second SIGCIS Workshop, http://www.sigcis.org/workshop10, was a great success. See the full report at http://www.sigcis.org/node/13. We are already planning for next year's. SHOT's 2011 meeting is collocated with the IEEE Annals of the History of Computing editorial board meeting, as well as with several scholarly societies, and so we anticipate a particularly good turnout among the field's best known scholars. Despite our focus on institutional sustainability the SIGCIS team did launch several new projects. These fit with our philosophy of looking for simple, easy and low cost ways to strengthen the international scholarly community in history of computing. This year's breakout hit was the syllabus repository (http://www.sigcis.org/syllabi) It now holds around forty syllabi showcasing a broad range of approaches to teaching in the area. (Here's a new year resolution: if you have a new syllabus and are willing to share it please send a copy now to secretary(a)sigcis.org) Our team of international vice presidents added new resource guides for the history of computing in Britain (http://www.sigcis.org/britain) and Japan (http://www.sigcis.org/japan) We also added a new edition of Anne Fitzpatrick's Pioneers of Soviet Computing to the Member Contributions area (http://www.sigcis.org/contributions) Next year we will be looking for new ways to strengthen this part of the website. Another new initiative is currently unfolding. Behind the scenes we updated the site this year to use a current release of Drupal, fixing some glitches that had accumulated over the years. Our platform includes blogging and comment capabilities, and we have been experimenting with the best way to use it. Chris McDonald of Princeton and Marie Hicks of Duke have recently joined the SIGCIS executive committee (http://www.sigcis.org/node/6) and have taken special responsibility for this. Dag Spicer will also be blogging to keep us up to date with events at the Computer History Museum. You can see the latest from them at http://www.sigcis.org/blog. All SIGCIS members can login to post comments. If you would like your own blog on the site them please contact us. In the future we will be experimenting with ways to use blogs, wikis, and the email list together - for example by asking a question by email and then having answers accumulate on a blog page. Another good new year resolution: check your entry in our member directory at http://www.sigcis.org/members and make any updates needed by logging in at http://www.sigcis.org/user. Thanks to all of you who have contributed to SIGCIS over the past year, whether as email posters, organizers, donors, syllabus providers, bidders in the book auction, workshop attendees, or readers of our website and messages. If you have ideas on how to make 2011 another record breaking year for the SIG, or would like to get involved as a volunteer, then please get in touch. Happy holidays, Tom Haigh, SIGCIS chair www.tomandmaria.com/tom

3 2

Vintage Computer Festival, revisited
by Evan Koblentz 27 May '11

27 May '11

Hi all, I never seem to get much interest from SIGCIS people for the Vintage Computer Festival, but the upcoming edition (VCF East 7.0) might appeal more to this group than in years past. This year's speaker line-up includes Ruth Lewart, who worked on Bell Labs' TRADIC; Vincent Pogorzelski and Donald Caselli, who both worked at Monroe Calculator and specifically worked with the Monrobot XI; Joe LaViola and Al Rollin, both of UNIVAC/Unisys; and Michael Holley, who was a member of the Homebrew Computer Club and is an expert on Southwest Technical Products. Also this year, we're having a panel discussion about the New York City / New Jersey / Philadelphia region in the mid-1970s, including Roger Amidon (of Xitan / Technical Design Labs, which were S-100 companies), Dick Moberg (founder of the Philadelphia Area Computer Society and the 1978 Philadelphia Computer Music Festival), and Larry Stein (owner of Computer Mart of Iselin, N.J., which was one of the first computer stores in the state.) For this panel we also invited (but have not yet received confirmations from) John Dilks, who produced the Atlantic City PC'76 show; Sol Libes, who produced and still runs the Trenton Computer Festival and the Amateur Computer Group of New Jersey (possibly the longest-running user group); and David Ahl, who published Creative Computing magazine. And that's just in the morning sessions. Afternoons at our event feature the exhibit hall, a build-your-own transistor-logic circuit workshop, book sale, consignment, and museum tours. Our venue is the InfoAge Science Center, located in Wall, New Jersey. Our event is a wonderful opportunity to hear from people who worked in the field and (most important of all) to see vintage computers boot up and run again! Our event site is http://www.vintage.org/2011/east/ and we're on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/vcfeast7 . - Evan

3 3

Photos, etc. related to UCSD Pascal
by William McMillan 29 Apr '11

29 Apr '11

Greetings, all. Some work I did a while ago on UCSD Pascal is the basis for an upcoming article in IEEE Spectrum. They'd like to have interesting illustrations, so I sent them links to various images out on the web. Besides sometimes thorny copyright issues (thanks, Tom Haigh, for you recent comments on those), most images on the web are too low-res. I searched the CBI and Computer History Museum archives and found some manuals and the like, but not much that looks useful as illustrations. I haven't asked Apple yet (they distributed UCSD Pascal as Apple Pascal). I'm in touch with Ken Bowles, the leader of the UCSD Pascal project, and have asked him what he might have. I'll also be getting in touch with other early participants in the work. Do any of you have suggestions about where I might find some good graphics for this article? Thanks. Bill

1 0

Event Summary articlepublished: Paul Allen on MSFT then and Now at CHM
by Alan J Weissberger 28 Apr '11

28 Apr '11

http://viodi.com/2011/04/27/paul-allen-on-microsoft-then-and-now/ Please comment in the box below the article Thanks Alan J Weissberger, ScD IEEE ComSoc SCV Chairman Google voice: 650 469 3159 www.comsocscv.org

1 0

CFP: Journal of Information Technology Special Issue: Why History Matters
by Thomas Haigh 28 Apr '11

28 Apr '11

This special issue may be of interest. In this context, "information systems" means the use of computers for business administration. (I believe it evolved historically as the "M" was gradually dropped from MIS beginning in the 1970s). The intention behind the special issue seems good, particularly its attention to historiographic issues, and there are some respectable names behind it. I did notice that not one of the twelve people named as senior or associate editors is what you might call a card carrying historian of computing. Getting some work from our community into the issue might be a good way of bridging that divide. One topic I've been thinking of lately is the challenge of trying to study the history of a field from within and possible models for the happy interaction of insider and outsider history. (This is, of course, a perennial topic of conversation at IEEE Annals board meetings). Tom From: sighfis-l-bounces(a)asis.org [mailto:sighfis-l-bounces@asis.org] On Behalf Of Kathryn La Barre Sent: Thursday, April 28, 2011 12:55 PM To: sighfis-l(a)asis.org Subject: [Sighfis-l] CFP: Journal of Information Technology Special Issue: Why History Matters Call for Papers for a Special Issue of Journal of Information Technology Information Systems: Why History Matters Senior Editors: Antony Bryant Alistair Black Frank Land Jaana Porra Any discipline or field of professional practice has a history. A proper understanding of the discipline needs to be based on a widespread awareness of that history. The field of information systems (IS) is no different in this regard. As the IS field matures, it needs to evolve a historical perspective on its own subject matter. Although there has been some significant work within IS studies that relies upon and uses historical data, there is little by way of information historiography to guide further work and future research. This is ironic given that information systems themselves are now the fons et origo of contemporary (richly demonstrated by the recent WIKILEAKS affair) and future archives. In addition, there is significant reliance upon case studies, and other forms of historical narrative, in IS research and general IS literature. So it is essential that those working within IS studies understand the role and nature of archives and other historical sources, both in terms of a resource for research into information history, and as a topic for discussion amongst archivists, historians, and other information and information system researchers and professionals: Also developing an awareness of the processes underlying the development of archives as social artefacts. The interest in producing IS history encompasses many disciplines and varying perspectives on IS. The IS discipline itself is closely related to other disciplines or research domains, such as information studies, information science, library history, organizational studies, business studies, software engineering (including requirements engineering), HCI, AI, CAD/CAM, criminology, social studies, behavioural sciences, economics and communication studies - although all too often these links are ignored or simply forgotten. In so doing, the IS community is missing an opportunity to engage with, and learn from, others with differing perspectives on topics of common interest. Furthermore, this engenders an uneasy feeling that many current IS issues and concerns might be at least partially resolved with a better knowledge and understanding of 'information history' in its broadest sense. The purpose of this special issue is to provide a broad based platform for an IS historical discourse. Thus, we welcome contributions from all fields that are concerned with the IS subject matter. While many aspects and areas of IS studies rely on historical data, evidence and archives, the common goal is to produce a body of IS history. In this spirit, we invite contributions on a variety of topics related to IS history. Such topics may touch upon fundamental philosophical questions such as: What is IS history? At a more practical level, they may include areas such as: * the development of information history as a multidisciplinary research effort * an analysis of historical approaches and methods and what these can provide for the IS researcher * the existence of primary sources for IS history, and associated problems of access and methodology * the nature of the archive * good examples of the use of historiographic approaches to IS studies * previously unpublished histories * the study of the evolution of the IS disciplines * how the boundaries of the discipline were set and defined * the study of the evolution of IS organization, practice and management, including such practices as outsourcing * the study of the evolution of the IS profession * the study of the evolution of the role of information systems and professionals in organizations * the study of the evolution of IS design methodologies * the study of evolution of IS applications * exploring the management of change * the importance of understanding the pre-history of IS as currently defined, including continuities or contrasts with earlier pre-computer phases, technologies and systems * the study of IS innovation and diffusion including: stages of growth models; the study of IS success and failure; use and policies around public and private archives * information archives in the age of Freedom of Information legislation, PR and spin * the use of history as an instrument for understanding the present and planning the future; and the consequent dangers of 'presentism' * the inevitability of the 'double hermeneutic' in unravelling the historical record ASSOCIATE EDITORS Frank Bannister, Trinity College, Dublin Rudy Hirschheim, Distinguished Professor of Information Systems at the EJ Ourso College of Business Administration at Louisiana State University, USA Nathalie Mitev, Department of Information Systems, LSE, UK Neil Pollock, Reader in e-business, University of Edinburgh, UK Neil Ramiller Professor of Management, School of Business Administration, Portland State University Boyd Rayward, Professor Emeritus, University of Illinois, USA Burt Swanson, Professor and Area Chair for Information Systems at the UCLA Anderson School, USA Toni Weller, Visiting Research Fellow in History, Department of Historical and Social Studies, De Montfort University, UK DEADLINES & SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS Information about JIT, including formatting requirements, can be found at http://www.palgrave-journals.com/jit/index.html Questions about the special issue can be directed to Tony Bryant [a.bryant(a)leedsmet.ac.uk] Papers should be submitted to JIT [JITedoffice(a)lse.ac.uk] with the title of the Special Issue in the Subject Line. Timetable: December 31 2011 Articles submitted July 31 2012 Reviews returned to authors October 31 2012 Revised version of articles due December 31 2012 Final papers selected June 2013 Publication of Special Issue -- Kathryn La Barre Assistant Professor Graduate School of Library and Information Science University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

1 0

[Fwd: [EASST-Eurograd] Deadline & submission guidelines for Theorising Development and Technological Change - Special Issue of the Information Systems Journal]
by Petri Paju 28 Apr '11

28 Apr '11

All, just in case (and hoping) someone has anything historical and relevant for this (and ready) to offer for the call below. Petri ** Dear all, This is the final reminder for the Special Issue of the Information Systems Journal on “Theorising Development and Technological Change” *CFP*: http://www.isj-editors.org/?p=300 *Submission deadline:* 2nd of May 2011 *Submission guidelines* Please also note that submissions must be made via Manuscript central (not by email) Manuscripts should not normally exceed 7000 words and should be submitted online at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/isj. Authors will have to select Special Issue Submission as the manuscript type. Author guidelines are available at http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journals/isj/. All submissions will be peer-reviewed following the double-blind review process of ISJ. We look forward to your submissions Thanks and kind regards, Gianluca Miscione Dr. Gianluca Miscione Assistant Professor in Geo-Information and Organization Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation University of Twente Address: Hengelosestraat 99 7514 AE Enschede The Netherlands email: g.miscione(a)utwente.nl <mailto:g.miscione@utwente.nl> phone: +31 53 48 74 231 http://www.itc.nl/about_itc/resumes/miscione.aspx ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC) University of Twente Chamber of Commerce: 501305360000 E-mail disclaimer The information in this e-mail, including any attachments, is intended for the addressee only. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution or action in relation to the content of this information is strictly prohibited. If you have received this e-mail by mistake, please delete the message and any attachment and inform the sender by return e-mail. ITC accepts no liability for any error or omission in the message content or for damage of any kind that may arise as a result of e-mail transmission. -- Petri Paju, tutkijatohtori, Turun yliopisto -- Ph.D. Researcher, Univ. of Turku http://users.utu.fi/petpaju/ (new article: Computing Close to Iron Curtain: Czechoslovakia and Finland) http://www.ths.fi/bibliography.htm (new) _______________________________________________ EASST's Eurograd mailing list Eurograd(a)lists.easst.net http://lists.easst.net/listinfo.cgi/eurograd-easst.net Report abuses of this list to Eurograd-owner(a)lists.easst.net

1 0

FW: [Sigtis-l] ASIST> SIG-SI: 2010 Social Informatics Best Paper Award
by Thomas Haigh 27 Apr '11

27 Apr '11

See below for a best published paper prize. The place of history within "social informatics" is not entirely clear (the new category was supposed to cover examination of the use and shaping of IT within many disciplines including business schools, sociology, anthropology, computer science, design, etc but in practice has gained traction primarily within former library science schools and even there rather unevenly). Still, if you have published something about the use of IT within some kind of STS framework it be worth nominating it. Particularly if you used the words "social informatics" at any point. Tom -----Original Message----- From: sigtis-l-bounces(a)asis.org [mailto:sigtis-l-bounces@asis.org] On Behalf Of Howard Rosenbaum Sent: Tuesday, April 26, 2011 11:06 AM To: sigtis-l(a)asis.org Subject: [Sigtis-l] ASIST> SIG-SI: 2010 Social Informatics Best Paper Award Call for nominations for the Social Informatics Best Paper Award The Special Interest Group for Social Informatics (SIG-SI) is seeking nominations for an award for the best paper published in a peer reviewed journal on a topic informed by social informatics during the 2010 calendar year. The author or authors will present their paper and receive a $1,000 cash award at the 2011 Annual Meeting of the American Society for Information Science and Technology in New Orleans in October, 2011. Nominations letters should be sent to Howard Rosenbaum (hrosenba(a)indiana.edu) or Pnina Shachaf (shachaf(a)indiana.edu) by June 30, 2011 and must include a full citation, a brief explanation for the nomination, and a copy of the article. Self nominations are acceptable. Winners will be notified by July 31, 2011. ASIS&T Special Interest Group for Social Informatics _______________________________________________ Sigtis-l mailing list Sigtis-l(a)asis.org http://mail.asis.org/mailman/listinfo/sigtis-l

1 0

Paul Allen Interview at CHM
by Dag Spicer 27 Apr '11

27 Apr '11

Dear friends, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen gave a long interview and book signing at the Computer History Museum on Monday night. You can see the interview at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho7cBrFlVqY&feature=youtu.be Best wishes, Dag

1 0

Volume 4 of Knuth!
by Ceruzzi, Paul 22 Apr '11

22 Apr '11

Amazon has listed volume "4A" of Knuth. I won't believe it until I get my hands on it. Volume Three (Sorting and Searching), was published in 1973. Does this strike anyone else besides me as strange? Knuth had a huge influence the history of computing--besides his contribution to computing. I use the past tense because I haven't seen Volume 4 yet. I wrote a bit more on this in the IT History blog (ithistory.org/blog) Paul E. Ceruzzi Chair, Division of Space History National Air & Space Museum MRC 311; PO Box 37012 Washington, DC 20013-7012 202-633-2414 <http://www.nasm.si.edu/staffDetail.cfm?staffID=24>

5 6

DYSEAC and Fort Monmouth question
by Evan Koblentz 18 Apr '11

18 Apr '11

Hi all, In the past few years I have become very familiar with DYSEAC, which was a "portable" computer (two 40-foot trailers!) made by the U.S. National Bureau of Standards starting in 1953. It was made in D.C. and transported for testing to the White Sands (New Mexico) Signal Agency. Alas, it never got beyond the testing stage, and so the Army didn't have a working portable computer until MOBIDIC three years later. Tonight I was thumbing through the third edition (1963) of Ned Chapin's "An Introduction to Automatic Computers". Page 190 contains a chart of computer installations, and it cites DYSEAC as being located at Fort Monmouth (New Jersey). I believe that's a mistake, and it probably happened because the White Sands Signal Agency reported to the Signal Corps Electronics Laboratory headquarters, which was at Fort Monmouth. Now I'm wondering: does anyone have information that DYSEAC itself was somehow affiliated with or ever located at, Fort Monmouth? Related question: Earlier today, I met an 88-year-old engineer named Oliver Reynolds who said that after World War II, he built a tube computer while stationed at Camp Evans (the Fort Monmouth outpost that's now my computer museum). He didn't recall details but he promised to dig out his notes and be in touch next week. This was news to me -- I never heard of a tube computer being built here -- there isn't any reference in Chapin's chart nor from any other source I have seen. The only machine Chapin lists at Monmouth (other than DYSEAC, which I believe is a mistake) is Monrobot 1 from 1953, and that's not a possibility for Mr. Reynolds because it was obviously done by the Monroe Calculator Co. I am out of ideas, at least until next Wednesday when I meet with Mr. Reynolds again for an interview. He says he has a color negative of him next to the computer. We shall see ..... Camp Evans * did * have a role in ENIAC (as I've previously explained on this list); in 1947 was a customer of the Moore School's differential analyzer; and in 1956 moved on to MOBIDIC. So it is certainly possible that this man is correct. It's also possible the computer was only a prototype or that it was classified. Both circumstances would explain its non-existence in literature. I will also check in the Monmouth archives.

1 0