April 2012 - Members - lists.sigcis.org

another book by Knuth which is not another volume of TAOCP
by Dave Walden 08 Mar '13

08 Mar '13

See my review at <http://www.tug.org/books/reviews/tb103reviews-knuth9-walden.html>http://www.tug.org/books/reviews/tb103reviews-knuth9-walden.html It will be published in the upcoming issue of the TeX User Group's journal. As the review says, I think this will be a useful volume for computing historians whose research brings them toward Knuth's life and publications.

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"Stored Program" -- origins in IBM circa 1949?
by Thomas Haigh 19 Oct '12

19 Oct '12

Thanks to Peggy Kidwell (below) we have a confirmed sighting of "stored program" in the wild in 1949. In fact two, in internal IBM documents. This is very suggestive when taken in conjunction with something I noticed in searching the ACM DL yesterday, which is that 6 of the 11 uses it located through the end of 1960 were in papers written by IBM staff. So, an attractive hypothesis is that the term was coined within IBM Poughkeepsie in 1949 during early work on IBM's first experimental stored program computer, the Test Assembly. As the 604 calculator being cannibalized for its electronic arithmetic unit already had a plugboard programming mechanism it makes sense that the team would want a clear name for the separate capability they were building to execute a program stored in Williams Tubes backed by a drum. Tom From: Kidwell, Peggy [mailto:kidwellp@si.edu] Sent: Tuesday, April 03, 2012 11:43 AM To: 'David Alan Grier'; Thomas Haigh Subject: RE: [SIGCIS-Members] "Stored program" -- anyone know origins of the PHRASE The term "stored program" was used in internal IBM documents discussing the development of special circuits for the IBM 604 electronic calculating punch by 1949. See, for example, Nathaniel Rochester, "Plans for the Data Processing Test Assembly," Document 05.14.24. See also H. A. Mussell & C. E. Frizzell, "Stored Program," December 27, 1949, which refers to Rochester's paper. This had internal code 05.015.37. The reference is to programs stored on the drum of the machine or electrostatically, as opposed to on a plugboard. Peggy From: members-bounces(a)sigcis.org [mailto:members-bounces@sigcis.org] On Behalf Of David Alan Grier Sent: Monday, April 02, 2012 5:25 PM To: Thomas Haigh Cc: members(a)sigcis.org Subject: Re: [SIGCIS-Members] "Stored program" -- anyone know origins of the PHRASE Tom Two bounds for your search. "Stored Program" is not in the 1950 IRE Standard on Computer Terms: <http://ieeexplore.ieee.org.proxygw.wrlc.org/xpl/articleDetails.jsp?tp=&arnu mber=1701474&contentType=Journals+%26+Magazines&ranges%3D1951_1956_p_Publica tion_Year%26matchBoolean%3Dtrue%26searchField%3DSearch_All%26queryText%3D%28 p_Title%3Acomputer+terms%29> Standards on Electronic Computers: Definitions ofTerms, 1950 <http://ieeexplore.ieee.org.proxygw.wrlc.org/xpl/RecentIssue.jsp?punumber=10 933> Proceedings of the IRE Volume: 39 , <http://ieeexplore.ieee.org.proxygw.wrlc.org/xpl/tocresult.jsp?isnumber=3584 4> Issue: 3 Digital Object Identifier: <http://dx.doi.org.proxygw.wrlc.org/10.1109/JRPROC.1951.231840> 10.1109/JRPROC.1951.231840 Publication Year: 1951 , Page(s): 271 - 277 But it is used in the 1953 IRE article on programming. <http://ieeexplore.ieee.org.proxygw.wrlc.org/xpl/articleDetails.jsp?tp=&arnu mber=4051188&contentType=Journals+%26+Magazines&sortType%3Dasc_p_Publication _Year%26ranges%3D1953_1958_p_Publication_Year%26matchBoolean%3Dtrue%26search Field%3DSearch_All%26queryText%3D%28.QT.stored+program.QT.%29> Fundamentals of Digital Computer Programming Thomas, W.H. <http://ieeexplore.ieee.org.proxygw.wrlc.org/xpl/RecentIssue.jsp?punumber=10 933> Proceedings of the IRE Volume: 41 , <http://ieeexplore.ieee.org.proxygw.wrlc.org/xpl/tocresult.jsp?isnumber=4051 180> Issue: 10 Digital Object Identifier: <http://dx.doi.org.proxygw.wrlc.org/10.1109/JRPROC.1953.274275> 10.1109/JRPROC.1953.274275 Publication Year: 1953 , Page(s): 1245 - 1249 I SHOULD NOTE THAT IT IS NOT USED IN THE COMPANION 1953 article on the IBM 701. David -------------------------------- David Alan Grier Fellow, IEEE President Elect, IEEE Computer Society Assoc. Prof., International Science & Technology Policy Center for International Science and Technology Policy grier(a)gwu.edu On Apr 2, 2012, at 4:34 PM, Thomas Haigh wrote: Hello everyone, I have a query related to a project I am working on concerning the conversion of ENIAC to stored program control in 1948, initially to run the first computerized Monte Carlo calculations. All this took place prior to the first operation of the Manchester Baby. That makes the question of what one means by "stored program" a very interesting one. This question was much discussed in the early days of the history of computing (1970s, early 1980s). I am starting to dig back into primary sources for early use of the phrases "stored program" and "stored program concept" to get a better idea of how these terms were used in the 1940s/early 1950s and what people thought they meant at the time. To clarify, almost everyone who has written about this cites the 1945 "First Draft of a Report on the EDVAC" as the initial dissemination of the stored program concept although there has been considerable debate as to the source of the ideas contained therein. However that document does not contain the phase "stored program." Or indeed use the word "program" in the body of the text. Or, remarkably, "EDVAC." "Stored" shows up a few times, though less frequently than "remembered." So, ignoring for the moment the relationship of the report to later definitions of the concept, we can agree that it was not the source of the phrase. The most obvious summary of the idea using the report's own terminology would be "remembered instruction device" rather than "stored program computer." I had thought about the 1946 Moore School lectures as a possible vector for the phase "stored program" as well as the concept. The phrase shows up many times in the Moore School lectures book but so far I have spotted it only in the 1980s editorial material rather than in the original lecture summaries. By 1954 "stored program computer" is showing up without explanation or citation required in the description of the IBM 650 published in the inaugural issue of Journal of the ACM. It is not particularly common in the ACM DL material for the rest of the decade ("automatic computer" and "digital computer" are more prevalent) but continues to pop up occasionally. The best the OED can do is 1957, which is even later. So, any thoughts on who came up with this phrase and when? I'm planning to dig deeper in search of early usage, for example into the 1950 "High-Speed Computing Devices" ERA book and some of the other CBI reprints from the 1940s, but it occurred to me that someone on the list might already know the answer to the question. Tom _______________________________________________ This email is relayed from members(a)sigcis.org, the email discussion list of SHOT SIGCIS. The list archives are at http://sigcis.org/pipermail/members/ and you can change your subscription options at http://sigcis.org/mailman/listinfo/members

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New book about Turing Award winner Peter Naur
by Edgar Daylight 20 Jun '12

20 Jun '12

************ Book announcement *********** `Pluralism in Software Engineering: Turing Award Winner Peter Naur Explains' --- by Edgar G. Daylight As a software engineer and aspiring historian of computing, I have had the honor of meeting the computing pioneer Peter Naur at his home in Copenhagen in the spring of 2011. My lengthy discussion with Naur is documented in my new book and is published by Lonely Scholar. I invite historians of science to have a look at the book's summary at: http://www.lonelyscholar.com/node/7 Naur discusses varying topics, ranging from astronomy to programming and from philosophy to psychology. An underlying theme is Naur's rejection of Western philosophy. best wishes, Edgar G. Daylight www.dijkstrascry.com

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FW: [Sighfis-l] Deadline Extended: ASIS&T History Fund Awards 2012
by Thomas Haigh 27 Apr '12

27 Apr '12

The deadline is now rather less looming for anyone interested in the two awards I forwarded recently. Tom -----Original Message----- From: sighfis-l-bounces(a)asis.org [mailto:sighfis-l-bounces@asis.org] On Behalf Of Lai Ma Sent: Friday, April 27, 2012 12:23 PM To: asis-l(a)asis.org; sighfis-l(a)asis.org Subject: [Sighfis-l] Deadline Extended: ASIS&T History Fund Awards 2012 [Note the deadline has been extended to May 19, 2012] The ASIS&T History Fund Advisory Board announces the following two competitive awards for 2012: 1) The ASIS&T History Fund Research Award This award will be for a maximum of $1,000 and will be awarded for the best research support proposal submitted by May 19, 2012. All topics relevant to the history of information science and technology may be proposed. The proposal should state: the central topic or question to be researched, qualifications of the researcher (brief vita should be included), a budget, and how the funds will be expended. All funds must be expended by June 30, 2013. Submit proposal to http://www.softconf.com/asist/History_Fund/ (choose the "Research Award" category) by May 19, 2012. If an award is made for 2012, the winner will be notified by June 1, 2012. 2) The ASIS&T History Fund Best Paper Award This award will be for a maximum of $500 and will be awarded for the best paper submitted by May 19, 2012. All topics relevant to the history of information science and technology will be considered. The paper should not have been previously published or submitted to a journal. The paper should not exceed 30 pages double-spaced, including notes/references, using APA style manual. The ASIS&T History Advisory Board will review all submissions and decide if an award is to be made by June 1, 2012. If an award is made the winner will be expected to present the paper at the 2012 ASIS&T Annual Meeting pre-conference and give first rights of refusal for publication to the Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology. Submit papers to http://www.softconf.com/asist/History_Fund/ (choose the "Research Award" category). The ASIS&T History Fund was established by the ASIS&T Board of Directors in June, 2000 for the purposes of supporting and encouraging research and publication in the history of information science and technology. The Fund is supported by donations (including book royalties) from ASIS&T members and others with interest in the history of information science and technology. The Fund Advisory Board encourages further donations from anyone interested in supporting historical study of information science and technology. Members of the ASIS&T History Fund Advisory Board for 2012 are: Kathryn La Barre, Chair Sarah Buchanan, Chair-Elect Julian Warner, Past Chair Michael Buckland Samantha Hastings For further information on submitting a proposal for the grant award or the best paper award for 2012 please contact Lai Ma at lama(a)indiana.edu. _______________________________________________ Sighfis-l mailing list Sighfis-l(a)asis.org http://mail.asis.org/mailman/listinfo/sighfis-l

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FW: REMINDER : ASIS&T History Fund Awards 2012
by Thomas Haigh 26 Apr '12

26 Apr '12

Hello SIGCIS members, You might consider submitting for these small awards. Our members have had some success in the past -- Andrew Russell won the "research grant" in 2010. (http://www.asis.org/SIG/SIGHFIS/about_sighfis.htm) The deadline is looming. The best unpublished paper award is attractive primarily if you hope to attend the ASIS&T meeting anyway, as the $500 prize for the best paper award would be largely consumed by conference registration costs. Tom -----Original Message----- From: sighfis-l-bounces(a)asis.org [mailto:sighfis-l-bounces@asis.org] On Behalf Of Lai Ma Sent: Monday, April 16, 2012 7:54 AM To: asis-l(a)asis.org; sighfis-l(a)asis.org Subject: [Sighfis-l] REMINDER : ASIS&T History Fund Awards 2012 The ASIS&T History Fund Advisory Board announces the following two competitive awards for 2012: 1) The ASIS&T History Fund Research Award This award will be for a maximum of $1,000 and will be awarded for the best research support proposal submitted by May 1, 2012. All topics relevant to the history of information science and technology may be proposed. The proposal should state: the central topic or question to be researched, qualifications of the researcher (brief vita should be included), a budget, and how the funds will be expended. All funds must be expended by June 30, 2013. Submit proposal to http://www.softconf.com/asist/History_Fund/ (choose the "Research Award" category) by May 1, 2012. If an award is made for 2012, the winner will be notified by June 1, 2012. 2) The ASIS&T History Fund Best Paper Award This award will be for a maximum of $500 and will be awarded for the best paper submitted by May 1, 2012. All topics relevant to the history of information science and technology will be considered. The paper should not have been previously published or submitted to a journal. The paper should not exceed 30 pages double-spaced, including notes/references, using APA style manual. The ASIS&T History Advisory Board will review all submissions and decide if an award is to be made by June 1, 2012. If an award is made the winner will be expected to present the paper at the 2012 ASIS&T Annual Meeting pre-conference and give first rights of refusal for publication to the Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology. Submit papers to http://www.softconf.com/asist/History_Fund/ (choose the "Research Award" category). The ASIS&T History Fund was established by the ASIS&T Board of Directors in June, 2000 for the purposes of supporting and encouraging research and publication in the history of information science and technology. The Fund is supported by donations (including book royalties) from ASIS&T members and others with interest in the history of information science and technology. The Fund Advisory Board encourages further donations from anyone interested in supporting historical study of information science and technology. Members of the ASIS&T History Fund Advisory Board for 2012 are: Kathryn La Barre, Chair Sarah Buchanan, Chair-Elect Julian Warner, Past Chair Michael Buckland Samantha Hastings For further information on submitting a proposal for the grant award or the best paper award for 2012 please contact Lai Ma at lama(a)indiana.edu. _______________________________________________ Sighfis-l mailing list Sighfis-l(a)asis.org http://mail.asis.org/mailman/listinfo/sighfis-l

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One last VCF reminder ...
by Evan Koblentz 25 Apr '12

25 Apr '12

Historians, ... A final reminder that the Vintage Computer Festival East 8.0 is less than two weeks ago: May 5-6, at the InfoAge Science Center, in Wall, New Jersey. We've got 24 exhibits, eight technical workshops, and four lectures, and two keynotes. All the details are posted at http://www.vintage.org/2012/east/ and there are also updates at http://www.facebook.com/vcfeast8. A pair of intriguing testimonials from veteran VCF attendees: Steve Wozniak: “Seeing the early equipment at VCF is an amazing experience. For many of us, it's better than a museum. It touches on all the hopes and dreams of the time and the many efforts to achieve what others thought would never happen. It brings back memories of a revolution in the making. And we see the humble devices that we could actually understand and hold each piece in our hands and even construct ourselves. Every new device back then signaled a change in life forever. A lot of young people look in awe upon those days too, the way they might look upon the founding music of rock and roll. The people you meet at the VCF are amazing. Most are older and more accomplished but every single story of those days that they tell is the type you hinge on and feel inside what they were doing, often against the grain of our culture and against what was supposedly possible. It was a time of few rules and little conformity, all because there weren't billions of dollars visible yet for this new industry. How much we were up against is one thing you take home after this event,” Wozniak continue. Lee Felsenstein: "In 35 years the personal computer has grown from nothing into the most important device shaping everyday life. It should be part of everyone's education to see how it grew and to learn from the people who grew it. VCF is the place to be where not only the equipment can be seen and tried out but, perhaps more importantly, where the people who rose to the challenge offered by these machines can be met and heard from." Me again: consider putting down your journal articles :) and coming to VCF where you see and touch computer history.

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Turing's 100th Birthday Party at King's College, Cambridge
by Jack Copeland 25 Apr '12

25 Apr '12

Turing's 100th Birthday Party at King's College, Cambridge 15th & 16th June 2012 King's College, Cambridge <http://sites.google.com/site/turingace2012/>http://sites.google.com/site/turingace2012/ Turing's 100th Birthday Party, celebrating his life and work, will be held at King's College, Cambridge--Turing's beloved intellectual home. All welcome! The speakers include a team of experts on Turing and leading scientists and science broadcasters such as Daniel Dennett, Simon Singh and Stephen Wolfram. Four members of Turing's immediate family and others who knew him personally will share their recollections of him. Pioneers of computing who worked alongside him, building and programming the first computers, as well as investigating his mathematical theory of how living matter grows, will explain his ideas and achievements. Codebreaker Jerry Roberts, one of Turing's last surviving wartime colleagues from Station X, will give the King's College Turing Centenary Lecture. There will be lectures on Turing's contributions to: the Second World War, the development of our technological society, Artificial Intelligence, Artificial Life, the theory and practice of computing, and the understanding of the human mind. Music: the premier performance of A Piano Suite for Turing. For more information about the event, please go to: <http://sites.google.com/site/turingace2012/>http://sites.google.com/site/turingace2012/ Speakers Sir John Dermot Turing Turing's three nieces Inagh, Janet and Shuna Jon Agar Margaret Boden, OBE Martin Campbell-Kelly Brian Carpenter Jack Copeland Daniel Dennett Robert Doran William Newman Teresa Numerico Brian Oakley Brian Randell Bernard Richards Jerry Roberts Simon Singh Doron Swade Stephen Wolfram Michael Woodger Registration Please register early, places are limited. To register, visit: <http://sites.google.com/site/turingace2012/registration>http://sites.google.com/site/turingace2012/registration Transport and accommodation For information about how to arrive in King's College, and places to stay, visit: <http://sites.google.com/site/turingace2012/hotels>http://sites.google.com/site/turingace2012/hotels Organizers Turing's 100th Birthday Party is being organized by Jack Copeland (<mailto:j.copeland@phil.canterbury.ac.nz>jack.copeland(a)canterbury.ac.nz) and Mark Sprevak (<mailto:mark.sprevak@ed.ac.uk>mark.sprevak(a)ed.ac.uk)

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New CBI Newsletter (Spring 2012, Vol. 34:1)
by Charles Babbage Institute 24 Apr '12

24 Apr '12

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New book on the Amiga
by Ian Bogost 24 Apr '12

24 Apr '12

Hi everyone, The latest book in the Platform Studies series I co-edit at MIT Press has been published. It's called "The Future Was Here: The Commodore Amiga," by Jimmy Maher. The book is just terrific. Here's the publisher's page and the Amazon page: http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/item/default.asp?ttype=2&tid=12832 http://www.amazon.com/The-Future-Was-Here-Commodore/dp/0262017202 And here's the blurb: > Long ago, in 1985, personal computers came in two general categories: the friendly, childish game machine used for fun (exemplified by Atari and Commodore products); and the boring, beige adult box used for business (exemplified by products from IBM). The game machines became fascinating technical and artistic platforms that were of limited real-world utility. The IBM products were all utility, with little emphasis on aesthetics and no emphasis on fun. Into this bifurcated computing environment came the Commodore Amiga 1000. This personal computer featured a palette of 4,096 colors, unprecedented animation capabilities, four-channel stereo sound, the capacity to run multiple applications simultaneously, a graphical user interface, and powerful processing potential. It was, Jimmy Maher writes in The Future Was Here, the world’s first true multimedia personal computer. > > Maher argues that the Amiga’s capacity to store and display color photographs, manipulate video (giving amateurs access to professional tools), and use recordings of real-world sound were the seeds of the digital media future: digital cameras, Photoshop, MP3 players, and even YouTube, Flickr, and the blogosphere. He examines different facets of the platform--from Deluxe Paint to AmigaOS to Cinemaware--in each chapter, creating a portrait of the platform and the communities of practice that surrounded it. Of course, Maher acknowledges, the Amiga was not perfect: the DOS component of the operating systems was clunky and ill-matched, for example, and crashes often accompanied multitasking attempts. And Commodore went bankrupt in 1994. But for a few years, the Amiga’s technical qualities were harnessed by engineers, programmers, artists, and others to push back boundaries and transform the culture of computing. As before, I'd invite anyone on this list to consider writing a book for the series! Best wishes, Ian Ian Bogost, Ph.D. Professor Director, Graduate Program in Digital Media Georgia Institute of Technology Digital Media/TSRB 320B 85 Fifth Street NW Atlanta, GA 30308-1030 ibogost(a)gatech.edu +1 (404) 894-1160 (tel) +1 (404) 894-2833 (fax)

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30th anniversary coverage of the Sinclair ZX Spectrum
by James Sumner 23 Apr '12

23 Apr '12

Interesting to see so much of this in the British press today, given that the Spectrum doesn't fit the "revolutionary technological breakthrough" trope. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-17776666 Interviews with Rick Dickinson and Richard Altwasser, the latter of whom unsurprisingly invokes the Raspberry Pi manifesto. First time I've seen the Spectrum described as "Bauhaus-inspired". And "Sir Clive declined to take part in the conversation." http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/google-doodle… on today's Google Doodle, which commemorates St George's Day in an image with authentic Spectrum attribute-clash (was the choice of 23 April as release date a deliberate bit of marketing? Doesn't seem quite to fit with the general approach). http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/gamesblog/2012/apr/23/zx-spectrum-comp… Positions the Spectrum as a "computer for the masses" which "typified the British approach to industrial design – utilitarian but also idiosyncratic and characterful". Well, up to a point... Cheers James

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