July 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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Query: Dolphins and 1960s Interactive Computing
by Thomas Haigh 30 Jul '12

30 Jul '12

Hello everyone, Below is a query that John D. Peters, a communications professor at the University of Iowa has asked me to pass on in case anyone has any knowledge on this rather specific topic. He is not a SIGCIS member, so please send responses to him directly at john-peters(a)uiowua.edu. HIS QUERY: >>>> Ted Nelson (whose mother just died), J. C. R. Licklider, Douglas Englebart, and John Lilly were all funded by the info sciences division of the USAF in the 1960s under Harold Wooster. There is a pervasive metaphor in cetacean science and in pop culture about dolphins living in an internet-like world of distributed cognition (Denise Herzing and Peter Tyack both use it for instance) and I'd like to know if there was actual contact. Nelson seems to have worked for Lilly as a photographer http://www.livinginternet.com/w/wi_nelson.htm and Graham Burnetts Sounding of the Whale (2012, p. 615) mentions Nelsons work with Lilly briefly. Do you know of any citations in Nelson or Licklider to Lillys work, or to dolphins as metaphors for distributed computing? <<<< Best wishes, Tom

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Andersen Library Research Scholars Travel Grant
by Thomas J. Misa 27 Jul '12

27 Jul '12

Hi all, CBI offers an annual travel-to-collections grant program, deadline upcoming after the first of the year <tinyurl.com/d2ezacc>. In addition, the University Libraries offers the "Elmer L. Andersen Research Scholars Program" with an application deadline in September. People coming to use CBI materials, **ALONG WITH** materials from one of the other UMN special collections, have been successful. <tinyurl.com/cv73c6a> Best, Tom Misa

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Paul McJones on Annals of Invention: The Internet
by Thomas Haigh 25 Jul '12

25 Jul '12

(Reply forwarded from Paul McJones, who has fallen victim to our DNS issue) Return-path: <paul(a)mcjones.org> Received: from 108-90-41-134.lightspeed.sntcca.sbcglobal.net ([108.90.41.134]:59962 helo=[192.168.1.104]) by vps.hungerhost.com with esmtpsa (TLSv1:AES128-SHA:128) (Exim 4.77) (envelope-from <paul(a)mcjones.org>) id 1StorN-0007RL-Pk; Tue, 24 Jul 2012 19:49:49 -0400 Subject: Re: [SIGCIS-Members] Annals of Invention: The Internet Mime-Version: 1.0 (Apple Message framework v1278) Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii From: Paul McJones <paul(a)mcjones.org> In-Reply-To: <025001cd69f1$78440190$68cc04b0$@org> Date: Tue, 24 Jul 2012 16:49:48 -0700 Cc: "'sigcis'" <members(a)sigcis.org> Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Message-Id: <41558426-D36D-4AB0-8048-3EA9852E3732(a)mcjones.org> References: <025001cd69f1$78440190$68cc04b0$@org> To: "Thomas Haigh" <thaigh(a)computer.org> X-Mailer: Apple Mail (2.1278) Tom, I mentioned Corvitz's WSJ article to Bob Taylor (who I worked for at DEC = SRC), and he pointed out Michael Hiltzik's excellent response: = http://articles.latimes.com/2012/jul/23/news/la-mo-who-invented-internet-2= 0120723 Paul

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Annals of Invention: The Internet
by Thomas Haigh 25 Jul '12

25 Jul '12

Hello everyone, Another example of the aggressively creative use of IT history to further an agenda, this time in a Wall Street Journal editorial. In his column, "Who Really Invented the Internet," Gordon Crovitz admits that "The federal government was involved, modestly, via the Pentagon's Advanced Research Projects Agency Network" but claims that "But full credit goes to the company where Mr. Taylor worked after leaving ARPA: Xerox." In fact, argues Crovitz, the government's main contribution was to get in the way and hold up progress for decades. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444464304577539063008406518.ht ml I read the Journal with pleasure when travelling, as it is a staple of hotels and airport lounges, but turn the editorial pages quickly so as not to read something that will cause a violent reaction and spoil my good mood. So I'm not the most impartial judge, but there is perhaps something unusually blatant in the ideological spin here. Fortunately the basics of Internet history are pretty well documented, at least for those who understand the difference between Internet and Ethernet. Crovitz is nicely debunked by Farhad Manjoo at Slate, and I suspect by various others in the 800 comments the op-ed has so far attracted. http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2012/07/who_invented_the _internet_the_outrageous_conservative_claim_that_every_tech_innovation_came_ from_private_enterprise_.html. Tom

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New History Videos from CHM!
by Dag Spicer 13 Jul '12

13 Jul '12

Dear SIGCIS Friends, I'm delighted to announce the publication on YouTube of several CHM lectures. These are from CHM's 2012 "Revolutionaries" lecture series. 1. Sir Maurice Wilkes: The Man and His Machine: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9DrKQ2isIk&feature=em-subs_digest Sir Maurice Wilkes, without doubt one of the foremost pioneers of computing, died in November last year aged 97. In a remarkably long and distinguished career, he built the EDSAC the world's first electronic stored-program computer to go into regular service, and went on to pioneer concepts such a microprogramming, bit-sliced architectures, local area networks and many, many other things. He served the international computing community with distinction and gained many honors. David Hartley has spent almost the whole of his career in Cambridge University much of it in close association with Sir Maurice. In conversation with CHM's John Hollar, David described Sir Maurice's more important achievements, including the EDSAC computer, as well as giving a personal view of a man that he knew and with whom he worked over such a long period of time. 2. Bill Draper: The Startup Game: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aD2vPxoDeb8&feature=em-subs_digest "The Startup Game" covers Bill Draper's forty years of experience and describes how vital the relationship between venture capitalist and entrepreneur is to the future of business, and offers lessons culled from decades of working in the technology center of the world. Draper extracts lessons and advice that only a lifetime in the field can provide—from the necessary qualities any successful entrepreneur must possess to the importance of friendship and family in the business world. He provides candid descriptions of his own successes and failures in venture capital and public service, and writes passionately about the important role government can—and in his view should—play in encouraging new businesses in the United States. 3.Dr. Eric Horvitz and Dr. Peter Norvig: The Challenge and Promise of Artificial Intelligence http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtmQ3xlt-4A&feature=em-subs_digest Join leading researchers Dr. Eric Horvitz of Microsoft Research and Dr. Peter Norvig of Google for an intriguing discussion about the past, present, and future of artificial intelligence, moderated by KQED's Tim Olson. We were extremely fortunate to have Eric and Peter on our stage -- they've known each other for several years, and discussed everything from machine learning to data-driven science, the world of perception, speech recognition, robotics, self-driving cars, and even a computer called Watson. Enjoy! Dag -- Dag Spicer | Senior Curator | Computer History Museum Editorial Board | Annals of the History of Computing 1401 N. Shoreline Blvd. | Mountain View CA 94043 Tel: +1 650 810 1035 | Fax: +1 650 810 1055 Twitter: @ComputerHistory FB: facebook.com/computerhistory Technology married with the humanities makes our hearts sing. -- Steve Jobs

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updated texts for course on cultural history of programming, etc
by Bernard Dionysius Geoghegan 13 Jul '12

13 Jul '12

Hi SIGCISers, I got some great tips for my course that I mentioned on the list yesterday. Thanks to the SIGCISers who responded. The results are below. On a random note, a few people couldn't load my website, ie, they time out. For awhile I've had this problem that folks at certain locations (usually from home) can't get my webpage to load. As far as I can tell, it does not correlate to OS, browser, platform, etc, because if these folks change locations then they can load it. If anyone out there is tech savvy and has a tip on what the problem might be, I'd welcome your input. Again, my new address is geoghegb(a)cms.hu-berlin.de. Thanks again for the great tips! -bernie More texts on Software etc: Good References Course on software by Michael Mahoney: http://www.princeton.edu/~hos/h598/h598s03.html Course on software and networks by Chris Kelty: http://kelty.org/or/classes/189v/doku.php Useful Turing Lectures -The Humble Programmer by Dijkstra -Iverson, Notation as a tool of thought -Bachman, The programmer as navigator -Knuth, Computer programming as an art -Newell and Simon, Completer Science as Emprical Inquiry: Symbols and Search Secondary Sources -Michael Mahoney, What Makes the History of Software Hard -Mahoney, “Finding a History for Software Engineering” -Mindell, “Programs and People” in Digital Apollo -Kelty, Logical Instruments Hagen, “The Style of Sources: Remarks on the Theory and History of Programming Languages” [“Der Stil der Sourcen: Anmerkungen zur Theorie und Geschichte der Programmiersprachen.”] -Jon Agar, The Government Machine -Bardini, Bootstrapping: Douglas Engelbart, Coevolution, and the Origins of Personal Computing -History of Programing Languages (2 vols.) Philip Kraft, Programmers and Managers: The Routinization of Computer Programming in the United States? David Noble, Forces of Production or Shoshanna Zuboff, Work in the Age of the Smart Machine Foote and Yodler, “Big Ball of Mud” http://www.laputan.org/mud/ Richard Gabriel, misc, http://www.dreamsongs.com/ -Lucy Suchman, Human-Machine Reconfigurations: Plans and situated actions (2nd edition). http://www.lancs.ac.uk/fass/sociology/profiles/Lucy-Suchman/ misc, by Horst Völz Marino, “Critical Code Studies” http://www.electronicbookreview.com/thread/electropoetics/codology/ Parikka, “Archive Dynamics: Software Culture and Digital Heritage” in What is Media Archaeology Naur, Pluralism in Software Engineering (critique of McCarthy, Dijkstra-style programming) Regarding gender, see work by performance artist Micha Cardenas Regarding code and politics, see Transborder Immigrant Tool, written by Robert Dominguez and a reading thereof by Marino (Reading the Transborder Immigrant Tool)

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tips for a course on the cultural history and theory of programming?
by Bernard Dionysius Geoghegan 12 Jul '12

12 Jul '12

Dear Sigcis folks, I'm teaching a course in Berlin this fall on the cultural history and theory of programming. I'm drawing heavily on recent work in software studies, platform studies, literary theory, and German media theory (Kittler, etc.). Some of our friends and family -- Ensmenger, Kelty, etc -- will also feature prominently. As a tendency, however, the approach is little more cultural studies and poststructural than some of what often takes place in our group. The course also features a heavy programming component (that is, we're writing programs in Perl). I've posted a very early, rough draft of the syllabus here http://bernardg.com/node/67 . Does anyone have suggestions for other texts I should consider? If so, I would welcome your emails at my new address, geoghegb(a)cms.hu-berlin.de or via the list. I will collate responses, in the event I get more than a few comments. Thanks for your thoughts. Best, Bernie Bernard Dionysius Geoghegan Institut für Kulturwissenschaft Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin www.bernardg.com

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New ACM Turing Award Winners website
by Thomas Haigh 12 Jul '12

12 Jul '12

Hello everyone, Just though I'd share with you the new and much improved ACM website for the Turing Award. There had been discussion for many years about improving the old site, which just gave names and citations. The new was shepherded into existence by Mike Williams, whose been involved with computer history for decades now including work as Annals Editor in Chief and curator at the Computer History Museum. http://amturing.acm.org/ It features biographical profiles with an explanation of the work for which they won the award, lists of key publications, links to ACM digital library materials, text and/or video of their lectures, photos, etc. I provided the entries for Bachman, Wirth and Kahan and many others were contributed by SIGCIS members such as Edgar Daylight, Dave Walden, and Martin Campbell-Kelly. So, if there are any Turing awardees for whom you've never been quite sure what they did or who they were then now you have an easy way to answer these questions and verify basic biographical details. There are still a few unpopulated entries, but as it's featured prominently and publicly on the ACM website and was intended to complement the recent ACM Turing Centennial meeting (http://turing100.acm.org/ - lots of award winners and no historians) I don't think I'm letting anything slip prematurely here. Tom

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