April 2017 - Members - lists.sigcis.org

Re: [SIGCIS-Members] Counterfactual history: Did the Mac cost Apple a shot at market leadership?
by Brian L. Stuart 27 Apr '17

27 Apr '17

On Wed, 4/26/17, Hansen Hsu <hansnhsu(a)gmail.com> wrote: > I think the Lisa is really the wrong machine to imagine this > counterfactual. I tend to agree. It's always been an interesting question to me what would have happened had Raskin's original Mac vision had Jobs' support and marketing behind it. I tend to think it would have been a really interesting machine. Of course, we know it did see the light of day in a way in the form of the Canon Cat. But what would a Jobs supported version have looked like, and would it have been a good transition to a later, higher performance machine? Though, I should point out that my interest isn't so much about market share and sales volume. I'm thinking more from the perspective of an engineer and programmer who would have been interested in playing with and programming such a machine. BLS

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REMINDER: Computer History Museum Prize - Deadline May 15, 2017
by Jason Gallo 26 Apr '17

26 Apr '17

Dear Colleagues - This is a reminder that nominations for the Computer History Museum Book Prize is open. The postmark deadline is May 15. Details are below and at http://www.sigcis.org/chmprize. The Computer History Museum Prize is awarded to the author of an outstanding book in the history of computing broadly conceived, published during the prior three years. The prize of $1,000 is awarded by SIGCIS, the Special Interest Group for Computers, Information and Society. SIGCIS is part of the Society for the History of Technology. In 2012 the prize was endowed in perpetuity through a generous bequest from the estate of Paul Baran, a legendary computer innovator and entrepreneur best known for his work to develop and promote the packet switching approach on which modern networks are built. Baran was a longtime supporter of work on the history of information technology and named the prize to celebrate the contributions of the Computer History Museum to that field. *2017 Call for Submission* Books published in 2014-2016 are eligible for the 2017 award. Books in translation are eligible for three years following the date of their publication in English. Publishers, authors, and other interested members of the computer history community are invited to nominate books. Please note that books nominated in previous years may be nominated again, provided they have been published in the timeframes specified above. Send one copy of the nominated title to each of the committee members listed below, with a postmark no later than May 15, 2017. For more information, please contact Jason Gallo <jgallo(a)ida.org>, SIGCIS Vice Chair for Operations. Current information about the prize, including the most recent call and a list of previous winners, always may be found at http://www.sigcis.org/chmprize. *2017 Prize Committee Members* Joy Rankin (2017 Chair) Lyman Briggs College Michigan State University 919 E. Shaw Ln. E-35 East Lansing, MI 48825 USA Janet Abbate Dept. of Science, Technology and Society Virginia Tech Northern Virginia Center 7054 Haycock Road Falls Church, VA 22043 USA Hallam Stevens Room 1705, 7/F Wenke Building China Center for Special Economic Zone Research, Shenzhen University Nanhai Avenue 3688, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China, 518060

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Arguments in court re dismissal of "Inventor of Email" lawsuit
by Thomas Haigh 26 Apr '17

26 Apr '17

Hello SIGCIS, Here's your April update on email invention. After the filing of motions to dismiss and objections to those motions, lawyers for Techdirt and Ayyadurai recently swapped arguments before a judge. Full report at https://www.law360.com/articles/915722/libel-suit-by-email-inventor-belongs- in-trash-blog-says from a law blogger, Brian Amarai. According to the report the judge asked only one question: Judge Saylor, in his only comments from the bench, almost immediately questioned Ayyadurai's attorney: "To say he invented email requires we define email. How do we do that?" The judge continued: "If reasonable people could disagree about what is email, even assuming they agree he invented some piece of it, how is that a question of provable fact? If he didn't invent the @ symbol, a lot of people would say that is a big component of it. If he didn't invent sending texts from one computer to another, how can you say he invented email?" Mirell responded that they'd set out in their legal papers what their position was on what email is, and who its inventor was: Ayyadurai. "Isn't that an opinion? You say that's what constitutes email," Judge Saylor said. "Your honor," Mirell responded, "the question is ultimately a question for the jury." Like other reporters on the case, the blogger notes the importance of the issue of whether Ayyadurai is a "public figure." A public figure who wants to bring a libel claim - Ayyadurai calls himself a "world-renowned" inventor in the second sentence of his complaint but hasn't acknowledged that he's a public figure - has to show that the speaker acted with knowledge that something was wrong or with a reckless disregard for the truth, called actual malice. According to another blog post earlier this month, http://dcinno.streetwise.co/2017/04/18/techdirts-lawsuit-is-finding-support- in-d-c-politicos-and-techies/, Techdirt is picking up some support in DC as the Glen Echo Group hosted a fundraiser organized by "Facebook's Brooke Oberwetter, former Facebook employee Tim Sparapani, former Sen. Ron Wyden staffer Josh Lamel and PR pro Beau Phillips." Finally, Techdirt posted a story earlier this month which embeds its most recent legal filing, a reply to Ayyadurai's opposition to the dismissal of the case. https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20170413/13372937145/latest-filings-our-fi rst-amendment-fight-please-help-keep-true-independent-journalism-being-silen ced.shtml . One exhibit is a tweet from Ayyadruai, saying that "#FakeNewsMedia like TechShit need to be shutdown for their FAKE NEWS." It would be interesting if, as with Trump's executive orders on immigration, a judge uses tweets as evidence for motivations. Best wishes, Tom

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Institutions actively collecting historical programs/software for long-term preservation
by David C. Brock 26 Apr '17

26 Apr '17

Dear List: I wanted to compile a list of institutions and organizations that are today actively collecting historical programs/software (including games and art objects qua software) for long term preservation. Can you help? Best wishes, David +++++++++++++++ David C. Brock dcb(a)dcbrock.net Director Center for Software History Computer History Museum www.computerhistory.org 40 Russell Street, Greenfield, MA 01301 Mobile: 413-522-3578 Skype: dcbrock Twitter: @dcbrock

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Broadcast software in the UK
by Joly MacFie 22 Apr '17

22 Apr '17

Story today on the Pimania video game for ZX Spectrum https://theconversation.com/how-punk-and-thatcherism-came-together-in-the-s… leads to a more detailed one on the history of 'broadcast' software in the UK http://www.kotaku.co.uk/2014/10/13/people-used-download-games-radio -- --------------------------------------------------------------- Joly MacFie 218 565 9365 Skype:punkcast -------------------------------------------------------------- -

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In Memory of Harry Huskey
by Brian Berg 15 Apr '17

15 Apr '17

*From: *"Alexander Wolf, Baskin Engineering Dean" <alw(a)ucsc.edu> <http://www.soe.ucsc.edu/> In Memory Of Harry Huskey COMPUTER PIONEER AND FOUNDING UC SANTA CRUZ FACULTY MEMBER Dear BSOE Community and Friends of Harry Huskey, It saddens me to report that Harry Huskey, a well-known pioneer in computer science and co-founder of the UC Santa Cruz Information Sciences Department, now the Computer Science Department, passed away on April 9, 2017. Several original faculty members in the Baskin School of Engineering remember Harry well: his sharp wit and unpretentious manner, and the way he inspired students and faculty. Professor Pat Mantey remembers Huskey's wise counsel and insight, and reflects that although his appointment was in the Computer Science Department, it would not be a stretch to call Huskey the first computer engineer on campus. Professor Manfred Warmuth remembers Harry's "straightforward and down-to-earth" style, as well as his humorous side. Professor Huskey joined the University of California, Santa Cruz faculty in 1967, after what would be considered an already full career by most people's standards. He earned his Ph.D. in 1943 from Ohio State University and took his first job as an assistant professor teaching mathematics at the University of Pennsylvania. Shortly thereafter he secured a top-secret development position at UPenn, unaware of any details about the project. It turned out to be the ENIAC computer: the first fully programmable computer designed in the United States. ENIAC was developed for the US Navy in support of the war effort. After the war, in 1946, Professor Huskey worked for a year with Alan Turing in England. In 1950 he moved to California to continue his work in systems design and architecture of smaller and more powerful computers and computer systems, a theme that would follow his career. He joined UC Berkeley in 1955 as a professor of Electrical Engineering, and while there he supervised the Ph.D. thesis of Niklaus Wirth who later developed the PASCAL programming language. In many ways, we have Harry to thank for setting us on the path to eminence in computer science. While a professor at UC Santa Cruz, Huskey built one of the first university computer centers. He also advised universities in many parts of the globe on how to develop an academic computer science program, and how to start their own computer centers. He spent two years in India working at IIT Kanpur and Delhi University, helping them create their own computer science programs and centers, and later went on to provide technical support to the Yangon University in Burma (Myanmar). In 1986 Huskey retired from the University of California. In 2015 he was awarded the UC Santa Cruz Founding Faculty Award for his seminal work on early and important computing systems and a lifetime of service to computer education. As Pat Mantey remarked, "I'm glad we got Harry here to see what has grown from seeds he helped plant and nurture." Those who knew Harry, both here in the Baskin School of Engineering and in many other places around the world, will greatly miss him. Please join me in honoring and remembering this remarkable leader. As a community, we offer our condolences to the Huskey family. A graveside service will be held at Santa Cruz Memorial at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday April 15th, 1927 Ocean Street Extension. *To recognize and honor Harry's many accomplishments, and to allow his legacy to live on, particularly in the area of international engineering education, Harry's family and two close friends from UC Santa Cruz have created the "Harry Huskey Endowment for International Engineering Education" (Huskey Endowment). **Please consider donating to this endowment in Harry's honor. <https://securelb.imodules.com/s/1069/index.aspx?sid=1069&gid=1&pgid=780&cid…>* Alexander L. Wolf <http://www.ucsc.edu/> UC Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 Copyright © 2017 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved. _________________________ Brian A. Berg / bberg(a)StanfordAlumni.org Berg Software Design 14500 Big Basin Way, Suite F, Saratoga, CA 95070 USA Voice: 408.741.5010 / Cell: 408.568.2505 Consulting: Flash Memory/USB/Storage/Patents visit the Storage Cornucopia: www.bswd.com FMS Technical Chair: www.FlashMemorySummit.com IEEE Milestone <http://www.ieeeghn.org/wiki/index.php/Milestones:List_of_IEEE_Milestones> Coordinator for Region 6 <http://www.ieee-region6.org/> IEEE SCV Section <http://www.ewh.ieee.org/r6/scv/> Chair (2012) / IEEE-CNSV <http://www.CaliforniaConsultants.org> Board Director IEEE SCV History Committee <http://www.SiliconValleyHistory.com/> Chair

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News about my book, gender and computing
by Marie Hicks 11 Apr '17

11 Apr '17

Hi all, I wanted to mention that my book, *Programmed Inequality*, was the *Times Higher Education Supplement*'s book of the week pick this week. It was actually reviewed--very sympathetically--by a computer scientist. I found his perspective really interesting, especially when he talks about his dilemma re: "booth babes" at trade shows. (I think it shows the difficulties many of us face when trying to address institutionalized discrimination.) If you're interested, the link is: https://www.timeshighereducation.com/books/review-programmed-inequality-mar… (it may ask you to register--for free--in order to read it.) At the very bottom--near the end of the interview portion, there is also a section of shout outs to some other scholars whose work I admire (including a few SIGCISers). Space prevented me from listing all of the many folks I would have liked to! Best, Marie ______________________ Marie Hicks, Ph.D. Asst. Professor, History of Technology Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago, IL USA mhicks1(a)iit.edu | mariehicks.net <http://www.mariehicks.net> | @histoftech <http://twitter.com/histoftech> *Programmed Inequality: How Britain Discarded Women Technologists and Lost Its Edge in Computing* www.programmedinequality.com

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Computer History Museum Prize - deadline May 15, 2017
by Andrew Russell 08 Apr '17

08 Apr '17

Dear colleagues - Please note the call for nominations for the Computer History Museum Prize is now open! The postmark deadline is May 15. Details are below and at http://www.sigcis.org/chmprize <http://www.sigcis.org/chmprize>. ———— The Computer History Museum Prize is awarded to the author of an outstanding book in the history of computing broadly conceived, published during the prior three years. The prize of $1,000 is awarded by SIGCIS, the Special Interest Group for Computers, Information and Society. SIGCIS is part of the Society for the History of Technology. In 2012 the prize was endowed in perpetuity through a generous bequest from the estate of Paul Baran, a legendary computer innovator and entrepreneur best known for his work to develop and promote the packet switching approach on which modern networks are built. Baran was a longtime supporter of work on the history of information technology and named the prize to celebrate the contributions of the Computer History Museum to that field. 2017 Call for Submission Books published in 2014-2016 are eligible for the 2017 award. Books in translation are eligible for three years following the date of their publication in English. Publishers, authors, and other interested members of the computer history community are invited to nominate books. Please note that books nominated in previous years may be nominated again, provided they have been published in the timeframes specified above. Send one copy of the nominated title to each of the committee members listed below, with a postmark no later than May 15, 2017. For more information, please contact Jason Gallo <mailto:jgallo@ida.org>, SIGCIS Vice Chair for Operations. Current information about the prize, including the most recent call and a list of previous winners, always may be found at http://www.sigcis.org/chmprize <http://www.sigcis.org/chmprize>. 2017 Prize Committee Members Joy Rankin (2017 Chair) Lyman Briggs College Michigan State University 919 E. Shaw Ln. E-35 East Lansing, MI 48825 USA Janet Abbate Dept. of Science, Technology and Society Virginia Tech Northern Virginia Center 7054 Haycock Road Falls Church, VA 22043 USA Hallam Stevens Room 1705, 7/F wenke Building China Center for Special Economic Zone Research, Shenzhen University Nanhai Avenue 3688, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China, 518060

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Videos of recent CHM SIGCIS event sessions?
by Brian Dear 06 Apr '17

06 Apr '17

Hello SIGCIS, I recall reading that videos of all the sessions held at SIGCIS's recent Computer History Museum conference were going to be put online soon. Anyone know when and where the videos will be available? Regards, - Brian Brian Dear PLATO History Project Santa Fe, NM brian(a)platohistory.org Author of “The Friendly Orange Glow” (Pantheon, Nov. 2017)

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SHOT deadline extension to April 15
by Thomas Haigh 05 Apr '17

05 Apr '17

Hello SIGCIS, FYI, a deadline extension from our parent organization, SHOT. I didn’t get myself organized to propose a panel this time (taking a break after putting several together each year as chair) but will be putting in an individual abstract. Happy to be listed as a commentator, if anyone is still putting together a panel proposal. Best wishes, Tom From: Society for the History of Technology [mailto:shot.secretariaat@tue.nl] Sent: Monday, April 03, 2017 5:33 AM To: thaigh(a)computer.org Subject: Society for the History of Technology Event EXTENDED DEADLINE: Call for Papers and Sessions for the SHOT Annual Meeting - Philadelphia (Pennsylvania, USA) - 26-29 October 2017 <https://imgssl.constantcontact.com/letters/images/sys/S.gif> Having trouble viewing this email? http://www.historyoftechnology.org/call_for_papers <http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?m=1103106318472&ca=b430a3ae-…> <https://imgssl.constantcontact.com/letters/images/sys/S.gif> <https://imgssl.constantcontact.com/letters/images/sys/S.gif> <https://imgssl.constantcontact.com/letters/images/sys/S.gif> <http://r20.rs6.net/on.jsp?a=1103106318472&r=3&c=684b43e0-2037-11e3-817a-782…> <http://files.constantcontact.com/880a246d001/995d7436-d6bd-4a9e-9c3e-eeadb8…> April 3, 2017 Dear Thomas, Annual Meeting - Philadelphia (Pennsylvania, USA) 26-29 October 2017 Extended Call for Papers and Sessions The Society for the History of Technology (SHOT) is an interdisciplinary and international organization concerned not only with the history of technological devices and processes but also with technology in history and society. We explore the production, circulation, appropriation, maintenance and abandonment of technology under specific historical circumstances. And we scrutinize the epistemic, economic, social, cultural and political conditions of this development. Our approaches are informed by a broad concept of technology encompassing knowledge resources, practices, artefacts and biofacts, i.e. artefacts in the realm of the living. Accordingly, the Program Committee invites paper and session proposals on any topic in a broadly defined history of technology, including topics that push the boundaries of the discipline. Submitters are encouraged to propose sessions that include a diverse mix of participants: multinational origins, gender, graduate students and junior scholars with senior scholars, significantly diverse institutional affiliations, etc. To pay tribute to the venue of the 2017 annual meeting - Philadelphia, where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed - we want to encourage proposals that engage topics related to technology, democracy and participation. The birthplace of the oldest participatory democracy is the ideal setting for reflecting on, and interrogating, the overlapping subjects of technology, democracy, and participation. Philadelphia was not only the first capital of the United States, but also an early capital of industrialization and the accompanying transformations of work, skill, creation and maintenance, all of which continue to shape modern participation in the world. Commercial systems, slave economies, and immigration patterns developed locally alongside complex technologies of production and infrastructure in Philadelphia. Industrialization also led to an era of increased human intervention in the environment, now referred to as the Anthropocene. City and region participated in the cyclical expansion and contraction of global trade and supply chains of commodities, labor, and cultures. As other urban and rural, industrialized and agricultural polities have historically contended with similar forces of change, and transnational networks have carried the impacts of modernization agendas to both willing and unwilling communities, the cultural embrace of technology, notions of democracy, and ideologies of participation have played out in myriad ways around the world. These cultural commitments and their interactions, as seen in Philadelphia's history and across a wide range of other global settings, thus form an appropriate theme for the 2017 SHOT meeting. For the 2017 meeting the Program Committee welcomes proposals of three types: * Traditional sessions of 3 or 4 papers, with a chair and a commentator. Deadline: March 31, 2017. * Unconventional sessions, with formats that diverge in useful ways from the typical 3 or 4 papers with comment. These might include round-table sessions and workshop-style sessions with pre-circulated papers. Deadline: March 31, 2017. * Open sessions: Open Sessions descriptions, along with organizer contact information, can be found on the SHOT-website. To join a proposed panel from the Open Sessions list, contact the organizer for that panel, not the Program Committee. Open Session organizers will then assemble full panel sessions and submit them to SHOT by the end of the regular call for papers on March 31, 2017. The Program Committee will review the resulting fully formed session proposals, whether traditional or unconventional, for quality and adherence to SHOT standards of gender, geographic, and institutional diversity. * In special cases, proposals for individual papers will be considered, but the Program Committee will give preference to organized sessions, either Traditional or Untraditional. Those scholars who might ordinarily propose an individual paper are instead requested to propose Open Sessions themselves or to join an Open Session that is posted on the SHOT website. SHOT allows paper presentations at consecutive meetings but rejects submissions of papers that are substantially the same as previous accepted submissions. Submissions covering the same fundamental topic should explain the difference(s) with the prior presentation. The SHOT Executive Council formulated its response to US Presidential measures to restrict access to the United States for select foreign nationals, including to our annual meeting. This statement can be found on the SHOT website. Please keep an eye open for this statement and, if possible, do not be discouraged from submitting a paper by the current situation. For more information on preparing and submitting a proposal and the Open Sessions List please visit the SHOT website at www.historyoftechnology.org <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0013vjDdGpevgBwuJJ7vSP85oyDPuHlUonc3WxFjYWmHWDT…> The deadline for proposals is 15 April 2017 Please forward this call! Jan Korsten Society for the History of Technology

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