- Members - lists.sigcis.org

Making IT Work (MIT Press, 2017) published
by Jeffrey Yost 17 Oct '17

17 Oct '17

Dear Colleagues, Wanted to announce a new book that I just published with MIT Press that may be of potential interest--*Making IT Work: A History of the Computer Services Industry.* The computer services industry has worldwide annual revenues of over a trillion dollars and employs millions of workers, but is often overshadowed by the hardware and software products industries (both of which are less than half its size). In this book, I examine how computer services, from consulting, data processing, programming, systems integration, time-sharing, and facilities management to data analytics and cloud computing, have played a crucial role in shaping information technology -- in making IT work (both in the sense of making IT useful, and also extending the ever growing IT labor force). Based on extensive archival research (many CBI collections, the IBM Corporate Archives, Hagley Museum & Library, MIT Archives, etc.), oral histories, and trade journal research, I provide a business, social (gender, labor, professionalization), policy/legal/political economy history of this 65 year old industry. In doing so, I seek to contribute to business, social, and technology historiography. https://www.amazon.com/Making-Work-Computer-Services-Computi ng/dp/026203672X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1508181708&sr=8-1&ke ywords=making+it+work+yost Thanks. Best, Jeff -- Jeffrey R. Yost, Ph.D. Associate Director, Charles Babbage Institute Faculty, Program in the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine 222 21st Avenue South University of Minnesota Minneapolis, MN 55455 612 624 5050 Phone 612 625 8054 Fax

7 6

History of Unix symposium - Paris, France, October 19th (with working link)
by Camille Paloque-Berges 12 Oct '17

12 Oct '17

Dear colleagues and friends, An international conference on the history of Unix will be held in Paris, Oct. 19th, at the Conservatoire National des Arts & Métiers. Here is the link to the (bilingual) program : http://technique-societe.cnam.fr/colloque-international-unix-en-france-et-a… <http://technique-societe.cnam.fr/medias/fichier/programme-colloque-unix-bil…> There will be audio recordings of the symposium available afterwards - check the program page to know where and when. It will be followed, the next day, by a kick-off meeting of the research project “What is a computer program?”: http://technique-societe.cnam.fr/table-ronde-qu-est-ce-qu-un -programme-informatique-perspectives-historiques-et-philosop hiques--945355.kjsp <http://technique-societe.cnam.fr/table-ronde-qu-est-ce-qu-un-programme-info…> Best, the orgazining committee: Isabelle Astic, Raphaël Fournier-S’niehotta, Pierre-Eric Mounier-Kuhn, Camille Paloque-Bergès, Loïc Petitgirard. -- Institutional email address : camille.paloque_berges(a)cnam.fr *Laboratory for the History of Techno-Sciences (HT2S), Conservatoire national des arts et métiers, 2 rue Conté, 75003 Paris, France *Associate researcher at the Digital Paths cluster of CNRS' Institute for Communication Sciences (ISCC) -- Institutional email address : camille.paloque_berges(a)cnam.fr *Laboratory for the History of Techno-Sciences (HT2S), Conservatoire national des arts et métiers, 2 rue Conté, 75003 Paris, France *Associate researcher at the Digital Paths cluster of CNRS' Institute for Communication Sciences (ISCC)

1 0

History of Unix symposium - Paris, France, October 19th
by Camille Paloque-Berges 12 Oct '17

12 Oct '17

Dear colleagues and friends, An international conference on the history of Unix will be held in Paris, Oct. 19th, at the Conservatoire National des Arts & Métiers. Here is the link to the (bilingual) program : http://technique-societe.cnam.fr/medias/fichier/programme- colloque-unix-bilingue_1506698407125-pdf There will be audio recordings of the symposium available afterwards - check the program page to know where and when. It will be followed, the next day, by a kick-off meeting of the research project “What is a computer program?”: http://technique-societe.cnam.fr/table-ronde-qu-est-ce-qu- un-programme-informatique-perspectives-historiques-et- philosophiques--945355.kjsp?RH=1500478967516 Best, the orgazining committee: Isabelle Astic, Raphaël Fournier-S’niehotta, Pierre-Eric Mounier-Kuhn, Camille Paloque-Bergès, Loïc Petitgirard. -- Institutional email address : camille.paloque_berges(a)cnam.fr *Laboratory for the History of Techno-Sciences (HT2S), Conservatoire national des arts et métiers, 2 rue Conté, 75003 Paris, France *Associate researcher at the Digital Paths cluster of CNRS' Institute for Communication Sciences (ISCC)

1 0

Fall Updates on Ayyadurai and Techdirt
by Thomas Haigh 10 Oct '17

10 Oct '17

Hello SIGCIS, There have been some significant developments in the "inventor of email" saga since my last roundup, so as the list has now returned to life here's a brief roundup of reporting for those of you not following obsessively. Big news: on September 6 a judge granted summary dismissal of the $15 million libel lawsuit filed against Techdirt. According to reports, this was done on the basis that even if every factual claim in Ayyadurai's complaint turned out to be fully supported by evidence, none of the alleged behavior would constitute libel. The judge noted that Ayyadurai's claim is "incapable of being proved true of false" as claims to have produced the first of anything involve adopting a particular definition. By that logic Ayyadurai has a right to say he invented email, others have a right to disagree, and neither side has a right to sue the other for their opinions. Which seems reasonable to me. Many reports of this online, e.g. https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2017/09/judge-dismisses-libel-lawsuit-fi led-by-self-proclaimed-e-mail-inventor/. The full ruling is at https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/3987555/Gov-Uscourts-Mad-185980-4 8-0.pdf. Techdirt recently reported that Ayyadurai has notified the court of his intention to appeal. The same story mentions that Techdirt is appealing another aspect of the ruling: the Massachusetts judge's refusal to apply California's anti-SLAPP law to the case, under which a plaintiff might be liable for the legal costs of the defendant in a groundless lawsuit brought to silence critics. https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20171006/11584638359/latest-shiva-ayyadura is-failed-libel-suit-against-techdirt.shtml Ayyadurai's lawyer, Charles Harder, has also promised to sue the New York Times for $50 million on behalf of Harvey Weinstein. Before the case was dismissed, Ars Technica published a lengthy article including some email history and actual reporting -- including quotes from Ayyadurai himself (and from me). https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2017/06/shivas-war-one-mans-quest-to-con vince-the-world-that-he-invented-e-mail/ In August, Techdirt had accepted a $250,000 donation to support its reporting on free speech issues. The money came from a variety of sources, including the Koch Foundation as well as more liberal groups, making for an interesting alliance. https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2017/08/techdirt-accepts-250000-to-expan d-journalism-on-free-speech-issues/?comments=1 <https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2017/08/techdirt-accepts-250000-to-expa nd-journalism-on-free-speech-issues/?comments=1&post=33780449> &post=33780449 Mike Masnick of Techdirt repeatedly chocked up as he described the effects of the lawsuit on his business and himself at the Personal Democracy Forum in June. https://techcrunch.com/2017/06/08/mike-masnick-personal-democracy-forum/ The talk highlighted Ayyadurai's tweet ""#FakeNewsMedia like TechShit need to be shutdown for their FAKE NEWS." Meanwhile Ayyadurai's quixotic senate campaign (slogan: "Only a real Indian can defeat the fake Indian") is proceeding energetically, including a spot keynoting the controversial Boston "free speech" rally held shortly after the Charlottesville tragedy. http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/19/us/boston-free-speech-rally/index.html. He also received widespread attention for an ill-fated appearance with conservative radio host Howie Carr in which Ayyadurai repeatedly shouted variations on "It's not about you or me, it's about Elizabeth Warren" when asked about a 2005 arrest for domestic abuse. https://www.boston.com/news/politics/2017/07/23/watch-radio-host-howie-carr- and-republican-senate-candidate-get-in-on-air-yelling-match Boston Magazine ran a closely reported feature on the campaign back in June, capturing Ayyadurai's own perspective on the dramatic evolution of his political reviews from ultra liberal campus activist to "darling of the Breitbart set." : http://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/article/2017/07/09/shiva-ayyadurai/. This has been your Fall update on the invention of email. Best wishes, Tom

2 1

The Balanced Ternary Machines of Soviet Russia
by Laurent Bloch 10 Oct '17

10 Oct '17

Dear Members, Did you see that paper about The Balanced Ternary Machines of Soviet Russia? https://dev.to/buntine/the-balanced-ternary-machines-of-soviet-russia And even a (virtual) implementation: https://sbtcvm.org/ Thanks to Christophe Poirier via Infosecu <infosecu(a)arcsi.fr>. Cheers! -- Laurent Bloch - https://www.laurentbloch.net - lb(a)laurentbloch.org Si vous trouvez que l'éducation coûte cher, essayez l'ignorance ! (A. Lincoln)

2 1

SAGE software
by David C. Brock 09 Oct '17

09 Oct '17

Does anyone know of any attempts to locate the source code for the SAGE system? .............. David C. Brock Director Center for Software History [http://www.computerhistory.org/softwarehistory/] Computer History Museum [http://www.computerhistory.org/] Email: dbrock(a)computerhistory.org Twitter: @dcbrock Skype: dcbrock 1401 N. Shoreline Blvd. Mountain View, CA 94943 (650) 810-1010 main (650) 810-1886 direct Follow Us: @CHM Blog [http://www.computerhistory.org/atchm/] Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/computerhistory] Twitter [https://twitter.com/ComputerHistory] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/computerhistory/] YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/user/ComputerHistory] Make Software, Change the World! Now Open. [http://www.computerhistory.org/exhibits/makesoftware/]

1 0

Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II
by Brian Berg 09 Oct '17

09 Oct '17

>From a BookBrowse <https://www.bookbrowse.com/> email that I received - on sale on Tue, 10 October, at least in the US: *Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II by Liza Mundy* On sale Oct 10 from Hachette Books Genre: History, Science & Current Affairs. 432 pages Critics' Opinion: 5/5 "*Code Girls* reveals a hidden army of female cryptographers, whose work played a crucial role in ending World War II... Mundy has rescued a piece of forgotten history, and given these American heroes the recognition they deserve." - Nathalia Holt, bestselling author of *Rise of the Rocket Girls* More about this book <https://www.bookbrowse.com/reviews/index.cfm/book_number/3645/code-girls> | Read Reviews <https://www.bookbrowse.com/reviews/index.cfm/book_number/3645/code-girls#ta…> _________________________ 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/> Past Chair / IEEE-CNSV <http://www.CaliforniaConsultants.org> Board Director IEEE Silicon Valley Tech History Committee <http://www.SiliconValleyHistory.com/> Chair

1 0

First information explosion in history
by Richard Vahrenkamp 05 Oct '17

05 Oct '17

Dear all, 60 years ago the German sociologist Theo Pirker made the assertion that machinization of information leads to rapid expansion of information volume and to broadening the stream of information. I used this approach in my paper on punch card technology in Germany in the recent issue of the German journal Technikgeschichte. I showed how the introduction of punched cards induced the first information explosion in history. Further I raised some doubts on the current view that the industry in the United States were leading in the application of punched cards based control systems. I showed that in Germany the industry reached the same level of punched cards based control systems as in the United States. On your demand I can provide an English translation of my paper as a working paper 1/2017. With kind regards Richard Vahrenkamp ******************************************** Prof. Dr. Richard Vahrenkamp Logistik Consulting Berlin Phone 0177- 628 3325 E-Mail: Vahrenkamp2016(a)gmx.de Web: www.vahrenkamp.org Trendelenburgstr. 16 14057 Berlin *********************************************

3 3

Manufacturers of Punch Cards
by Kidwell, Peggy 22 Sep '17

22 Sep '17

I write in preparation for next month's meeting in Philadelphia. Those of you staying late will be able to hear about punch cards, particularly punch cards in the Smithsonian collections, as symbols of the spread of computing from the nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century. This is the result of a cataloging project based on looking at eighty-odd punch cards and groups of punch cards in Smithsonian mathematics and computer collections (as well as one from textiles). A small matter that interests me is who actually made and/or distributed the cards. Sometimes this was a manufacturer like IBM or Remington Rand UNIVAC. At other times, businesses seem to have specialized in printing punch cards - or at least distributing them. At present, I'm still mystified as to who made/distributed the punch cards listed below, and would welcome identifications: 1. A punch card marked ISC 5081. This isn't the IBM card by that name, though It looks like it. 2. Another IBM clone, the MIDCO C-5081. 3. The Pryor 5280 4. The NECS/WIC-282 5. The ths 942/3/2367 - this was designed for use in Stockholm 6. A card designed for use at the University of Wisconsin with the name OEI M73926 - we also have a punch card with number OEI E19618 used at the DeVry Institute of Technology in Chicago 7. SDC A1004 punch cards - used in Canada 8. BP-16309 BSC punch cards Many thanks! Peggy Kidwell Curator of Mathematics National Museum of American History Smithsonian Institution

3 2

Computers in Marketing (1960 Fortune Films, at Hagley Library)
by Erik Rau 21 Sep '17

21 Sep '17

Our video of the month for September is from our Sperry Univac collection, “The Computer Comes to Marketing,” 1960. Sponsored by Fortune Films. https://www.hagley.org/librarynews/selling-computer-business-1960 Enjoy! Erik -- Erik P. Rau, PhD Director, Library Services Hagley Museum & Library P.O. Box 3630, 298 Buck Road Wilmington, DE 19807 302.658.2400, ext. 344 erau(a)hagley.org<mailto:erau@hagley.org> www.hagley.org<http://www.hagley.org>

1 0