Dear colleagues, Please find below (and attached) my paper proposal the "Code Histories" panel at SHOT 2025. My paper explores the US military’s role in early software standardization through a historical analysis of the National Military Command System Information Processing System 360 Formatted File System (NIPS 360 FFS). By examining the materiality of its components and conducting a close reading of Job Control Language (JCL) statements, I investigate how code both reflected and shaped military culture, with particular attention to its use during the Vietnam War. I would be delighted to contribute to the discussion on the cultural and historical dimensions of coding practices, and I look forward to your feedback. Best, Moritz = = = = = = = = *Coding Control: A Close Reading of NIPS 360 FFS* The role of the US military in shaping modern computing has been a key focus in research on Cold War technology and software history. During the early digital age, the military’s demand for automated data processing and system compatibility drove efforts to standardize hardware, software, and data formats. In response to growing command and control needs, the Department of Defense developed the National Military Command System Information Processing System 360 Formatted File System (NIPS 360 FFS), introduced by IBM in 1963. This system established a standardized data format and routines programmed in IBM’s Job Control Language (JCL). This paper traces the historical development of NIPS 360 FFS, focusing on challenges of implementation and standardization, particularly regarding the materiality of system components. A close reading of JCL statements will analyze how specific code elements reflect military culture, alongside an examination of the system’s use during the Vietnam War and its broader legacy in digital computing. Dr. Moritz J. Feichtinger, University of Basel – Department of History = = = = = = = = Am 13.03.25 um 10:19 schrieb FICHEN Mathilde via Members:
Dear colleagues,
We are organizing a panel on the social history of code creation and programming practices for the _SHOT conference <https://www.historyoftechnology.org/annual-meeting/2025-shot-annual-meeting/open-sessions-list-2025/>_, and we invite you to submit proposals. While software history has gained traction, the cultural, social, and technical dimensions of coding remain underexplored. This panel seeks to address this gap, drawing on Critical Code Studies and related fields to examine how source code and programming practices shape and reflect broader historical contexts.
The _full proposal <https://www.historyoftechnology.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/2025_shot_hocquet_code_histories.pdf>_ can be found on the conference website. If you are interested, please submit a 150 word abstract as well as name, title, affiliation, and e-mail address before March 23. Please feel free to share this with interested colleagues.
Best, Mathilde
/Organizers: Alexandre Hocquet (Université de Lorraine), Frédéric Wieber (Université de Lorraine), Titaÿna Kauffmann (University of Luxembourg), Mathilde Fichen (Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers)/
Mathilde Fichen Ph.D Candidate CNAM - HT2S <https://technique-societe.cnam.fr/histoire-des-technosciences-en-societe-ht2s--913760.kjsp> Personal page: mathfichen.github.io <https://mathfichen.github.io/>
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-- Dr. Moritz J. Feichtinger Universität Basel | Departement Geschichte SNF-Ambizione Fellow Hirschgässlein 21 | CH-4051 Basel moritz.feichtinger@unibas.ch moritzfeichtinger.net computingthesocial.net https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1260-8884 --> offline fridays!