CBI has the archival records of the HOPL conference as well as Alan Perlis's papers. Might well be some clues for a researcher there! --- Tom http://purl.umn.edu/41304 Alan J. Perlis Papers, 1942-1989 Dates: 1942-1989 Creator: Perlis, Alan J. Extent: 6 boxes (4.5 cubic feet) Language: English Collection Number: CBI 64 Abstract: Collection contains correspondence, class handouts, lecture notes and visual aids, published articles and reports, subject files, audio tapes and videotapes relating to Perlis' work in computer science education, programming languages, and compiler programs. http://purl.umn.edu/40668 History of Programming Languages Conference Records, 1959, 1972-1993. Finding Aid. Title: History of Programming Languages Conference, 1978, Los Angeles, California records Dates: 1959, 1972-1993 Creator: History of Programming Languages Conference (1978 : Los Angeles, Calif.) Extent: 10 boxes (8 cubic feet) Language: English Collection Number: CBI 19 Abstract: Collection contains correspondence, reports, draft presentations, newspaper clippings, notes, memoranda, National Science Foundation grant records, publicity materials, and mailing lists relating to the planning and organization of the conference. Also includes conference proceedings in the form of black-and-white video cassettes, reel-to-reel and cassette audio recordings, black-and-white photographs, slides, transcripts of presentations, preprints of papers, and book drafts. On Feb 10, 2010, at 6:11 AM, Nofre Mateo, David wrote:

Dear colleagues,

I am trying to chart the use of the Babel metaphor in the history of programming languages. Particularly, I am curious about the use of the visual metaphor. But I am a bit stuck with some basic factual information about the circumstances of the following two images :

1) The now famous cover of the issue of January 1961 of the Communications of the ACM is a obvious point of departure. I know that Alan J. Perlis was the editor at that time of the journal, but I cannot find any information related to the production of the picture (author, source, etc.).

2) The second picture is the supposedly ‘first’ language history chart, which appeared in Jean E. Sammet, “Programming languages: history and future”, Comm. of ACM, 15, July 1972. According to Sammet, she got the idea from Christopher J. Shaw’s article “Milestones in Computer Programming”, published in SIGPLAN Notices February 1965. But I have been unable to find any issue online or printed copy in the libraries in the Netherlands of the SIGPLAN Notices before August 1966, which it appears in all the collections as the first issue. Does anybody know about Shaw’s article?

I would appreciate any information about these two images.

Thank you very much.

David Nofre

.................................................. David Nofre, PhD Program of History of Computing Informatics Institute - Faculty of Science University of Amsterdam Science Park 107 1098 XG Amsterdam d.nofremateo@uva.nl

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